Abd Allah ibn Ja'far

Abd Allah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Talib al-Hashimi (; 699 or 702/704) was a companion and relative of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a nephew of Ali, a half-brother of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and grandfather of Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya.

He was loyal to Ahl al-Bayt in spite of his absence at the Battle of Karbala. He is reported to have said: "Allah gave a chance to my two sons (Awn and Muhammad). I should have also been there. If I had been there I also would have sacrificed myself for Hussain Ibn e Ali." According to Richard Francis Burton he is widely recognized as the most sympathetic amongst Arabs. His grave is situated near Aqil ibn Abi Talib and Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith (the grandson of Abd al-Muttalib) in al-Baqi Cemetery.

thumb|The Grave of Abd Allah ibn Ja'far in Al-Baqi

Early life

He was the son of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and Asma bint Umays. They had emigrated to Abyssinia in 616, and Abd Allah and his two brothers were born there. Abd Allah was the first Muslim to be born in Abyssinia. After the birth of Abd Allah in Abyssinia (Habesha, now Ethiopia), the king of the Kingdom of Aksum (Najashi) also had a son. He immediately asked the parents of Abd Allah ibn Ja'far about the name of their child. Upon knowing the name, the king of Abyssinia also chose the name “Abd Allah” for his first son. It is also stated that Asma bint Umays was the nursing mother of the son of the Abyssinian King. The younger brother of Abd Allah appears to be the first child in Muslim history who was named Muhammad after the Islamic prophet. The family returned to Arabia in 628 and settled in Medina.

Marriage and family life

Ali had particularly wished that his daughters should marry Ja'far's sons. Abd Allah and Zaynab had two children.

According to Shaykh Muhammad Abbas Qummi, Abd Allah had 20 sons from different wives, including five children from Zaynab bint Ali. The Daira-e-Maarif Islamia (Circle of Islamic Knowledge) of University of the Punjab (pages 568-70, Vol.X) describes Zaynabi as a progeny of Abd Allah’s son Ali through Zaynab bint Ali.

His wife’s journey with Husayn ibn Ali

It is related that Zaynab forecast the journey to Karbala before her marriage to Abd Allah. So permission for going there with her brother was obtained from Abd Allah during the marriage negotiations. With regard to the absence of Abd Allah at the Battle of Karbala, it is said it was due to his poor eyesight. Consequently, he was unable to bear the demands of the journey and the battle. Recognising the anxiousness of her husband she stated that:

Abd Allah then granted his permission and sent their two sons for the destined journey.

Abd Allah was concurrently married to Layla bint Mas'ud.

Career

Battles

With regard to his presence in the Battle of the Camel, it is said that at the end of the battle, while entrusting the return of Aisha to Medina under the protection of her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Ali ordered for payment of 12,000 dirhams to Aisha. Abd Allah thinking that the amount was too little, provided a larger sum for Aisha.

Politics

Abd Allah was a prominent advisor to his uncle Ali during the First Fitna. He maintained a reputation for liberality and patronage in Medina, earning him the nickname “the Ocean of Generosity”. Following the assassination of Ali in 661, Abd Allah joined his cousins Hasan and Husayn in performing the funeral rites. They washed the body and dressed it for burial in three robes without a kurta.

During Ali's reign, Abd Allah was heavily involved in administrative decisions regarding Egypt. Ali received intelligence reports claiming that his governor Qays ibn Sa'd had secretly pledged allegiance to Mu'awiya I. Ali consulted his sons and Abd Allah to decide on a course of action. Following the advice of Abd Allah, Ali sent a letter to Qays ordering him to demand a public oath of allegiance (bay'ah) from the Egyptian people and to fight those who refused. Qays wrote back to Ali defending his more moderate approach.

Abd Allah then persuaded Ali to replace Qays with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as the governor of Egypt. He argued that if Qays had actually defected to Mu'awiya he would refuse to surrender his position. The historian al-Tabari later noted that this was poor advice because the dismissal of the experienced Qays weakened Ali's control over the region. This decision ultimately contributed to the Umayyad conquest of Egypt and the death of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.

His vision for Husayn

Knowing the death of his two sons in the Battle of Karbala, people were offering condolences to Abd Allah, one of his Mawili (Abu al-Lislas [a companion]) said that “this is what we have met and what has come upon us through Husayn ibn Ali” on this statement he struck him with his sandal and told that I am pleased that my two sons killed with my brother and cousin. By God! If I had been present with him, I would have preferred not to leave him in order that I would be killed with him. He then seeking attention of people consoling him, said that “Praise be to God, Who has made life hard, console Husayn ibn Ali with my own hands, my two sons consoled him." Later he went to Amr ibn Sa'id who was Yazid's governor of Mecca and asked him to write a letter to Husayn offering him a guarantee of harmless behavior assuring him kindness and open-handedness. "Show trust to him in your letter and request him to return." This letter was replied by Husayn too.

References

Sources

https://web.archive.org/web/20070319112108/http://www.jafariyanews.com/articles/2k5/13june_syedaZaynab.htm biography
https://web.archive.org/web/20110716082212/http://www.dartabligh.org/months/jamadilawwal/janabe_zainab%28a.s%29.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091230032022/http://home.earthlink.net/~downloadquran/Maqtal_al-Husain.pdf (See Maqtal al-Husayn page 213).