‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه
If one were to detail through the annals of history, especially in Islam one would find the life stories of many great personalities. Men influenced the lives of those around them, creating a new way of thinking and in all forming new ideologies.
However, most of their lives have been tainted with stories of their greed, lust, and hunger for power. As one continues to search through the books of our past, one would come to realize that the most influential people to have lived, were none other than the beloved companions of Rasulullahﷺ.
Motivated by none other than Rasulullahﷺ himself, their lives tell a tale of honesty, trustworthiness and the ultimate in self-sacrifice. Thus, their noble qualities and outstanding character effectively earned them the title of being the greatest group of people to have ever walked upon the face of the earth, after the Ambiya’ ‘عليه السلام.
This is the story of one such companion, Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه.
‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه
His full name was ‘Amr ibn al ‘As ibn Wa’il al Sahmi; his kunyahs are Abu Muhammad and Abu ‘Abdullah. Ibn Ishaq and Zubair ibn Bakkar agreed that he became Muslim while he was with the Negus in Abyssinia, and he migrated to Madinah in Safar 8 AH. Ibn Hajar stated that he became Muslim in 8 AH before the conquest of Makkah, and it was said that it was between Hudaybiyah and Khaybar.
‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه himself told the story of his coming to Islam. How his stubborn resistance and hatred of Islam collapsed:
Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه., was a shrewd, highly intelligent man who belonged to the nobility of the Quraysh. Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه. was determinedly hostile to Islam. In fact, he was the Quraysh’s envoy to Negus seeking the extradition of the early Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia. Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه. fought with the Quraysh against Islam in several battles. Little did he know then that he would come to be one of the great commanders fighting for the Islamic cause. Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه. account of his conversion to Islam makes for highly interesting reading. He says:
“I was strongly hostile to Islam. I took part in the Battles of Badr, Uhud, and the Moat, fighting alongside the idolaters, and I was able to survive. Now I started thinking that Muhammad would eventually triumph over the Quraish. I, therefore, went to my place at Al-Ruht where I lived in semi-seclusion. I was still very hostile to Islam and I felt that even if every man in the Quraysh would embrace Islam, I would not.
I went to Makkah, where I spoke to a group of my people who valued my opinion and consulted me on every serious matter. I told them that I thought Muhammad was on the crest of a wave. Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه. was bound to overcome whoever resisted him. I then explained that I felt it was wiser to seek refuge in Abyssinia, where we could join King Negus. If Muhammad did overcome his enemies, we would be safe with Negus. If the Quraysh turned out to be the winners, they would know that we were on their side. They all agreed with me and we started preparing for our departure. I suggested to them to put together a valuable gift that King Negus would like. The gift he liked best from our part of the world was animal hide. We, therefore, took with us a large quantity of hide and traveled until we reached Abyssinia.
When we were in the court of Negus, Amr ibn Umayyah Al-Damri رضي الله عنه the envoy sent by Muhammad, arrived with a message. When I saw Amr ibn Umayyah Al-Damri رضي الله عنه go in for his audience with Negus and leave soon afterward, I said to my people: “This is Amr ibn Umayyah. If I can persuade Negus to give him up to me, I will kill him to give the Quraish infinite pleasure.”
When I was admitted into the presence of Negus, I prostrated myself to him as I used to do. He said to me: “Welcome, my friend. Have you brought me any gifts from your part of the world?”
I said: “Yes, I have brought you a gift of the hide.”
I presented my gift and he was very pleased with it. He gave some of it to his bishops and patriarchs and ordered that the rest be kept and recorded. When I saw that he was very pleased with my gift, I said to him: “Your Majesty, I have seen a man come out of your court. He is the envoy of our enemy, who has killed many of our chiefs and noblemen. May I request that you give him up to me so that I can kill him?”
King Negus was very angry with me for what I said. He hit me with his hand on my nose and I felt as if my nose was broken. I was bleeding heavily through the nose and tried to wipe the blood with my clothes. I was so humiliated that I wished the earth would open up and swallow me because I was so afraid of him. I then said to him: “Your Majesty, had I known that you would dislike what I said I would not have made that request.”
He felt a little ashamed and said to me: “Amr, you are asking me to give up to you the envoy of a man who receives the archangel who used to come to Moses and Jesus so that you can kill him?”
When I heard his words, I felt a great change overcoming me. I thought that King Negus, the Arabs, and the non-Arabs, recognized the truth while I was deliberately turning away from it. I said to him: “Do you testify to that, Your Majesty?”
He said: “Yes, I bear witness to that in front of God. Amr, do as I say and follow him, for his cause is that of the truth, and he will win over all those who oppose him, in the same way as Moses won against Pharaoh and his soldiers.”
I said to Negus: “Do you accept on his behalf my pledge to follow Islam?”
King Negus answered in the affirmative and put out his hands and I gave him my pledge to be a Muslim.
King Negus then called for a bowl of water to be brought for me to wash. He also gave me new clothes, because my own clothes were full of blood. When I went out, my friends were very pleased to see me wearing new clothes given to me by Negus. They asked me whether he had granted my request, and I said that I did not feel the occasion was suitable for such a request since I was speaking to him for the first time. They agreed with me and I pretended that I was going out for some private purpose and left them there. I went straight to the port area, where I found a ship ready to sail.
