Life History Ja'far al-Tayyar
(by Ansariyan Foundation)
Life History Ja'far al-Tayyar
(by Ansariyan Foundation)
Salat of Jafar e Tayyar | Tomb of Jafar e Tayyar in Jordan Karak | Presentation film
The Beginning
Abu Talib, Shaikh al-Bat-ha, missed his nephew our Master Muhammad [s]. So,
he went to look for him. He was not alone. His son Ja'far aged twenty was
with him. Shaikh al-Bat-ha and his son went to the hills near Makkah. They
found him there. Our Master Muhammad [s] was praying humbly. Ali, the young
man of Islam, was praying on his right. They were not afraid of anyone but
Allah. They were praying for Allah, the Creator of the skies and the earth,
the Creator of creatures. While they were praying, their number was a
pitiful sight. Abu Talib turned to his son and said: Join your cousin's
wing.
Namely, stand on his left hand, for Ali has stood on his right hand. The
bird can't fly but with two wings. This means that Abu Talib, the Prophet's
uncle, did not want our Master Muhammad [s] to stay with one wing. Since
then, Ja'far's name has appeared in the bright history of Islam. Ja'far bin
Abu Talib was born about 25 years after the Year of the Elephant. He was 10
years older than his brother Ali. He was about 20 years younger than our
Master Muhammad [s]. Ja'far bin Abu Talib looked like our Master Muhammad
[s]. He lived with his cousin al-Abbas. Abu Talib had a big family. Our
Master Muhammad [s] wanted to relieve his worries. So, he took Ali to his
house. Al-Abbas took Ja'far to his house. The light of Islam illuminated the
sky of Makkah. Our Master Muhammad [s] invited the bewildered to the New
Light. He invited the defeated and the oppressed to the religion of
salvation and freedom. He invited the drowning in the darkness of ignorance
to the light of Islam. But the Quraishi tyrants did not listen to the voice
of Islam and the Call of the Sky. So, they began fighting our Master
Muhammad [s] and those who believed in him. They wreaked their wrath upon
the weak Muslims. They whipped Bilal al-Habashy, Summayya, Yasir, and other
Muslims. They whipped them for no sin but because they said: Our Lord is
Allah.
The Immigration to Habasha
One night the Muslims met Allah's Apostle. He was sad to hear that the
Muslims were suffering from torture So, he said to them: There's a just
King in Habasha. Immigrate to his country. Stay there till Allah drives away
your worries.
The idea of immigration shone in the believers' hearts as the sun shone to
fill the earth with light and warmth. At midnight, a small group crept into
the land of Habasha (Ethiopia), via the Red Sea. The Muslim immigrants
stayed there. In the meantime, the Quraish increased their torture against
the Muslims who stayed in Makkah. So, they were in a fix. At that critical
time, our Master Muhammad [s] ordered his cousin Ja'far to lead a bigger
group of Muslims to Habasha. The number of the new group was over 80
Muslims. Ja'far began leading the immigrating caravan towards the coasts of
the sea. The sea was calm. The wind was gentle. The immigrants reached the
coasts of the sea. Allah, the Almighty, wanted a ship to pass by them. The
ship was going from Jeddah to Habasha. Ja'far asked her Captain to take them
there. The Captain accepted. The ship set out plowing the sea. The Muslims
thanked Allah, who turned their fear into safety to worship Him only. Ja'far
himself was visiting the immigrants, especially the children. His wife Asmaa
bint Umayys was visiting the women. Days and nights passed. The ship
anchored at the coasts of Habasha. The Muslims reached the land where our
Master Muhammad [s] had ordered them to immigrate. The Muslims were always
praying to Allah freely. No one prevented them from that. During their
prayers, they were always asking Allah to grant our Master Muhammad [s] and
his Muslim brothers victory over the unjust Quraishi tyrants. But the news
that reached them was sorrowful. Yasir and Summayyah became martyrs under
torture, They were in pain to hear about the torture that was happening to
their brothers. But they firmly increased their belief.
In Makkah
Abu Jahal, who had a spite against our Master Muhammad [s], was always
planning to destroy Allah's religion. He wanted to put out the candle of
Islam so that people would live in darkness and ignorance. But Allah's
religion spread as the scent of roses did. It made happiness enter hearts as
spring did. One day, the Quraishi leaders held a meeting in Darul Nadwa.
