`ABDULLAAH IBN `AMR –radiyallaahu `anhumaa
(Abridged from ‘Siyar A`laamin Nubalaa·’ of Imaam adh-Dhahabee)
Translated by Abu Talha Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
`Abdullaah ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas ibn Waa·il ibn Haashim ibn Sa`eed ibn Sa`d ibn Sahm ibn `Amr ibn Husays ibn Ka`b ibn Lu·ayy ibn Ghaalib, the Imaam, the great scholar, the worshipper. The Companion of Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) and the son of his Companion.
Aboo Muhammad and it is said: Aboo `Abdir-Rahmaan, and it is said: Aboo Naseer; al-Qurashee, as-Sahmee.
His mother was Raa·itah bint al-Hajjaaj ibn Munabbih as-Sahmiyyah.
His father was no older than him except by eleven years or thereabouts.
It has reached us that he accepted Islaam before his father; and it is said that his name was ‘al-`Aas’ [the disobedient one], so when he accepted Islaam the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) changed it to `Abdullaah.
He possessed many merits and virtues, and had a high position with regard to knowledge and action. He carried a great deal of knowledge from the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم).
He was one of those who performed the Hijrah along with his father prior to the conquest of Makkah. His father was only eleven years older than him.
The Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) used to prefer him over his father, and in the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) he was a person who fasted a great deal, stood in (Night) Prayer a great deal, and recited the Qur·aan a great deal, and who sought a great deal of knowledge.
He wrote down a lot of knowledge from the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم), and Aboo Hurairah acknowledged the great amount of knowledge he possessed, and said: “Because he used to write things down from the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) and I had not used to write.”
The ahaadeeth he narrates from the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) reach seven hundred in number. al-Bukhaaree and Muslim were united in reporting seven of his ahaadeeth, al-Bukhaaree was alone in reporting eight, and Muslim twenty.
He wrote down a great deal of narrations with the permission of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم)…
`Abdullaah also narrated from Aboo Bakr, `Umar, Mu`aadh, Suraaqah ibn Maalik, and his father `Amr, and `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn `Awf, Abud-Dardaa· and a group; also from the people of the Book, and he closely examined their books and gave attention to that.
He was a person of excellence and was earnest in his affairs, and he criticized his father for taking part in affairs in the time of tribulation; however he feared falling into the sin of disobedience if he abandoned his father, so he was therefore present at the battle of Siffeen, but he did not unsheathe a sword.
He acquired a number of the books of the People of the Book and closely examined them, and found some amazing things in them.
His father left him a vast amount of property, and he possessed slaves and servants. He also had a garden in Taa·if called al-Waht that was worth a thousand thousand (1,000,000) dirhams.
The people of Egypt took a great deal of knowledge from him.
He passed away in Egypt in the year 65 H, during the nights of the siege of the capital –al-Fustaat– so when he died they were not able to take his funeral out because of the war between Marwaan ibn al-Hakam and the army of Ibn az-Zubayr. So he was buried in his home –radiyallaahu `anhu.
Those who narrated from him included Ibn al-Musayyib, `Ikrimah, Aboo `Abdir-Rahmaan al-Hubulee, `Urwah, Wahb, Ibn Abee Mulaykah, and Aboo `Amr Shu`ayb ibn Muhammad his grandson.
Those who narrated from him were: his son Muhammad – even though there is dispute about this, and narrations of Muhammad from him are reported in Aboo Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa·ee; and his freed-slave Aboo Qaaboos, and his grandson Shu`ayb ibn Muhammad – who reported a great deal from him; and he served him and kept his company constantly, and he was brought up in his apartment because Shu`ayb’s father Muhammad died in the life time of his father `Abdullaah.
His students were many and included: his freed-slave Ismaa`eel, and his freed-slave Saalim, and Anas ibn Maalik, Aboo Umaamah ibn Sahl, and Jubayr ibn Nufayr; and Sa`eed ibn al-Musayyib, `Urwah, Aboo Salamah ibn `Abdir-Rahmaan, Zirr ibn Hubaysh, Humayd ibn `Abdir-Rahmaan ibn `Awf, Khaythamah ibn `Abdir-Rahmaan al-Ju`fee, Taawoos, ash-Sha`bee, `Ikrimah, `Ataa·, Mujaahid, al-Hasan al-Basree, `Abdullaah ibn Buraydah, Ibn Abee Mulaykah, `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Jubayr, `Ataa· ibn Yasaar, `Uqbah ibn Muslim, `Amr ibn Deenaar, Masrooq ibn al-Ajda`, Aboo Burdah ibn Abee Moosaa.
Qataadah said: “He was a stout man.”
Hammaad ibn Salamah narrated: from `Alee ibn Zayd [[ibn Jud`aan]]: from al-`Uryaan ibn al-Haytham who said: “I came in a deputation along with my father to Yazeed. So a very tall man came. He was reddish and had a large belly. So he sat down. I said: ‘Who is this?’ So it was said: `Abdullaah ibn `Amr.”…
Yahyaa ibn Ayyoob narrated: from Aboo Qabeel: from `Abdullaah ibn `Amr that he said: “We used to write down what Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) said in his presence.”..
