His Role in Putting an End to Abu Jahl
He also played a huge role in putting an end to Abu Jahl. It is narrated by Hazrat Anas that at the end of the Battle of Badr, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “Is there anyone who can find out the accurate and correct news regarding Abu Jahl?” And so, Abdullah bin Mas‘ud went and saw that Abu Jahl was lying in the battlefield, wounded and in agony. The sons of Ifra had caused him to be in this state. Hazrat Ibn Mas‘ud grabbed him by his beard and said, “Are you Abu Jahl?” Even in that state he very arrogantly replied, “Have you ever killed a greater chieftain than me?”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Baab Qatl Abi Jahl, Hadith no. 3962)
The first narration was from Bukhari however there is also a narration from Sahih Muslim. The narration from Sahih Muslim regarding this incident is that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud grabbed him by the beard and asked him, “Are you Abu Jahl?” Abu Jahl replied, “Have you ever killed a great man like me before?” The narrator states that Abu Jahl said, “If only a person other than a farmer would have killed me.”
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jihad Wa Al-Sair, Hadith no. 4662)
There were two boys of Medina who left him in this state. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) has also mentioned this in Tafsir-e-Kabir in great detail that how the opponents burnt in the fire of spite and malice all their lives and even at the time of their death they were in this state. He writes that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud said, “After the battle, I saw that Abu Jahl was groaning in agony due to the wounds. I went to him and asked how he was. He replied, ‘I am not regretful of my death. It is soldiers who die after all. I am regretful that I was killed by the hands of two Ansari boys of Medina. I am going to die so confer one favour upon me and sever my head with a sword so that I am relieved of this misery. But remember to sever my head from the lower part of the neck so that my head stands tall as generals are killed in a similar manner from the lower part of the neck.’” Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud said, “I will not fulfil your last desire and will sever your head from your chin.” At last he placed his sword on his chin and beheaded him.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) writes, “Look at the scale of this fire that was burning Abu Jahl. All his life he was spiteful over the fact that they were unable to inflict the pain that they desired upon the Holy Prophet (sa). Even at the time of his death he was burning with rage since he was going to die as a result of an attack from the hands of two unskilled boys of Medina. The last desire that he had at the time of his death was also not fulfilled and he was beheaded close to the chin.”
(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 461). Ultimately burning in all sorts of enraging fires he departed from this world.