They were thinking about a way to extinguish the light of Islam. Umayyah
said: I'll make Bilal a lesson for slaves so that they'll not think about
entering Muhammad's religion.
Abu Jahal said: We'll go on banning Bani Hashim till they die of hunger or
they give us Muhammad to kill him. Abu Sufyan said: But what shall we do for
those who escape from Makkah and go to Habasha?
Abu Jahal said: We'll bring them back.
How?
We'll send our friend al-Najashy lots of gifts. So, he'll accept our
request.
Who will go?
We'll send a clever man to negotiate with al-Najashy. After several
weeks, they decided to send a delegation to bring back the runaway persons.
In al-Najashy's Presence
In the morning, Amru bin al-Ass and Amarah bin al-Waleed headed for the sea
holding gifts to al-Najashy, the King of Habasha. The delegates crossed the
sea with a ship. They reached the land of Habasha. They came to the King's
palace. Amru bin al-Ass said to the guards of the palace: We're the
Quraishi delegates holding gifts to the King.
Al-Najashy greeted the delegates and accepted the gifts of the Quraish. The
priests received their gifts, too. The King asked them about the purpose of
their visit. The delegates said: Some foolish persons have taken refuge
in the land of Habasha. They've abandoned their fathers' and grandfathers'
religion. They haven't accepted the King's religion. Rather; they've brought
a new religion. Neither you nor we have known it. We, the Quraishi noblemen,
have come to bring them back and to educate them.
The King of Habasha was just and wise man. So, he said: How can I hand
you the people who have chosen my country and asked me for help? But I'll
ask them some questions. If their thoughts are corrupt; if they are
deviated, I'd hand them to you. Otherwise, I'd leave them to live in my
country.
Al-Najashy sent for the immigrants. They came. Ja'far bin Abu Talib was in
advance. They came into the palace and stood in front of the King. The
Habashian people bowed when they met the King. So the Habashian and the
delegates bowed to the King. The Muslims did not bow; their heads remained
high raised. Al-Najashy asked the Muslims: Why don't you bow to me? Ja'far
answered: We don't bow to anyone but Allah. The King said: What do you mean?
Ja'far answered: Your Majesty; the King, Allah has sent us an Apostle. The
Apostle has ordered us not to bow to anyone but Allah. He has also ordered
us to pray and to pay zakat. Amru bin al-Ass said evilly: They're breaking
the King's religion! Al-Najashy asked him to keep silent; and asked Ja'far
to go on. Ja'far politely said: Your Majesty, the King, we were ignorant
people. We worshipped the idols. We ate dead animals. We did bad actions and
abandoned our relatives. We mistreated our neighbors. The strong oppressed
the weak. So Allah has sent us an Apostle. We know his ancestors and his
truthfulness. We know that he is pure and trustworthy So, he has invited us
to worship the Only Allah. He has ordered us to avoid what we and our
fathers had worshipped. He has ordered us to be truthful and to give the
trusts to their owners. He has ordered us to visit our relatives, to be good
neighbors, to stop bad actions and shedding blood. He has prevented us from
atrocities, falsehood taking the orphan's money and speaking evil of the
married women. He has ordered us to worship Allah only and not to be
polytheists. He has ordered us to pray, to give alms, and to fast. Your
majesty; the king, we've believed him and followed what he has brought from
Allah. So, we've worshipped Allah only- we're not polytheists. But our
people have aggressed against us. They've tortured us. They've prevented us
from our religion to worship the idols again. After they had persecuted us,
we came to your country. We've preferred you to others. We want to live in
your country. Thus, your majesty, the king, we ask you to treat us justly.
Al-Najashy said politely: Have you anything of what your Prophet has
brought? Ja'far politely said: Yes. Al-Najashy said: Read me something.
Ja'far began reading some verses of the Chapter of Maryam:
And mention Maryam in the Book when she drew aside from her family to an
eastern place. So, she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We
sent to her Our Spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man. She said:
Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent God, if you are one
guarding (against evil). He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I
will give you a pure boy. She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal
has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste? He said: Even so; your lord
says: It is easy to me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy
from us; and it is a matter which has been decreed. So, she conceived him;
then withdrew herself with a remote place and the throes (of childbirth)
compelled her to take herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh,
would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!
