Abu 'Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah and the contrast of the Believer

From among the Sahaba, I always had a particular admiration for Abu Ubaidah bin Al Jarrah. For me, he embodied all of the traits that to me are the ideal Muslim. Obviously, we admire all of the Sahaba, and Rasulullah embodied all of the noble traits that a man can have. But, you know, when we read the Sirah, we read the stories of the Sahaba, we read the history, we read the hadiths, you can't help but sort of feel that you get to know certain figures from that time. And inevitably, some of them become your favorites.

Abu Arayda epitomized to me the contrast that exists in the Mutmint, that contrast of immense strength and power with profound humility and mildness. Like when a freed captive from Hashem told Heraclius what the Muslims were like. He said they are nights by day and monks by night. Or when the envoys of Malkauchis told him what they saw when they were with the Muslims, they said we've seen a people for whom death is dearer to them than life and humility is dearer to them than high status. Not one of them has a desire or love for this world.

Rather, they sit on the ground and they eat on their knees. Their leader is like one of them, and you can't distinguish between the people of high status and the lowly and the master from the slave. And to me, Abu Ubaidah bin al Jarrah embodied all of this. He was tall and handsome with huge muscular arms, trained as a warrior since childhood. He was truly a lethal weapon, But he had the most unassuming, mild, easy personality, completely free of ego, vanity, or any need to dominate or prove his status.

He was diplomatic and understanding when in negotiations with his enemies, but efficiently deadly on the battlefield if negotiations failed. He never wanted anything for himself. He didn't seek praise or attention or notoriety and lived a stoic lifestyle of Zuhud. There's a particular story when the prophet sent him and Amr ibn al Az on a mission with a contingent of fighters. And the prophet did not appoint either of them to lead the mission, but he just told them do not dispute over leadership.

Now Abu Huraydah was a seasoned general, an unparalleled military prodigy from childhood. He'd been a Muslim since the beginning of Islam and participated in every battle. He was the obvious default leader of that mission. But when they set out, Amr bin al Az declared that he was going to be the leader and Abu Ubaidah should follow his orders. Amr bin al Az was a new Muslim with nowhere near the experience or skill or status of Abu Ubaidah, but Abu Ubaidah accepted for him to lead with no hesitation.

Not the slightest hesitation. He wasn't offended. His ego wasn't hurt. His pride wasn't hurt. He didn't take it personally.

He just knew that the prophet had said not to dispute over leadership and that's all that mattered. So, don't dispute. Amr wants to lead, let him lead. And in fact, every position of leadership that Abu Arbaidah ever held, he had to be pushed into accepting. If you saw him and didn't know who he was, you would think he was someone of no consequence because of how he carried himself, because of how humble he was, how soft spoken he was, how easygoing he was.

He would never know that he was one of the most exceptional human beings that ever lived. If he had not been surrounded by the best generation of mankind and had not walked on the earth at the same time as Rasulullah Abu Ubaid ibn al Jarrah had the qualities that would have set him alongside the likes of Alexander the Great in history books. But because of the greatness of that entire generation, his own personal greatness gets obscured. So if you're looking for an example of true masculinity, of what a genuinely powerful, formidable, unmovable man is, it's Abu Ubaidah bin Al Jarrah. No swagger, no boasting, no braggadocio, no chest thumping, no trying to be the top guy, not trying to be the loudest, the most self assertive, the most domineering, just being the most capable and being the most interested in utilizing that capability in service to Allah.

That's a real man.