I went on board and sailed to a place called Al-Shu’bah, where I disembarked. I bought a camel and traveled on toward Madinah. I passed through Marr Al-Zahran and went on until I arrived at Al-Haddah. I saw two men who had arrived there a short while earlier, trying to find a place to encamp. One of them was inside the tent; the other was holding the reins of their two camels. Presently, I recognized Khalid ibn Al-Waleed. When I asked him where he was going, he answered: “To Muhammad. All people of any significance have become Muslims. If we were to remain non-Muslim, he would catch us by the neck in the same way as the hyena is caught in its cave.”
I told him that also was going to Rasulullahﷺ and wanted to be a Muslim. Uthman ibn Talhah came out of the tent and welcomed me. We stayed there together that night.
We traveled on together until we arrived at Madinah. I will never forget a man saying as we drew near: Ya Rabah, “What a profitable morning!”’ He repeated that three times. We were very pleased when we heard him say that. As he looked at us, he said: “Makkah has given up the reign after these two have come to join us.” I thought he was referring to me and Khalid ibn Al-Waleed. He went quickly toward the mosque. I thought that he went to give Rasulullahﷺ the news of our arrival. I was proved right.
We stopped for a short while at the old volcanic area outside Madinah, where we put on our best clothes. When the midafternoon prayer, Asr, was called for, we went on until we arrived at the mosque to meet Rasulullahﷺ. Rasulullahﷺ face was beaming with pleasure and all the Muslims were pleased when they learned that we had adopted Islam.
Khalid ibn Al-Waleed went first to give his pledge of loyalty to Rasulullahﷺ. He was followed by Uthman ibn Talhah to pledge our conversion to Islam to Rasulullahﷺ. I was third. When I sat down opposite him I could not lift my face up to him because I was feeling very shy. I gave him my pledge of loyalty, provided that God would forgive me all my sins that I had committed in the past. I did not remember to include what I might do in the future. Rasulullahﷺ said to me: “When you embrace Islam, all your past sins are forgiven. When you emigrate for the cause of God, your emigration ensures also the forgiveness of your past sins.”
After we embraced Islam, Rasulullahﷺ placed me and Khalid ibn Al-Waleed رضي الله عنه. at the top of his advisers in any serious matter confronting him. We enjoyed the same positions with Saiyidina Abu Bakr As Sidiqque رضي الله عنه. I continued to enjoy that position during the reign of Saiyidina Umar Ibn Al Khattab رضي الله عنه, but Saiyidina Umar Ibn Al Khattab رضي الله عنه had perhaps some reservations with respect to Khalid Al Waleed رضي الله عنه .”
This is the account of one of the great servants of Islam who was later to command Muslim armies which liberated both Palestine and Egypt. He also ruled over Egypt for a long time.
When we came away from the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq), I gathered together some men who shared my opinion and would listen to me, and I said: “You know, by Allah, that in my opinion, this affair of Muhammad will go to extraordinary lengths. I am thinking of something, and I would like to know what you think of it.” They said: “What are you thinking of?” I said: “I think that we should go to the Negus and stay with him. If Muhammad conquers our people, we will be with the Negus, and we prefer to be subject to his authority rather than Muhammad. On the other hand, if our people prevail, they know us and will treat us well.” They thought that my suggestion was excellent, so I told them to collect something that we could take as a gift to the Negus.
Leather was the product of our land that he most valued, so we collected a large quantity and took it to him. “By Allah, while we were with him, ‘Amr ibn Umayyah al Damri رضي الله عنه came to him; he had been sent by Rasulullahﷺ to find out about Sayidina Jaafar Ibn Abu Talib رضي الله عنه and his Sahabah. He had an audience with the Negus. When he came out, I said to my companions that if I were to go to the Negus and ask him to let me have him, he would give him to me.
Then we could cut off his head, and if I did that, Quraysh would see that I had served them well by killing Rasulullahﷺ. So, I went into the Negus and prostrated before him as I usually did. He welcomed me as a friend and asked if I had brought anything from our country. When I told him that I had brought a large quantity of leather, and I produced it, he was greatly pleased and wanted it. I said: “O King, I have just seen a man leave your presence. He is the Rasul of an enemy of ours, so let me have him that I may kill him, for he has killed some of our chiefs and best men.”
King Negus was enraged and reaching out his hand he gave my nose such a blow that I thought he must have broken it. If the ground had opened up, I would have gone into it to escape his anger. Then I said to him: “O King, by Allah, if I had thought that this would be distasteful to you, I would not have asked it.” King Negus said: “Are you asking me to give you Rasulullahﷺ of a man to whom the great Namus [Jibril ‘عليه السلام.] comes as he used to come to Musa ‘alayh al Salam – so that you can kill him? I said: “O King is he really like that?” He said: “Woe to you, O ‘Amr! Obey me and follow him, for by Allah, he is right. Rasulullahﷺ will triumph over his adversaries as Musa triumphed over Pharaoh and his armies.” I said: “Will you accept my oath of allegiance to him in Islam?” King Negus said: “Yes,” and stretched out his hand and I swore my allegiance to him in Islam.