Then (the child called out to her from beneath her): Grieve not, surely your
lord has made a stream to flow beneath you. And shake towards you the trunk
of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates. So, eat and drink
and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a
fast to the Beneficent God, so I shall not speak to any man today and she
came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: 0 Maryam!
Surely you have done a strange thing. O Sister of Haroon! Your father was
not a bad man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman.
Al-Najashy wept. His tears flowed on his cheeks. The priests and the monks
wept humbly, too. Ja'far's voice was flowing humbly: But she pointed to him.
They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle? He
said: Surely I am Allah's servant; he has given me the Book and made me a
prophet, and has made me blessed wherever I may be, and he has enjoined on
me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live and dutiful to my mother; and he
has not made me insolent, unblessed and peace be on me on the day I was
born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life. Al-Najashy
stood up for Allah's Words and said humbly: Certainly this and what 'Isa had
brought come out of one niche. He turned to the Quraishi delegates and said
angrily: I won't hand them to you and I'll defend them. Then he ordered his
soldiers to dismiss the delegation and to return the gifts to them. He said:
They are bribes. I don't want to be bribed.
He turned to Ja'far and his Muslim group and said: You're welcome; Your
Prophet is welcome. I admit that he is the Apostle whom 'Isa bin Maryam had
given good news about. Live wherever you like in my country. Al-Najashy
wanted to know something about the manners of Islam. He asked Ja'far: How do
you greet each other? Our greeting is to say Assalamu Alaikum.
Another Plot
On the following day Amru bin al-Ass and Amarah decided to go to the King's
Palace. On their way, Amru bin al-Ass said to Amarah: This time, I,ll get my
revenge on Ja'far. I'll tell the kings that the Muslims have another idea
about 'Isa. Again the delegates came to al-Najashy and said: Your majesty;
the king, the Muslims say that 'Isa is a slave. Al-Najashy kept silent for a
while then he said to the guard:Go to Ja'far to hear his point of view.
Ja'far came and greeted the King and said: Assalamu Alaikum. The King asked
him: What's your point of view about 'Isa? Ja'far answered calmly: We say as
Allah and His Apostle have said about him. The King asked him: What's your
Prophet said?
Ja'far answered calmly: He's Allah's slave, His Apostle, His Spirit, His
Word that He has given to the chaste, virgin Maryam. Al-Najashy kept silent
for a while, then he drew a line on the ground with his stick. So, he said:
Go to your friends. You're safe in my country. Again the delegates' plot
came to nothing. The delegates hopelessly came back to Makkah. Since that
meeting, the Muslims had been happy in the land of the just King.
Our Master Muhammad [s] and the Muslims rejoiced at Ja'far's victory and his
stay in Habasha.
The Good Stay
Days, months, and years passed. Ja'far and the Muslims heard news. When they
heard good news, they became happy. When they heard bad news, they became
sad. They became happy when the ban the Quraish imposed on Banu Hashim was
over. They became sad when they heard about the death of Abu Talib, the
protector of the Prophet [s] and Khadijah's death, our Master Muhammad's
wife, who stood by him and spent her wealth for Islam. The Muslims in
Habasha heard about our Master Muhammad's migration to Madina and the
establishment of the first Islamic State, where the flag of monotheism was
hoisted. They were filled with happiness. The news of the decisive Battle of
Badr, and the victory of Islam over polytheism and idols arrived to them.
They heard about the news of the Battle of Uhud. They were sad to hear about
the Prophet's wounds in the battle. They were happy to hear the news of the
Muslims' victories over the polytheists and the Jews. Their happiness was
great when they heard about the Prophet's letters to the Kings all over the
world. The Prophet [s] sent letters to Hercules, the Emperor of Rome, Kossra,
the King of Iran, and al-Mokawkas, the Pharaoh of Egypt.
A letter to al-Najashy
Amru bin Umayyah al-Dhimry our Master Muhammad's delegate, arrived in
Habasha carrying the letter of the Prophet of Islam.
The letter read:
From Muhammad, Allah's Apostle
To al-Najashy the King of Habasha
You are safe.
I thank Allah. There is no god but Him, the King, the Holy, the Peace, the
Believer; the Almighty.
I bear witness that 'Isa is Allah's Spirit, and His word He has given to
Maryam, the Virgin, the good, and the chaste. Allah created him with His
power as He created Adam before.
