Umayr ibn Sad al-Ansari
Encyclopedia
Umayr ibn Sad al-Ansari was a companion of Muhammad
. His father died when Umayr was young, leaving him and his mother poor and destitute. His mother eventually remarried to one of the richest men in Medina
, Julas ibn Suwayd from the powerful tribe of al-Aws. When he was barely ten years old, Umayr became a Muslim
and was known to frequent the mosque despite his young age. In 630
Muhammad announced his intention to lead an expedition to Tabuk against the Byzantine
forces. He ordered the Muslims to make the necessary preparations.
Shortly before the army was due to set out, Umayr returned home after performing Salat
in the mosque
. He was surprised that his stepfather Julas was so slow in preparing for the expedition and at his delay in contributing. Umayr related what he had seen at the mosque - young men who had come to enlist in the army and were turned away because of insufficient means of transport. Julas' response was shocking.
"If Muhammad is true in claiming that he is a Prophet then we are all worse than donkeys."
Umayr could not believe what he had heard and was forced to choose between preserving his relationship with Julas and dealing with his treachery and hypocrisy. The choice was painful, but he went to the mosque and told Muhammad what he had heard from his stepfather. Muhammad then summoned Julas who denied the allegations against him, claiming his stepson had lied.
Umayr then prayed:
"O Lord, send down a revelation on Your Prophet to verify what I have told him."
As the companions turned to Umayr, they saw that Muhammad was inspired. Having received the revelation he recited:
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللّهِ مَا قَالُواْ وَلَقَدْ قَالُواْ كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُواْ بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمِهِمْ وَهَمُّواْ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُواْ وَمَا نَقَمُواْ إِلاَّ أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ فَإِن يَتُوبُواْ يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلاَ نَصِيرٍ
"(The hypocrites) swear by God that they have said (nothing wrong); yet most certainly they have uttered a saying which is a denial of the truth, and have thus denied the truth after having professed their self-surrender to God; for they were aiming at something which was beyond their reach. And they could find no fault (with the Faith) save that God had enriched them and (caused) His Apostle to enrich them out of His bounty. Hence, if they repent, it will be for their own good; but if they turn away, God will cause them to suffer a grievous suffering in this world and in the life to come and they will find no helper on earth, and none to give them succour." (The Qur'an
, Surah at-Tawbah, 9:74).
Julas turned to Muhammad and said, "I do repent. Umayr told the truth and I lied. I beseech God to accept my repentance..."
Julas reformed and was a faithful Muslim thereafter. Whenever Umayr was mentioned, Julas would say:
"My God reward Umayr with goodness on my behalf. He certainly saved me from kufr and preserved my neck from the fire of hell."
During the caliphate
of Umar
ibn al-Khattab, Umayr ibn Sad was appointed governor Homs
, Syria
. This was despite Umayr's position as head of a Muslim army traversing the Arabian peninsula
and the region of greater Syria. Umayr accepted the appointment as governor reluctantly, preferring nothing better than Jihad. He was still quite young, in his early twenties.
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. His father died when Umayr was young, leaving him and his mother poor and destitute. His mother eventually remarried to one of the richest men in Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, Julas ibn Suwayd from the powerful tribe of al-Aws. When he was barely ten years old, Umayr became a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and was known to frequent the mosque despite his young age. In 630
630
Year 630 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 630 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Croats and Serbs settle in the...
Muhammad announced his intention to lead an expedition to Tabuk against the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
forces. He ordered the Muslims to make the necessary preparations.
Shortly before the army was due to set out, Umayr returned home after performing Salat
Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
in the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
. He was surprised that his stepfather Julas was so slow in preparing for the expedition and at his delay in contributing. Umayr related what he had seen at the mosque - young men who had come to enlist in the army and were turned away because of insufficient means of transport. Julas' response was shocking.
"If Muhammad is true in claiming that he is a Prophet then we are all worse than donkeys."
Umayr could not believe what he had heard and was forced to choose between preserving his relationship with Julas and dealing with his treachery and hypocrisy. The choice was painful, but he went to the mosque and told Muhammad what he had heard from his stepfather. Muhammad then summoned Julas who denied the allegations against him, claiming his stepson had lied.
Umayr then prayed:
"O Lord, send down a revelation on Your Prophet to verify what I have told him."
As the companions turned to Umayr, they saw that Muhammad was inspired. Having received the revelation he recited:
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللّهِ مَا قَالُواْ وَلَقَدْ قَالُواْ كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُواْ بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمِهِمْ وَهَمُّواْ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُواْ وَمَا نَقَمُواْ إِلاَّ أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ فَإِن يَتُوبُواْ يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلاَ نَصِيرٍ
"(The hypocrites) swear by God that they have said (nothing wrong); yet most certainly they have uttered a saying which is a denial of the truth, and have thus denied the truth after having professed their self-surrender to God; for they were aiming at something which was beyond their reach. And they could find no fault (with the Faith) save that God had enriched them and (caused) His Apostle to enrich them out of His bounty. Hence, if they repent, it will be for their own good; but if they turn away, God will cause them to suffer a grievous suffering in this world and in the life to come and they will find no helper on earth, and none to give them succour." (The Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, Surah at-Tawbah, 9:74).
Julas turned to Muhammad and said, "I do repent. Umayr told the truth and I lied. I beseech God to accept my repentance..."
Julas reformed and was a faithful Muslim thereafter. Whenever Umayr was mentioned, Julas would say:
"My God reward Umayr with goodness on my behalf. He certainly saved me from kufr and preserved my neck from the fire of hell."
During the caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
of Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
ibn al-Khattab, Umayr ibn Sad was appointed governor Homs
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. This was despite Umayr's position as head of a Muslim army traversing the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
and the region of greater Syria. Umayr accepted the appointment as governor reluctantly, preferring nothing better than Jihad. He was still quite young, in his early twenties.