Then I went out to my companions; my opinion had changed from what it was before, but I concealed my Islam from them. Then I went out, heading towards Rasulullahﷺ so that I might become Muslim, and I met Sayidina Khalid ibn al Walid رضي الله عنه. That was just before the conquest of Makkah, and he was coming from Makkah. I said:
“Where are you going,
O Abu Sulaiman?” Sayidina Khalid ibn al Walid رضي الله عنه said:
“By Allah, the way has
become clear. The man is indeed a Rasulullahﷺ, and I am going to become Muslim,
by Allah. How much longer should I delay?”
I said: “By Allah, I have only come to become Muslim.” So we
went to Madinah, to Rasulullahﷺ. Sayidina Khalid ibn al Walid رضي الله عنه went ahead of me and became Muslim
and gave his oath of allegiance, then I came close and said: “O Rasulullahﷺ, I
will give you my oath of allegiance on the basis that my previous sins will be
forgiven and no mention will be made of what went before.”
The Rasulullahﷺ said: “O ‘Amr, give your oath of allegiance,
for Islam erases all that came before it, and hijrah erases all that came before
it.”
So, I gave my oath of allegiance and departed.
According to another report, he said:
…when Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to Rasulullahﷺ and said: “Hold out your right hand so that I might swear allegiance to you.”’ Rasulullahﷺ held out his right hand, but I withdrew my hand.” Rasulullahﷺ said: “What is the matter, O ‘Amr?” I said: “I want to stipulate a condition.” He said, “What do you want to stipulate?”
I said: “That I will
be forgiven.”
Rasulullahﷺ said: “Do you not know, O ‘Amr; that Islam
destroys whatever came before it, and that hijrah destroys whatever came before
it, and that hajj destroys whatever came before it?”
‘Amr ibn al ‘Asr رضي الله عنه leads a campaign to Dhat al Salasil 7 A.H
Rasulullahﷺ prepared an army, led by ‘Amr ibn al
‘As رضي الله عنه, to go to Dhat al Salasil in order
to punish Quda’ah, who had gathered with the aim of advancing on Madinah. They
had developed a high level of confidence against the Muslims because of what
had happened at Mut’ah, where they had taken part in the battle on the
Byzantine side. ‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه went to their land, accompanied by three hundred of the Muhajireen
and Ansar.
When he reached the place of the enemy’s gathering, he heard
that they had gathered in huge numbers, so he sent word to Rasulullahﷺ asking
for reinforcements, who arrived under the leadership of Abu ‘Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah.
The Muslims fought the disbelievers, and ‘Amr رضي الله عنه penetrated deep into the land of
Quda’ah, whose people scattered and ran away. ‘Amr succeeded in reinstating the
position of Islam on the Syrian border and restoring the allies of the Muslims
to the way they had been. Other tribes also entered into an alliance with the
Muslims, and many people from the tribes of Banu ‘Abs, Banu Murrah, and Banu
Dhubyan became Muslim.
The tribe of Fazarah and its chief ‘Uyaynah ibn Husn also
entered into an alliance with the Muslims. They were followed by Banu
Sulaim, under the leadership of al-Abbas ibn Mirdas and Banu Ashja’. The
Muslims became the strongest power in northern Arabia, if not in the entire land.
From this campaign we learn a number of lessons and issues
regarding ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, including the following:
The sincerity of ‘Amr ibn
al ‘As رضي الله عنه
‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
Rasulullahﷺ sent word to me saying: “Put on your garment and
take up your weapon, then come to me.” I came to him while he was making wudu’.
He looked up at me, and then he looked away and said: “I want to send you as
the head of an army. Allah will keep you safe and grant you booty, and I hope
that you will acquire some wealth from it.” I said: “O Rasulullahﷺ, I did not
become Muslim for the sake of wealth; I became Muslim out of love for Islam and
to be with Rasulullahﷺ.” He said: “O ‘Amr, good (halal) wealth is good for the
good man.”
This attitude is indicative of the strong faith and sincerity
of ‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه and his desire to be close to Rasulullahﷺ.
Rasulullahﷺ explained that halal wealth is a blessing when it
is possessed by a righteous man, because he is seeking the countenance of Allah
and will spend it in good ways, such as sponsoring orphans and widows, calling
people to Islam, supporting the mujahidin, charitable projects and other good
causes, as well as maintaining dignity for himself and his family and
helping Muslims.
From this hadith, we may understand that if a person strives to acquire halal wealth, this is something praiseworthy that was encouraged by Rasulullahﷺ. If a man has wealth, and we can manage to guide him and make him righteous, then he may combine halal wealth with righteousness, as in this hadith. This is also something desirable and praiseworthy; it is good for him and for Islam and Muslims.
‘Amr’s keenness to keep his troops safe.