I am inviting you to worship Allah only, to obey Him, to follow me, and to
believe in what has come to me. I am Allah's Apostle. I am inviting you and
your soldiers to worship Allah, the Almighty. I have told and advised you.
So, accept my advice.
And peace upon him who follows guidance.
Ja'far accompanied our Master Muhammad's delegate on his going to al-Najashy's
palace. First they greeted the King of Habasha. Then he received the
Prophet's letter respectfully. Al-Najashy read the letter. He came down the
throne and sat on the ground to show his humbleness and respect for Allah's
Apostle, our Master Muhammad [s]. Al-Najashy put the letter on his eye to
show his great respect. Then he ordered his guards to get him an ivory box
to put the letter in. He said: Habasha will be prosperous as long as its
people keeps this letter.
The Prophet's delegate gave the King another letter. The letter asked the
King to allow the immigrants headed by Ja'far bin Abu Talib to come back to
their country. The Muslims were very happy to hear about their repatriation
to their homeland. In the meantime, they thanked al-Najashy for his good
hospitality. Al-Najashy ordered his guards to prepare some ships to bring
back the immigrants to the land of al-Hejaz. He sent his representative with
them. The representative was carrying gifts and a letter of greetings to our
Master Muhammad [s]. The sails of the ships were raised to start journey,
the Muslims set off. They rejoiced at Allah's victory.
The Conquest of Khaibar
In al-Madina al-Munawwara, the army of Islam was getting ready to advance
towards the strongholds of the Jewish Khaibar.
The Jews of Khaibar were always plotting to put out the light of Islam. They
were always encouraging the Arab tribes to invade Madina to destroy the new
Muslim State. So, our Master Muhammad [s] decided to uproot the danger of
the Jews so that people would live in peace. The Muslim forces reached the
road that joined the tribes of Ghatfan and the strongholds of Khaibar to
surprise the enemy there. The number of the Muslim Army amounted to one
thousand and four-hundred fighters. Two hundred horse riders were with them.
The Muslim women took part in the battle, too. The Muslims advanced towards
the strongholds. At dawn, they surprised the Jews and besieged them
completely. Some Companions launched strong attacks against the Jews. But
they were in vain because the Jews faced them with a lot of arrows. The Jews
were sneering at our Master Muhammad [s] and his soldiers. So, the Prophet
[s] said: Tomorrow; I'll give the banner to a man. The man loves Allah and
his Apostle; Allah and His Apostle love him.
In the morning, some companions wished that the banner would be for them.
But our Master Muhammad [s] asked Ali, Ja'far's brother. Ali shook the
banner strongly and advanced towards the strongholds of the Jews. When Ali
killed Marhab, the hero of the Jews, they felt fear. Quickly, the Muslims
occupied the strongholds of Khaibar, one by one. Our Master Muhammad [s] and
the Muslims were filled with happiness. So, they thanked Allah for the
victory over their enemies. In the meantime, the immigrants of Habasha
headed by Ja'far bin Abu Talib arrived. Our Master Muhammad's happiness
doubled. So, he said with a bright smile on his face: I don't know which
event is more cheerful - Ja'far's coming or the Conquest of Khaibar!
Our Master Muhammad [s] embraced his cousin Ja'far and kissed his forehead
and said: Certainly Ja'far and his friends have two immigrations - an
immigration to Habasha and an immigration to al-Madina al-Munawwara.
The Battle of Mautah
Our Master Muhammad [s] had sent a messenger to the ruler of Busra, a town
in Sham. But the messenger was captured and executed in the land of Mautah.
This action was against the humanitarian morals. The Prophet [s] felt
sadness. So, he ordered the Muslims to get ready to make an attack to punish
the killers. In the month of Jamadil-Ula, the second year after the blessed
immigration, three thousand fighters went to take part in the battle. The
Prophet's advice was lightening their way: I advise you to fear Allah.
Invade in the Name of Allah. So, fight Allah's enemy and your enemy. You'll
find lonely men in the cells. So, don't fight them. Don't kill a woman or a
child. Don't cut down a tree. Don't demolish a building.
