Hazrat Muaadh ibn jabal | سیرت حضرت معاذ بن جبل رضی اللہ عنہ

HAZRAT MUAADH IBN JABAL
The Most Learned of Halaal and Haraam

Among the seventy-man delegation of the Ansaar who took the oath of allegiance to the Prophet in the Second Allegiance of `Aqabah sat a young man witha bright face, graceful eyes, and a radiant smile.
When he was silent, he attracted attention with his profound peacefulness and devoutness. On the other hand, when he talked, he held his people spellbound. This young man was Mu'aadh lbn Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him). He belonged to the Ansaar, and he was among the foremost believers who gave thesecond oath of allegiance to the Prophet. Naturally, a man of such precedence, faith, and certainty would not miss for the world a battle or an expedition. His uppermost quality was his knowledge of fiqh (jurisprudence) the practical aspect of Muhammad's message. He reached the apex in knowledge and fiqh, to the extent that made the Prophet (PBUH) say, "The most learned man of mynation in halaal and haraam is Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal."

He resembled `Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab in his enlightenment, courage and intelligence. When the Prophet sent him to Yemen, he asked him, "How will you give a judgment or settle a dispute?" Mu'aadh answered; "I will refer to the Qur'aan." The Prophet then asked, "What will you do if you do not find the decree youare looking for in the Qur'aan?" Mu'aadh answered, "I will refer to theProphet's Sunnah."
The Prophet asked, "But what will you do if you do not find a decree even in the Sunnah?" Mu'aadh readily answered, "I will be judge between mankind by resorting to juristic reasoning (ijtihaad) to the best of my power." Now, Mu'aadh's staunch commitment to Allah's Book and the Prophet's Sunnah does not mean that he closed his mind to the countless and endless hidden orequivocal facts that await someone to unravel and adjudicate.

Perhaps both Mu'aadh's ability in juristic reasoning and the courageous usage of his intelligence enabled him to master the fiqh, excelling all other scholars. The Prophet justifiably described Mu'aadh as "the most learned manof my nation in haaal and haraam."

History portrays him as a man of remarkably enlightened, resolute, and decisive mind. For instance, `Aaez Allah lbn Abd Allah narrated that one dayhe entered the mosque with the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) at the dawnof `Umar's caliphate. Then he sat among more than thirty men. Let us hearhim narrate the story: "I sat with a group of more than thirty men. Theywere recalling a hadith of the Prophet (PBUH). In this ring sat a dark, swarthyyoung man who had a sweet voice and a radiant face.
Whenever they disputed about a hidden or ambiguous meaning in the hadith, they at once sought his legal instruction or judgment. He seldom, if ever, spoke unless he was asked. When their meeting was over, I approached him and asked him, "Who are you, O Allah's Slave?" He answered, "I am Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal." So I instantly felt dose to him.

Also, Shahr Ibn Hawshab said, "Whenever Mu'aadh lbn Jabal was presentwhen the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) were holding a meeting, they looked at him with reverence".

`Umar Ibn Al-khattaab, the Commander of the Faithful, often consultedhim. It seemed that Mu'aadh had a highly disciplined mind and a captivatingand convincing logic that moved peacefully and knowledgeably. When we lookat his historical background, we will always see him at the center of attention. He always sat there surrounded by people. He always maintained a discrete silence that was only broken whenever people were anxious to hear his judgment and whenever they were in dispute.
When he spoke he looked, as one of his contemporaries described, "as if light and pearls were emanating from his mouth rather than speech." He reached his high rank in knowledge and reverence when the Prophet (PBUH) was alive and maintained it after his death, notwithstanding his youth, for Mu'aadh died during `Umar's caliphate at the age of thirty-three years.

At last Mu'aadh ascended to Allah's Paradise