When Rasulullahﷺ sent ‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه on the campaign to Dhat al Salasil, it got cold, but ‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه told his troops that no one should light a fire. When they came back, they complained about him. He explained:
O Rasulullahﷺ, they were few in number, and I was afraid that
the enemy might realize that they were few in number. I told them not to pursue
the enemy lest they be ambushed.
Rasulullahﷺ was impressed by that.
‘Amr’s understanding of Islam
‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
I had a wet dream on a cold night during the campaign to Dhat al Salasil. I was afraid that I would die if I did ghusl, so I performed tayammum, then I led my companions in praying the Fajr salah. They mentioned that to Rasulullahﷺ and he said: “O ‘Amr, did you lead your companions in prayer when you were in a state of impurity?” I told him what had prevented me from doing ghusl, and I said: “I heard that Allah says:
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوْٓا اَنْفُسَكُمْ ؕ اِنَّ
اللهَ کَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِیْمًا
"And do not kill yourselves [nor kill one another]. Surely,
Allah is Most Merciful to you."
Rasulullahﷺ smiled and did not say anything.
This ijtihad on the part of ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه is indicative of his deep understanding of Islam, his mature thinking, and his subtle derivation of the ruling from the evidence.
The scholars derived many rulings from this incident, but what is particularly notable is the speed with which ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه established a connection with the Qur’an, to the point that he was able to understand matters through these verses although he had only been a Muslim for four months. This is indicative of his keenness to learn about the religion of Allah
It may be, and this is likely, that ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه had been in touch with the Qur’an before he became Muslim, following whatever verses he could hear. In that case, we have another example of the greatness of this Qur’an, which had a great impact even on the disbelievers and made them, despite their great enmity towards the religion, try to listen to it. We saw that during the Makkah period, and this is supported by what we see here of his knowledge of the Qur’an when he suggested that King Negus ask the Muslims who had immigrated to Abyssinia about their opinion of ‘Isa ‘عليه السلام..
Virtues of ‘Amr
a. Rasulullahﷺ testified to his faith
Rasulullahﷺ said:
The people have become Muslims, but ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه has become a believer.
According to another hadith, Rasulullahﷺ said:
The two sons of al ‘As are believers: ‘Amr and Hisham.
‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
The people in Madinah with Rasulullahﷺ panicked and
scattered, but I saw Salim put on a sword and sit in the mosque, and when I saw
that I did the same. Rasulullahﷺ came out and saw Salim and me, and he said: “O
people, your refuge should be with Allah and His Rasul; why did you not do what
these two believing men did?”
b. Rasulullahﷺ gave him precedence over others and testified
that he was one of the righteous men of Quraysh.
It is narrated that ‘‘Amr ibn
al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
Since we became Muslim, Rasulullahﷺ never regarded anyone as
equal to Khalid and me in fighting.
It was narrated that Abu Mulaykah رضي الله عنه said:
Talhah ibn Ubaidullah رضي الله عنه said: “I heard Rasulullahﷺ say: “‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه is one of the righteous men of Quraysh.”
This is an example of Rasulullahﷺ knowledge of people’s qualities and of how to make the most of those qualities.
c. Supplication of Rasulullahﷺ for him
It was narrated from Zuhayr ibn Qais al Balawi that his paternal uncle ‘Ilqimah ibn Ramthah al Balawi said:
Rasulullahﷺ sent ‘Amr ibn al ‘As to Bahrain, and then Rasulullahﷺ dozed off. He woke up and said: “May Allah have mercy on ‘Amr.” Rasulullahﷺ. We discussed which ‘Amr it was, and then he dozed off a second time. He woke up and said: “May Allah have mercy on ‘Amr.” He dozed off a third time, then he woke up and said: “May Allah have mercy on ‘Amr.” We said: “Which ‘Amr, O Rasulullahﷺ?” He said: “‘Amr ibn al ‘As.” We said: “What about him?” He said: “I remembered him because every time I asked people to give in charity, he would bring his charity and be very generous. I would ask him: ‘Where did you get this from, O ‘Amr?’ and he would say: ‘From Allah.’ ‘Amr spoke the truth; ‘Amr has a great deal of good with Allah.”
Zuhayr رضي الله عنه said:
When the fitnah broke out, I said: “I will follow this man, of whom Rasulullahﷺ said what he said, and I never left him.”
His deeds at the time of Sayidina Abu Bakr as Sidique رضي الله عنه, Sayidina Umar ibn al Khattab رضي الله عنه and
Rasulullahﷺ sent ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه to call the two sons of al Jilindi,
Jaafar and ‘Abbad, to Islam. He called them to Islam, and they believed in Rasulullahﷺ
they allowed ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه to collect zakat and judge disputes between their people,
and they supported him against those who opposed him.
After the demised of Rasulullahﷺ, Sayidina Abu Bakr as
Sidique رضي الله
عنه sent ‘‘Amr
ibn al ‘As رضي
الله عنه with
an army to Palestine, after giving him the choice between staying in the post
to which Rasulullahﷺ had appointed him or choosing something that would be better
for him in this world and the hereafter. ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه wrote to him, saying:
I am one of the arrows of Islam, and after Allah, you are the
one to shoot it and collect (the arrows). So, choose the strongest, most pious
and best of them and use it.