Our Master Muhammad [s] appointed Zaid bin Haritha leader to the Muslim
Army. The Prophet said: If Zaid was martyred, the leader would be Ja'far bin
Abu Talib. If Ja'far was martyred, the leader would be Abdulah bin Rawaha.
The news of the Muslims' attack reached the Romans. So, they established an
army. The army was composed of the Romans and the allied Arab tribes. The
number of their forces was two hundred thousand soldiers. The armies
gathered at the land of al-Balqaa. The first clash took place between the
two armies at the Village of Masharif near al-Balqaa. The mastery of the
Romans appeared in the battle because they had a big army. Hercules, the
Emperor of Rome, gave the general leadership to his brother Tyodor. The
Muslim Army, though few in number, chose the land of Mautah to be the
theater for the war operations because the elevations of the land were
suitable for the Muslims to protect themselves against the Roman Colossal
Army. Zaid bin Haritha got ready for the start of the battle. He strongly
shook the banner of the Muslim Army and rushed towards the core of the
enemy. His rushing made the Muslim forces start the battle with enthusiasm.
Strong fights took place. Spears tore Zaid's body. So, he fell on to the
ground dyeing it red. Before the banner dropped from Zaid's hand, Ja'far bin
Abu Talib had rushed and caught it strongly. He began fighting severely. His
voice became loud in the middle of the noise of the fights. He announced the
good news about victory or martyrdom which each believer hoped. Ja'far bin
Abu Talib jumped off his horse to show his insistence on fighting. He was
the first to do that in the history of Islam. He was like the mountain. He
was facing the enemies hits. His firmness astonished them. So, the enemies
intensified their attacks against him. A sword hit his right hand. So, it
flew in the wind. Ja'far took the banner of Islam with his left hand and
began fighting. Another sword hit his hand and cut it off. Ja'far pressed
the banner to his bosom with his upper arm so that the fight would go on.
During those terrible moments, Ja'far was hit again. He fell over the ground
and became a martyr. Abdullah bin Rawaha, the third leader, rushed towards
the banner to wave again in the sky of the battle. The new leader fought
bravely to stop the attacks of the Romans who were moving like waves.
Abdullah fell over the ground and became a martyr. So, Thabit bin al-Arqam
took the banner and asked the Muslims to elect a new leader. The Muslims
elected Khalid bin al-Waleed. Very quickly, the new leader decided to
withdraw his forces. So, he did some tactic operations to cheat the enemy.
When it got dark, the Muslim Army withdrew with peace and disappeared in the
core of the desert. In the morning, the Romans were surprised to hear about
the Muslims' withdrawal. They were afraid to go further into the desert. At
the same time, the brave Muslims, though few in number, dismayed them. So,
the Romans preferred coming back to stay.
In Madina
Jibreel came down from the sky to tell our Master Muhammad [s] about the
news of the battle. So, Allah's Apostle went up the pulpit and addressed the
Muslims: Zaid took the banner. He fought till he was killed and became a
martyr. Then Ja'far took it and fought till he was killed and became a
martyr. Then Abdullah took it and fought till he was killed and became a
martyr.
Finally, our Master Muhammad [s] began condoling Asmaa, the great Martyr's
wife. The Holy Prophet [s] came into Ja'far's house. He found his children
sitting. His wife had just finished doing her hair. The Prophet [s] kissed
Ja'far's children and held them on his lap. He shed tears. Asmaa felt that
something had happened to her husband. So, she asked the Prophet [s]:
Allah's Apostle, have you heard anything about Ja'far and his companions?
Yes, they've been martyred!
The Prophet [s] left the house. He asked his daughter Fatima al-Zahra to fix
some food for them, for a disaster had befallen them.
The Owner of the two wings
When the soldiers of Islam came back to their homeland, they began telling
their families about Ja'far's heroic actions and those who were martyred.
One of them said: We've seen 90 wounds in Ja'far's body.
Another said: I've seen him when his right hand had been cut off.
The third said: I've seen him when his left hand had been cut off. He had
fallen over the ground and his wounds bled.
Our Master Muhammad [s] said: Jibreel has told me that Allah has granted
Ja'far two wings to fly with in the Paradise.
That night, Ja'far's children lay on their beds. They were looking at the
sky full of stars. In the meantime, they imagined that their father was
flying with his wings like angels.
The tomb & Shrine of Jafar e Tayyar are shown below as in Al Karak - Jordan
