Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas

Amr ibn Al-Aas ibn Wael:

This blog is going to talk about Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas who was born twenty-seven years before al-Hijrah.  On the contrary, Amr ibn Al-Aas, Abdulla’s father was unlike his father. He had a glorious history in Islam. Before islam, Amr was well known for his chivalry and excellence. He was a matchless horseman and swordsman. He excelled in raiding, swimming and sword duels. When Islam emerged, Amr was as hostile as his father to prophet Mohammad. Eventually, Amr embraced Islam late.  In islam he was known for his clever leadership and tact. Moreover, Amr was far-sighted, clever and eloquent. Amr was one of the genius Arabs before and after Islam.

Spiritual internal conflict:

Islamic studies state that Abdullah saw how his uncle, Hisham ibn al-Aas, abandoned the lifestyle of Makkah and joined the Muslims’. Therefore, Hisham migrated to Abyssinia. Hisham stayed there till he knew about the prophet’s migration to al-Madina, so he wanted to go directly to Yathrib. He migrated after the battle of the trench which was mentioned in the Holy Quran. Abdullah was inclined to sympathize with the Muslims.  As soon as he was ten years old, he fled to al-Madina to embrace islam.

The multilingual Abdullah ibn Amr:

Some of his fathers friends saw how clever Abdullah was. So they taught him the syriac language. He could master the language in a little time. Abdullah gained a lot of knowledge and culture in that language. Abdullah was psychologically restless. That is why he migrated to al-Madina and embraced Islam. His conversion came after a long search and thinking. He thought about embracing Islam in the seventh year after the prophet’s migration. He was then independent and mature. Abdullah was a teenager of fourteen years old. His intellectual maturity led him to embrace Islam out of his free will.

Abdullah meets prophet Mohammad:

Abdullah met prophet Mohammad in al-Madina who was with his companions. A companion  said that it was al-Aas (disobedient) ibn Amr. Prophet Mohammad refused the remark and said, “Rather, it is Abdullah, the (obedient). Ever since, ibn Amr was called Abdullah instead of al-Aas, his original name. Prophet Mohammad made dua for him that he would be successful throughout his life. Ibn Amr began to study Islam. He studied the Holy Quran and the Ibadat. Ibn Amr exerted too much effort in Islam. Prophet Mohammad advised him not to be too enthusiastic. Ibn Amr wanted to make up for what had missed him.

The marriage of Abdullah ibn Amr:

Amr converted to Islam before the conquest of Makkah. He saw his son exhausting himself in over worship. Therefore, Amr chose a beautiful woman for his son to marry. After that, Amr began to see how he lived. Abdullah’s wife complained that her husband neglected her. Amr rebuked his son and told prophet Mohammad who advised him to care for his wife. Ibn Amr began to listen to and read the Holy Quran. Ibn Amr was keen on writing down the Holy Quran. He wanted to read the Holy Quran every night. However, prophet Mohammad advised him to read the Holy Quran over a week instead.

Ibn Amr writes down the prophet’s sunnah:

Making use of his ability to write, Abdullah ibn Amr began to write down the prophet’s hadith. Ibn Amr said that he wrote down every word the prophet Mohammad said. The prophet’s companions said he shouldn’t have done that. when the prophet knew about it, he asked him to go on writing down all his hadith. He wrote down and memorized the prophet’s hadith. Abdullah  had an accurate record of hadith. Ibn Mujahid said that he had seen a record at Abdullah  His  house. In it there was the prophet’s hadith which he had directly heard from prophet Mohammad.

The Jihad of ibn Amr:

Islamic studies state that Ibn Amr attended the prophet’s battles, the conquest of  Makkah,  Hunain, Tabuk. Prophet Mohammad asked him to send an army mounted on camels. Ibn Amr practiced jihad till the prophet’s death. Ibn Amr was one of the warriors who fought against the apostates. He fought under his father’s leadership. Amr ibn al-Aas was victorious and could restore the apostates back to Islam. After that he fought in Syria, al-Yarmouk, Egypt. Ibn Amr went to Egypt with his father. Amr was always worried about his son and asked him to be cautious. Eventually, he witnessed an accord with the Egyptian rulers.

The piety of Abdullah ibn Amr:

Ibn Amr was truly pious and was called the mosque pigeon. Abdullah  always feared the torture of Allah. He was keen on making his promise. He said that making one’s promise is one third of a muslim’s faith. breaking one’s promise is a third of hypocrisy.  Prophet Mohammad gave much advice to ibn Amr. Prophet Mohammad told ibn Amr that if he fought sincerely, Allah would reward him. If he fought only for fame and reputation, Allah would punish him. Also, prophet Mohammad advised him in case of a sedition to keep silent and avoid being in the mobs.

The death of ibn Amr:

Abdullah ibn Amr died in the year 65 H. Ibn Amr  died in Egypt. He had two houses near the mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas. abdullah died and was buried in his house. At the time of his death, the Umayyads were trying to restore Egypt under their rule. Marawan ibn al-Hakam led the military campaign. There were skirmishes in the Egyptian capital. Therefore, they couldn’t take his body out of the house to bury him. That was why he was buried in his house. Abdullah Ibn Amr died, leaving a good reputation for his knowledge, piety and jihad for Islam.