When he came to Madinah, Sayidina Abu Bakr as Sidique رضي الله عنه told him to stay outside Madinah and
camp until he had urged the people to join him, then he sent him with an army
to Syria.
During the Battle of Yarmouk, ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه was in
charge of the right flank and his participation had a great impact on the
Muslim victory.
After the death of Sayidina Abu Bakr as Sidique رضي الله عنه, ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه remained in Syria and played an effective role in the Islamic conquest of Syria. Along with Shurahbil ibn Hasanah رضي الله عنه, he conquered Bis, Tiberias and Ajnaidin. He also conquered Gaza, al Luth (Lad), Yubna, ‘Amwas (Emmaus), Bayt Jibrin, Yafa (Jaffa), Rafah, and Jerusalem. Not only did ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه conquer Syria; but he also conquered famous cities in Egypt.
Sayidina Umar ibn al
Khattab رضي الله
عنه issued
instructions to ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه, after he had finished conquering Syria, to march to Egypt
with the troops who were with him. He set out until he reached al ‘Arish and
conquered it, and he also conquered al Farma, al Fustat, the Fortress of
Babylon, ‘Ayn Shams, al Fayyum, al Ashmunin, Akhmim, al Bashrud, Tanis, Dimyat (Damietta),
Tuna, Daqhalah, Alexandria and other North African cities such as Barqah,
Zuwaylah, and Tripoli.
‘Umar رضي الله عنه testified to his
leadership qualities by saying:
Abu ‘Abdullah (‘Amr) should not walk on the earth except as a
leader.
At the time of Sayidina Uthman Ibn Affan رضي الله عنه, he was one of those who were close
to the Khalifah and one of his consultants. When Sayidina Uthman Ibn Affan رضي الله عنه was besieged, ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله
عنه left Madinah and headed for Syria,
saying:
“O people of Madinah, anyone who stays there while this man
is killed will be humiliated by Allah. Whoever cannot support him, let him flee”
He left, and his two sons ‘Abdullah and Muhammad left with
him, after which Hassan ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه and many others followed suit.
When news came of the murder of ‘Sayidina Uthman Ibn Affan رضي الله عنه and the people’s swearing allegiance
to Sayidina Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه, ‘‘Amr
ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
May Allah have mercy on ‘Sayidina Uthman Ibn Affan رضي الله عنه and forgive him.
Salamah ib Zanba’ al Judhami رضي الله عنه said:
“O Arabs, there was between you and the fitnah a door, so
find another door when that door is broken.”
‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه said:
“That is what we want, but nothing can fix the door except a
drill, a drill that can ensure justice between the people”
Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه left on foot, weeping and saying:
O ‘Uthman, I weep for the death of modesty and religious
commitment.
Then Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه went to Damascus.
This is a true picture of ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه, which is in harmony with his
character, his biography, and his closeness to ‘Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه.
As for the distorted image that shows him as a man of personal interests and ambitions who ran after worldly gains, this is based on the weak and rejected report of al Waqidi from Musa ibn Ya’qub. A number of writers and historians were influenced by these weak reports, so they depicted ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه in the worst possible manner, as in the descriptions given by Mahmud Shit Khattab and ‘Abdul Khaliq Sayyid Abu Rabiyah.
‘Abbas Mahmud al ‘Aqqad رضي الله عنه stubbornly refused to examine the chains of narration; he insulted the intelligence of his readers by presenting an image of Muawiyah رضي الله عنه and ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه as opportunists who were pursuing personal interests. All historical critics agree that the reports to which he refers in his analysis are false, but that does not mean anything to al ‘Aqqad. After narrating weak and strange reports, on which no argument can be based, he said:
Let the historical critics say what they want about whether this conversation took place and whether these words are sound. Regardless of whatever is proven to be sound or otherwise with regard to the chain of narration or the text, what there can be no doubt about, even if all history books got together to prove the opposite, is that the deal between the two men was a deal to share authority and power, and the deal between them was based on the share of authority that each of them would have. Were it not for that, there would have been no deal.
The true character of ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه is that of a man of principle. He left Madinah when he found himself unable to defend ‘Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه, for whom he wept bitter tears when he was killed. Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه was part of the consultative committee at the time of ‘Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه, even though he was not a governor. Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه went to join Muawiyah رضي الله عنه and cooperated with him to fight the killers of ‘Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه and seek justice for the martyred Khalifah.
The murder of Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه was sufficient to make him very angry with all those criminals who shed blood. He thought it essential to choose a place other than Madinah as a base for seeking vengeance against those who had the audacity to transgress against the sanctuary of Rasulullahﷺ and slay the Khalifah before the people’s eyes. What is strange about ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه getting angry for the sake of Sayidina Uthman ibn Al Affan رضي الله عنه? If anyone doubts this matter, then his doubt is based on fabricated reports, which depict ‘‘Amr ibn al ‘As رضي الله عنه as a man whose main concern was authority and power.
