Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari: Difference between revisions

Jabir b. 'Abd Allah was the son of 'Amr, son of Haram b. Ka'b b. Ghanm b. Salama; he was from the tribe of [[Khazraj]].<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 104-105; Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 208.</ref>

According to some of the historical accounts, Jabir had a friendly relationship with [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]]. The Prophet promised him a long life. Answering to the question of Jabir on dividing the bequest a verse was sent down to the Prophet (s) which is known as the [[al-Kalala verse]].<ref>Qur'an 4:176.</ref>.<ref>Ṭūsī, ''al-Tibyān'', under the verse 176.</ref>

In the third year after [[Hijra]] and prior to the [[Battle of Dhat al-Riqa']], Jabir married to a widow called Suhayma, the daughter of Mas'ud b. Aws.<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 104-105; Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 4, p. 99-100.</ref>

In his young ages, Jabir attended in a large number of the battles ([[ghazwa]] and [[sariyya]]). The number of the battles he has participated is different in historical reports. As he said, he attended 19 out of 27 ghazwas alongside [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]],<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 214, 216-217.</ref> and also attended several sariyyas.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh Ṭabarī'', vol. 3, p. 32-33.</ref>

Jabir did not participate in the battles of [[Battle of Uhud|Uhud]] and [[Battle of Badr|Badr]]<ref>Ibn Qutayba, ''al-Maʿārif'', p. 307.</ref> in order to obey his father's order and manage his crowded family's affairs. Although in a number of historical accounts, he was named as a person who carried water in the Battle of Badr.<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 216-217.</ref>

He was engaged with scientific and educational affairs in that time; he mostly avoided political and military affairs. The only battle he participated was at the beginning of military conquests of Muslims during the reign of the second Caliph, [['Umar b. al-Khattab]].

Jabir was an [['Arif]] in the time of 'Umar b. al-Khattab.<ref>Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 3, p. 194.</ref> 'Arif, the chief member of each tribe or clan, were chosen by caliph as the mutual connector between the caliph and the tribe.

There is very few information about Jabir's activities in the time of the [[third Caliph]]. We only know, on the last days of Uthman's [[caliphate]], when the Egyptian protesters head toward [[Medina]], Jabir and fifty other members of [[Ansar]] were ordered by the Caliph to negotiate with the protestors and persuade them to return to [[Egypt]].<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 44-45; Baladhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 5, p. 193.</ref>

Jabir has fought alongside with [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] in the [[Battle of Siffin]].<ref>Amīn, ''Aʿyān al-Shīʿa'', vol. 4, p. 46; Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 232.</ref> In the last days of Imam 'Ali's (a) caliphate, [[Mu'awiya]] army attacked and plundered cities, including [[Medina]], to take the [[oath of allegiance]] from people. [[Busr b. Artat]] was the one who attacked Medina in 40/660 to take an oath of allegiance from people including Banu Salama, the tribe of Jabir. Jabir thought taking oath of allegiance to [[Busr b. Artat]] would be going astray. So he hid in [[Umm Salama]]'s house, Prophet Muhammad's wife. Finally, in order to avoid bloodshed, Jabir took Umm Salama's advice and took an oath of allegiance to Busr.<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 235; Thaqafī, ''al-Ghārāt'', vol. 2, p. 602-607.</ref>

Jabir was well aware of [[Qur'an]] and [[sunna]], so he was annoyed by the wrongdoings and [[bid'a|bid'as]] (innovations) of [[Umayyads]]. It was so unbearable to him that he wished to become deaf in order to not hearing the news of bid'as.<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 235; Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 3, p. 193.</ref>

Jabir traveled to [[Egypt]] in [[50]]/670-1 where a number of Egyptians have narrated hadith from him.<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 213-214.</ref> [[Maslama b. Mukhallad al-Ansari]], a tribal member of Jabir, was the governor of Egypt in that time. As Ibn Manda said in his accounts, Jabir traveled to [[Syria]] and Egypt along with Maslama.<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 11, p. 213-214.</ref>

According to hadith sources, Jabir traveled to Syria in the time of [[Mu'awiya]] in order to acquire a hadith on [[qisas]] (retaliation) from [['Abd Allah b. Unays]],<ref>Ibn Ḥanbal, ''Musnad'', vol. 3, p. 495.</ref> but Mu'awiya ignored him. Jabir was upset, so he refused a 600 Dinar gift from Mu'awiya and returned to [[Medina]].<ref>Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 3, p. 318-319.</ref>

Although Jabir was not a supporter of Imam 'Ali (a) in the [[Event of al-Saqifa]], after some time he joined Imam 'Ali (a) and remained a true supporter of him.<ref>Kashshī, ''al-Rijāl'', p. 38.</ref> [[Al-Kashshi]] considered him one of the members of [[Shurtat al-Khamis]] who were a group of devoted fighters dedicated their lives to Imam 'Ali (a).<ref>Kashshī, ''al-Rijāl'', p. 5.</ref>

According to the sources of [[Sunni Muslims]], Jabir has narrated 540 hadith, [[Sahih al-Bukhari]] and [[Sahih Muslim]] both accord with 58 hadiths.<ref>Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 3, p. 194.</ref> [[Ahmad b. Hanbal]] has collected hadiths which were narrated by Jabir in his ''[[Musnad Ahmad|Musnad]]''.<ref>Ibn Ḥanbal, ''Musnad'', vol. 3, p. 292-400.</ref> According to 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal, the hand written [[musnad]] (collection of hadith) of Jabir b. 'Abd Allah is preserved in al-Khazanat al-Rabat in [[Morocco]], which is probably hadiths narrated by Jabir in ''Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal''.<ref>Ziriklī, ''al-Aʿlām'', vol. 2, p. 104.</ref>

Jabir b. 'Abd Allah considered [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] as the criterion for judgment at the time of the [[Prophet (s)]], and [[hypocrite|hypocrites]] are got known by their hate towards 'Ali (a).<ref>Kashshī, ''al-Rijāl'', p. 40-41.</ref> He advised [[Ansar]] to grow their children with the love of 'Ali (a). He said that whoever not recognize 'Ali (a) as the best mankind, he has done ingratitude towards God. Jabir's famous quotation on Imam 'Ali (a) is: "'Ali (a) is the best mankind", inspired Ja'far b. Ahmad al-Qummi, Shi'a author, to narrate one third of his hadith from Jabir in his book ''Nawadir al-athar fi 'Ali khayr al-bashar''.<ref>Tustarī, ''Qāmūs al-rijāl'', vol. 2, p. 525.</ref>

At the beginning of [['Ali b. al-Husayn (a)|'Ali b. al-Husayn]]'s (a) [[imamate]], Imam had only few companions including Jabir b. 'Abd Allah. Due to his old age, Jabir was not prosecuted by [[al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf]].

Thus Jabir was eagerly looking for him. sometimes he call "O! the revealer of knowledge" in the [[Masjid al-Nabi]]. Finally, he found [[Imam al-Baqir (a)|Muhammad b. 'Ali (a)]], who was a teenager; he recalled the saying of the Prophet (s), kissed al-Baqir (a) and sent the salam (greetings) of Prophet Muhammad (s) to him.<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 1, p. 469-470.</ref>

regarding the fact that at the time that [[al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf al-Thaqafi|al-Hajjaj]] settled in Medina, Jabir was there, it seems Jabir passed away after [[74]]/693-4.

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