Ubada ibn as-Samit

'Ubadah ibn al-Samit ( ar, عبادة بن الصامت ) was a companion of Muhammad and a well-respected chieftain of the Ansar tribes confederation. He participated in almost every battle during Muhammad's era. His official title, according to Muslim scholarly tradition, was 'Ubadah ''bin Saamit al-Ansari al-Badri'' () for his actions at the Battle of Badr. He served under the first three Rashidun caliphs in the Muslim conquest against the Byzantines.

The conquest of Cyprus marked 'Ubadah as one of the Rashidun army's most successful military commanders. He participated in more than seven large scale military campaigns before ending his career as a Qadi in the Holy Land. In later years he assisted the then-governor Umayyad Caliph Muawiya I.

'Ubadah served as the Qur'anic teacher of Suffah and the Mufti and judge of the Rashidun caliphate, along with matters of converting subdued populations and building Mosques, such as the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in Egypt and the Bazaar Congregational mosque in Homs. Despite his low structural position, 'Ubadah's influence as a respected senior Sahabah who was trusted by Muhammad and caliph Umar could rule many of his compatriots, including those who outranked him structurally such as Mu'awiyah, who served as Governor of Homs during 'Ubadah's tenure as judge.

Islamic scholars regard 'Ubadah as an influential companion of Muhammad who passed down many Hadiths that became the basis of Fiqh ruling in various matters.

Early life

'Ubadah was a descendant from Yemeni Arabs who settled in Yathrib and formed the Banu Aws and Khazraj tribes. He was born into the latter and became a prominent chief. His genealogical lineage was 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit Ibn Qais bin Asram bin Fahr bin Tha'labah ibn Ghanm ibn Auf ibn (Amr bin Auf) ibn Al Khazraj. Sometime before Muhammad's migration from Mecca, 'Ubadah and other Banu Aws and Khazraj tribe chieftains, such as Abdullah ibn Rawahah, ʿAbdullah ibn Haram, Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, and Abu Talha al-Ansari, met Muhammad at Aqabah during their journey from Medina to perform Hajj in Mecca. In historical literature, these clan leaders are said to have done Hajj to achieve enlightenment after they grew weary of tribal conflicts, particularly the civil war of Yathrib that Muslim historians call the Battle of Bu'ath. They listened to Muhammad's preaching and considered him to be the solution to unite their tribes. They immediately pledged their allegiance to him, marking this event as the first pledge of al-Aqabah. 'Ubadah was around forty years old. Later he participated in the Second pledge at al-Aqabah, and narrated the event.

When the Meccan Muslims were migrating to seek refuge in Yathrib (now Medina), 'Ubadah and his fellow Banu Aws and Khazraji provided shelter to them as Muhammad immediately instructed 'Ubadah to take an oath of brotherhood with the Muhajireen named Abu Marthad al-Ghanwi.

Battles under Muhammad

During Muhammad's stay in Yathrib, 'Ubadah participated at the battle of Badr, which elevated his status as a patron of Islam in the view of Muslim scholars and earned him the title of ''al-Badri'', which is bestowed to Muslims who attended the battle. 'Ubadah gave his testimony in regards to the aftermath of the battle when the Muslim army discussed their prisoners of war.

'Ubadah also participated in the battle of Uhud.

After the ancident between the Banu Qaynuqa tribe and Muhammad, 'Ubadah announced that he had annulled the alliance with Banu Qaynuqa, and it was this incident that led to the revelation of and from Allah to Muhammad. 'Ubadah's position as a respected head clan superseded Abdallah ibn Ubay's (another Khazraji chief) support of the Jews. In the end, the entire clan instead followed 'Ubadah and supported Muhammad and they expelled the Banu Qaynuqa Jews from Medina and took their date palm gardens as holy war benefit for the city's Muslim community before continuing to serve in the Battle of Khandaq. In January 627, the Ansaris under 'Ubadah and his colleague, Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, led an expedition against the Banu Mustaliq tribe. The raid was successful and they took 200 families captive, along with 200 camels, 5,000 sheep, goats, and a large quantity of household goods.
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However, during the battle 'Ubadah unintentionally killed one of his Ansari clansmen, Hisham ibn Subabah. Sometime after the treaty of Hudaybiyya, 'Ubadah fought in the Battle of Khaybar.

'Ubadah participated in virtually all military expeditions personally led by Muhammad before his death.