His Early life and military career
Amr ibn al-As was born in c. 573. His father, al-As ibn Wa'il, was a wealthy landowner from the Banu Sahm clan of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah. Following the death of al-As in c. 622, Amr inherited from him the lucrative al-Waht estate and vineyards near Ta'if. Amr's mother was al-Nabigha bint Harmala from the Banu Jallan clan of the Anaza tribe. She had been taken captive and sold, in succession, to several members of the Quraysh, one of whom was Amr's father. As such, Amr had two maternal half-brothers, Amr ibn Atatha of the Banu Adi and Uqba ibn Nafi of the Banu Fehr, and a half-sister from the Banu Abd Shams. Amr is physically described in the traditional sources as being short with broad shoulders, having a large head with a wide forehead and wide mouth, long arms, and a long beard.
There are conflicting reports about when Amr embraced Islam, with the most credible version placing it in 629/630, not long before the conquest of Makkah by Rasulullahﷺ. According to this account, he converted alongside the Qurayshites Khalid ibn al-Walid and Uthman ibn Talha. According to Amr's own testimony, transmitted by his fourth-generation descendant Amr ibn Shu'ayb, he converted in Axum in the presence of King Armah (Najashi) and met Muhammad in Madinah upon the latter's return from the Battle of Khaybar in 628. Amr conditioned his conversion on the forgiveness of his past sins and an "active part in affairs", according to a report cited by the historian Ibn Asakir (d. 1176).
Indeed, in October 629, Amr was tasked by Muhammad with leading the raid on Dhat al-Salasil, likely located in the northern Hejaz (western Arabia), a lucrative opportunity for Amr in view of the potential war spoils. The purpose of the raid is unclear, though the modern historian speculates that it was to "break up a gathering of hostile tribal groups" possibly backed by the Byzantine Empire. The historian Ibn Hisham (d. 833) holds that Amr rallied the nomadic Arabs in the region "to make war on [Byzantine] Syria". The tribal groups targeted in the raid included the Quda'a in general and the Bali specifically. Amr's paternal grandmother hailed from Bali, and this may have motivated his appointment to the command by Muhammad as Amr was instructed to recruit tribesmen from Bali and the other Quda'a tribes of Balqayn and Banu Udhra. Following the raid, a delegation from Bali embraced Islam. Amr further consecrated ties with the tribe by marrying a Bali woman, with whom he had his son Muhammad.
Muhammad appointed Amr the governor of (Today's Oman) and he remained there until being informed of Rasulullahﷺ's demised in 632. The demised of Rasulullahﷺ prompted several Arab tribes to defect from the nascent Madinah-based Muslim polity in the Ridda wars. Rasulullahﷺ's successor Caliph Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) appointed Amr to rein in the apostate Quda'a tribes, and among those targeted were the Hejazi branches of the Bali. Amr's campaigns, which were supported by the commander Shurahbil ibn Hasana, succeeded in restoring Madinah's authority as far as the northern frontier with Syria.
Governor of Palestine and role in the Syrian conquest.
Amr was one of four commanders dispatched by Abu Bakr to conquer Syria in 633. The focus of Amr's campaign was Palestine, to which he had been appointed governor by Caliph Abu Bakr before his departure. As a Qurayshite merchant Amr was likely already well-acquainted with the routes to Gaza, a principal terminal for Meccan caravans. He took the coastal route of the Hejaz, reaching Ayla, a Muslim possession since 630, before breaking west into the Negev desert or possibly the Sinai. He arrived near the villages of Dathin and Badan in Gaza's environs where he entered into talks with Gaza's Byzantine commander. After the negotiations broke down, Amr's men bested the Byzantines at the Battle of Dathin on 4 February 634 and set up headquarters at Ghamr al-Arabat in the middle of the Wadi Araba. Most accounts hold that Amr's army was 3,000 strong; the Muhajirun (emigrants from Makkah to Madinah) and the Ansar (natives of Medina), who together formed the core of the earliest Muslim converts, dominated his forces according to al-Waqidi (d. 823), while the 9th-century historian Ibn A'tham holds that Amr's army consisted of 3,300 Qurayshite and allied horsemen, 1,700 horsemen from the Banu Sulaym and 200 from the Yemenite tribe of Madh'hij. The largest Arab fighting force to have ever been assembled in southern Palestine and the Sinai until then.