[[…Yoosuf ibn Maahak: from `Abdullaah ibn `Amr who said: I used to write down everything which I heard from Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم), wanting to memorize it. So the Quraish forbade me and said: ‘Do you write everything when Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) is a man, and speaks when angry and when pleased!’ So I stopped writing, and then mentioned it to Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم), so he indicated with his finger to his mouth and said: << Write, for by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, nothing comes out of it except what is true. >> (Saheeh: as-Saheehah: no. 1532)]]
It is established from `Amr ibn Deenaar: from Wahb ibn Munabbih: from his brother Hammaam that he heard Aboo Hurairah say: “No Companion of Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) had more ahaadeeth than me, except for `Abdullaah ibn `Amr, because he used to write and I do not write.”…
Qutaybah narrated: al-Layth narrated to us, along with someone else: from `Ayyaash ibn `Abbaas: from Aboo `Abdir-Rahmaan al-Hubulee: I heard `Abdullaah ibn `Amr say:
“That I should be the tenth of ten poor people on the Day of Resurrection is more beloved to me than that I should be the tenth of ten wealthy people; for those with most will be the ones with the least on the Day of Resurrection, except for those who do like this and like this: meaning: they give in charity to the right and to the left.”
[[al-Bukhaaree narrated in his ‘Saheeh’ (no. 5052): Moosaa narrated to us: Aboo `Awaanah narrated to us: from Mugheerah: from Mujaahid: from `Abdullaah ibn `Amr who said:
“My father got me married to a woman of a noble family, so he often used to ask my wife about me. So she said: ‘What a fine man he is, for a man who does not come to my bed, nor has he approached me since he married me.’ So when that continued for a long time he mentioned it to the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) who said: << Let me meet him. >> So I met him afterwards and he said: << How do you observe fasting? >> So I replied: “I fast every day.” He said: << How long does it take you to complete reading the Qur·aan? >> I said: “I do so every night.” He said: << Fast for three days every month and recite the Qur’aan once every month. >> I said: “I have strength to do more than that.” He said: << Then fast the most excellent fast: the fast of Daawood: Fasting one day and refraining from fasting the next day; and finish the recitation of the whole Qur·aan once in seven nights. >> Would that I had accepted the concession of Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم), as I have become a weak old man.”
So he used to recite one seventh of the Qur’aan to some of his family during the day to make sure that he remembered it for the night; and whenever he wanted to gain some strength he would abstain from fasting for some days, count them and fast them later on for he disliked leaving something which he used to do during the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم)]]
I [i.e. adh-Dhahabee] say: He inherited a very great deal of Egyptian gold from his father, so he was one of the kings amongst the Companions. …`Abdullaah accepted Islaam, and migrated after the seventh year and took part in some of the battles.
Aboo `Ubayd said: “He was in command of the right flank of the army of Mu`aawiyah on the day of Siffeen.”
Khaleefah ibn Khayyaat mentions him as one of Mu`aawiyah’s governors of Koofah. He said: Then he removed him from that position and replaced him with al-Mugheerah ibn Shu`bah.
There occurs in the ‘Musnad’ of Ahmad: Yazeed narrated to us: al- `Awwaam related to us: Aswad ibn Mas`ood narrated to me: from Hanzalah ibn Khuwaylid al-`Anbaree who said: “I was in the presence of Mu`aawiyah when two men came to him disputing with regard to the head of `Ammaar – radiyallaahu `anhu, so each one of them was saying: ‘I killed him.’ So `Abdullaah ibn `Amr said: “Each one of you should be pleased that it was his companion who killed him, and not himself, for I heard Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) say: << The transgressing party will kill him. >> So Mu`aawiyah said: “O `Amr! Will you not spare us this crazy person of yours? Then why are you with us?!” He [i.e. `Abdullaah ibn `Amr] said: “My father made a complaint to Allaah’s Messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم), so he said to me: << Obey your father as long as he lives. >> So therefore I am with you, but I will not fight.”
[[‘Saheeh’: ‘as-Saheehul-Musnad’ of Shaikh Muqbil]]
Naafi` ibn `Umar related: from Ibn Abee Mulaykah who said: `Abdullaah ibn `Amr –radiyallaahu `anhumaa– said: “What have I to do with Siffeen! What have I to do with fighting against the Muslims! I wish that I had died twenty years – or he said: ten years-before it. Yet even so, by Allaah, I did not strike a sword, nor fire any arrow”; and it is mentioned that he held the flag.”
Husayn al-Mu`allim related: from Ibn Buraydah: from Sulaymaan ibn ar- Rabee’ al-`Adawee: that he performed Hajj in the time of Mu`aawiyah amongst a group of the reciters: so it was told to us that `Abdullaah [ibn `Amr] is to be found in the lower part of Makkah. So we went towards him and found a very great party of people and baggage, with three hundred camels: one hundred for riding and two hundred for carrying, whereas we used to be told that he was one of the most humble of people. So we said: ‘What is all this?’ They said: ‘It is for his brothers; he conveys them, and whoever stays as a guest with him upon them.’ So we were surprised. So they said: He is a wealthy man, and they told us where to find him in the Masjidul-Haraam. So we went to him and found that he was a short man with mucus upon his eye-lids, and he was wearing a simple cloak and waistwrapper and a turban, and he let his shoes hang at his left side.”
…Yahyaa ibn Bukayr said: “`Abdullaah ibn `Amr died in Egypt, and was buried in his small house, in the year 65 H.” This saying about the year of his death was also stated by Khaleefah, Aboo `Ubayd, al-Waaqidee, al- Fallaas and others.
Posted from the Appendix of :
Tafseer Soorat-in-Naba’- from the works of numerous mufassireen.
Compiled and translated by Abu Talhah Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
Related Links:
AbdurRahman.Org 
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