Amr conquered the area around Gaza by February or March 634 and proceeded to besiege Caesarea, the capital of Byzantine Palestine, in July. He soon after abandoned the siege upon the approach of a large Byzantine army. After being reinforced by the remainder of the Muslim armies in Syria, including the new arrivals commanded by Khalid ibn al-Walid, Amr, with overall command of the 20,000-strong Muslim forces, routed the Byzantine army at the Battle of Ajnadayn, the first major confrontation between the Muslims and Byzantium, in July–August 634. Amr occupied numerous towns in Palestine, including Bayt Jibrin, Yibna, Amwas, Lydda, Jaffa, Nablus, and Sebastia. Most of these localities surrendered after little resistance due to the flight of Byzantine troops; consequently, there is scant information about them in the traditional accounts of the conquest. Caliph Abu Bakr's successor Caliph Umar Ibn Al Khattab (r. 634–644) appointed or confirmed Amr as the commander of the military district of Palestine
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| The ravines of the Yarmouk River where Amr kept the Byzantines confined at the decisive Battle of Yarmouk in 636 |
The Muslims pursued the Byzantine army northward and besieged them at Pella for four months. Amr may have retained overall command of the Muslim armies until this point, though other accounts assign command to Khalid or Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. In any case, the Muslims landed a heavy blow against the Byzantines in the ensuing Battle of Fahl in December 634 or January 635. Afterward, Amr and Shurahbil may have been sent to besiege Beisan, which capitulated after minor resistance. The Muslims proceeded to besiege Damascus, where the remnants of the Byzantine army from the battles of Ajnadayn and Fahl had gathered. Amr was positioned at the Bab Tuma gate, the Muslim commanders having each been assigned to block one of the city's entrances. By August–September 635, Damascus surrendered to the Muslims. Amr acquired several residences within the city.
In response to the series of defeats, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641) led a large army in person to confront the Muslims; its rout at the Battle of Yarmouk, in which Amr played a key role by confining the Byzantines between the banks of the Yarmouk River and the Yarmouk's ravine, in August–September 636, paved the way for the rest of Syria's conquest by the Muslims. Following Yarmouk, the Muslims attempted to capture Jerusalem, where Amr had previously sent an advance force. Abu Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah led the siege of Jerusalem, in which Amr participated, but the city only surrendered after Caliph Umar arrived in person to conclude a treaty with its defenders. Amr was one of the witnesses of the Treaty of Umar. From Jerusalem, Amr proceeded to besiege and capture the city of Gaza.
Governorship of Egypt
Conquest of Egypt
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| Map detailing the route of Amr and al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam's conquest of Egypt |
From his base in southern Palestine, Amr launched the conquest of Byzantine Egypt. He had established trading interests there before his conversion to Islam, making him aware of its importance in international trade. The traditional Muslim sources generally hold that Amr undertook the campaign with Caliph Umar's reluctant approval, though a number of accounts hold that he entered the region without Umar's authorization. At the head of 4,000 cavalries and with no siege engines, Amr arrived at the frontier town of al-Arish along the northern Sinai coastline on 12 December 639. He captured the strategic Mediterranean port city of Pelusium (al-Farama) following a month-long siege and moved against Bilbies, which also fell after a month-long siege.
Amr halted his campaign before the fortified Byzantine stronghold of Babylon, at the head of the Nile Delta, and requested reinforcements from Umar. The latter dispatched al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, a leading Qurayshite companion of Muhammad, with a 4,000-strong force, which joined Amr's camp in June 640. Amr retained the supreme command of Arab forces in Egypt. In the following month, his army decisively defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Heliopolis. He captured Memphis soon after and besieged Babylon. During the siege, Amr entered truce negotiations with the Alexandria-based Byzantine governor Cyrus; Emperor Heraclius opposed the talks and recalled Cyrus to Constantinople (Istanbul). Though strong resistance was put up by Babylon's defenders, their morale was sapped after news of Heraclius' death in February 641. Amr made an agreement with the Byzantine garrison, allowing their peaceful withdrawal toward the provincial capital Alexandria on 9 April 641. Amr then sent his lieutenants to conquer different parts of the country. One of them, Kharija ibn Hudhafa, captured the Fayyum oasis, Oxyrhynchus (Bahnasa), Hermopolis (el-Ashmunein), and Akhmim, all in Middle Egypt, and an unspecified number of villages in Upper Egypt.
In late 641, Amr besieged Alexandria (Cairo). It fell virtually without resistance after Cyrus, who had since been restored to office, and Amr finalized a treaty in Babylon guaranteeing the security of Egypt's inhabitants and imposing a poll tax on adult males. The date of the city's surrender was likely November 642. Taking advantage of the uncertain political situation in the wake of Umar's death in 644 and the meager Arab military presence in Alexandria, Emperor Constans II (r. 641–668) dispatched a naval expedition led by a certain Manuel which occupied the city and killed most of its Arab garrison in 645. Alexandria's elite and most of the inhabitants assisted the Byzantines; medieval Byzantine, Coptic, and, to a lesser extent, Muslim sources indicate the city was not firmly in Arab hands during the preceding three years. Byzantine forces pushed deeper into the Nile Delta, but Amr forced them back at the Battle of Nikiou. He besieged and captured Alexandria in the summer of 646; most of the Byzantines, including Manuel, were slain, many of its inhabitants were killed and the city was burned until Amr ordered an end to the onslaught. Afterward, Muslim rule in Alexandria gradually solidified.
In contrast to the disarray of the Byzantine defense, the Muslim forces under Amr's command were unified and organized; Amr frequently coordinated with Caliph Umar and his own troops for all major military decisions. According to the historian Vassilios Christides, Amr "cautiously counterbalanced the superiority in numbers and equipment of the Byzantine army by applying skillful military tactics" and despite the lack of "definite, prepared, long-term plans ... the Arab army moved with great flexibility as the occasion arose". In the absence of siege engines, Amr oversaw long sieges of heavily fortified Byzantine positions, most prominently Babylon, cut supply lines, and engaged in long wars of attrition. He made advantageous use of the nomads in his ranks, who were seasoned in hit-and-run tactics, and his settled troops, who were generally more acquainted with siege warfare. His cavalry-dominated army moved through Egypt's deserts and oases with relative ease. Moreover, political circumstances became more favorable to Amr with the death of the hawkish Heraclius and his short-term replacement with the more pacifist Heraklonas and Martina
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| Amr initially halted his campaign at the Babylon Fortress (pictured in 2010), but ultimately forced its Byzantine garrison to evacuate in April 641 after a lengthy siege. |
Expeditions in Cyrenaica and Tripolitania.
After the surrender of Alexandria in 642, Amr marched his army westward, bypassing the fortified Byzantine coastal strongholds of Paraetonium (Marsa Matruh), Appolonia Sozusa (Marsa Soussa), and Ptolemais (Tolmeita), capturing Barca and reaching Torca in Cyrenaica. Toward the end of the year, Amr launched a second cavalry assault targeting Tripoli. The city was heavily fortified by the Byzantines and contained several naval vessels in its harbor. Due to his lack of siege engines, he employed the lengthy siege tactic used in the Egyptian conquest. After about a month, his troops entered Tripoli through a vulnerable point in its walls and sacked the city. Its fall, which entailed the evacuation by sea of the Byzantine garrison and most of the population, is dated to 642 or 643/44. Though the Arab hold over Cyrenaica and Zawila to the far south remained firm for decades except for a short-lived Byzantine occupation in 690, Tripoli was recaptured by the Byzantines a few years after Amr's entry. The region was definitively conquered by the Arabs during the reign of Caliph Abd al-Malik Marwan (r. 685–705).
[1] Al Tabarani: al Mujam al
Kabir, 9/53; it was narrated in a mursal report by Ibn Ishaq
[2] Al Isabah, 3/2; ‘Abdul
Hamid: Khilafah ‘Ali, p. 263
[3] Tahdhib al Tahdhib,
8/56
[4] Sahih al Sirah al
Nabawiyyah, p. 494; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/60; Ibn
Hisham: Al Sirah, 2/276
[5] Muslim: Kitab al Iman,
no. 121
[6] Al Sirah al Nabawiyyah al
Sahihah, 2/471; Ibn Hisham: Al Sirah al Nabawiyyah, 3/280
[7] Ibn Shuhbah: as-Sirah
an-Nabawiyyah, 2/433; Ibn Hisham: as-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, 4/280
[8] Narrated by Ibn Hibban in al
Mawarid, 2277; Sahih as-Sirah, p. 508; classed as sound by
al Albani.
[9] Al Humaidi: at-Tarikh al
Islami, 7/133
[10] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/66
[11] Surah al Nisa’
[12] op. cit., 3/67. Its chain of narration is sound and was classed as such
by Ibn Hibban, no. 202.
[13] Abu Faris: Ghazwat al Hudaybiyyah, p. 210
[14] Ma’in al Sirah, p. 381
[15] op. cit., p. 38 1; Musnad Ahmed, 11203. The men of its
chain of narration are trustworthy.
[16] Silsilat al Ahadith. al Sahihah, 11238, no. 155; classed as
sound.
[17] Al Tabaqat, 4/191; Al Silsilah al Sahihah,
11240, no. 156.
[18] Musnad Ahmed, 203, with a reliable chain of narration.
[19] Sunan al Bayhaqi: Bab Islam ‘Amr ibn al ‘As 4/43
[20] Sunan al Tirmidhi, Kitab al Manaqib, Bab Manaqib ‘Amr ibn
al ‘As, no. 3844
[21] Al Mujam al Kabir, 18/5; al Mustadrak, 3/455.
classed as sound by al Hakim. Al Dhahabi said: Its chain of narration is sound
reliable.
[22] Al Tabaqat, 11262; Ibn Hazm: Jawami’ al Sirah,
p. 24, 29
[23] ltmam al Wafa’ bi Sirat al Khulafa’, p. 55
[24] Al Azdi: Futuh al Sham, p. 48-51
[25] Tarikh al Tabari, 3/605; Ibn al Athir: al Kamil,
2/498
[26] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/70; Al Qiyad al
‘Askariyyah fi ‘Ahd al Rasul, p. 634-942
[27] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/70
[28] Tarikh al Tabari, quoted in al Ghadban: ‘Amr ibn al
‘As, p. 464
[29] Tarikh al Tabari, quote in ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, p.
464
[30] al Ghadban: ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, p. 481
[31] Mahmud Sit Khattab: Sufara’ al Nabi ‘salla Llahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam, p. 508
[32] ‘Abd aI-Khaliq Sayyid Rabiyah: ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, p. 316
[33] Al ‘Aqqad: ‘Amr ibn al ‘As,p. 231, 232
[34] Al ‘Aqqad: ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, p.489-490
[35] op. cit., p. 492
Amr ibn al-As. (2023, January 11). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amr_ibn_al-As