Rashidun caliphate

After the selection of the first caliph, rebellion broke out across the caliphate. 'Ubadah was commanded by Caliph Abu Bakr to quell the rebellions across Arabia, though it history did not record which battles he was involved in. According to David Nicolle, the four Rashidun contingents left Medina between the autumn of 633 to 634 before Khalid converged with other contingents led by generals such as Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan, Amr ibn al-A'as and Shurahbil Ibn Hasanah.D. Nicolle, ''Yarmuk 636 AD – The Muslim Conquest of Syria'', Osprey, 1994, p. 46. 'Ubadah, Abu Darda, and Muadh ibn Jabal were sent to Syria after ibn Abu Sufyan asked the caliph to send him preachers to teach the newly subdued Syrian Christians. At some point, 'Ubadah was tasked to assist the military campaigns in Syria.

During the time of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, reinforcement requests came from the Syrian front during the Rashidun's conquest of Levant. Khattab sent 'Ubadah to join forces with Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and Khalid ibn al-Walid. 'Ubadah participated in the Battle of Ajnadayn under Khalid ibn al-Walid, where the 100,000 Byzantine soldiers under Vardan were trapped, defeated, and fled to Damascus. This battle ended with more than half of the Byzantine army killed, including General Vardan.

During the Siege of Emesa between 635 and 636 AD, Abu Ubaydah appointed 'Ubadah as his deputy in Homs while Abu Ubaydah left to capture Hamah. 'Ubadah stayed there with his wife, Umm Haram, where Umm Haram remembered the Hadith that allegedly prophesied the future conquest of Cyprus in which she and her husband participated.

'Ubadah participated in the Battle of Yarmouk.

After they defeated the Byzantine coalitions in Yarmouk, 'Ubadah, along with the army of Abu Ubaydah and Khalid, continued their conquest until they reached Northern Syria, where they turned south to pacify the shore areas of Levant. 'Ubadah was instructed to lead a detachment to subdue Tartus, a coastal fortress city. While 'Ubadah occupied Tartus in 636, Muawiyah came to the city, and built an Amsar complex, while also delegating fiefs to the garrison commanders.

'Ubadah was commanded by Abu Ubaydah to march towards Jablah and Laodicea (Latakia). 'Ubadah met with resistance from the local garrison during the siege of Latakia. He observed that the city had a massive gate that could only be opened by a large number of men. He ordered his men to camp and dig trenches that could hide a rider on horseback. 'Ubadah and his army pretended to return to Homs, while at night he ordered the army to return hide themselves inside the trench. As soon as people in Laodicea thought 'Ubadah had left, they opened the gate to let their cattle out. 'Ubadah then ordered his entire army to attack. The Byzantines were caught by surprise and failed to close the gate. He climbed the wall then gave signal of Takbir terrifying the Byzantine defenders to flee towards Al-Yusaiyid. The fleeing Byzantine soldiers and local citizens returned and surrendered to 'Ubadah, who accepted their surrender and allowed them to return to their homes with specific conditions, including the obligation to pay the Kharaj land tax. While 'Ubadah oversaw Latakia, no buildings were razed including churches, while starting to build mosques. He stayed to establish the order of the caliphate on the subdued population. One particular mosque, Jami' al Bazaar or Mosque al-Bazaar survives. Laodicea was renamed to Latakia or ''Al-Ladhiqiyah.''

After settling matters in Latakia, 'Ubadah marched into other Byzantine controlled cities, and subdued them one by one from Salamiyah to Baniyas port city.

Circa 630s, 'Ubadah subdued the city of Paltus, which would become an Arab settlement called Arab al-Mulk during later era, as recorded by Yaqut al-Hamawi.

Transfer to Egypt

In July 640, during the siege of Babylon fortress in Egypt against the Byzantine forces, the caliph sent 'Ubadah with 4,000 soldiers. The four commanders were two veteran Muhajireen, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Miqdad ibn al-Aswad; a young Ansari commander named Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari; and 'Ubadah. These reinforcements arrived in September 640. Imam Awza'i, a Tabi'un and founder of now extinct Awza'i school Madhhab, recorded that he witnessed the Muslim conquest of Egypt and he confirmed that 'Ubadah was among the leaders. Amr ibn al-Aas decided to battle on the open field near Heliopolis in early to mid July 640. 8,000 al-Aas soldiers were led by Zubayr, 'Ubadah, Maslama, Miqdad, Bisr ibn Abi Artat. They defeated the 20,000 strong Byzantine army under Theodore. The Muslims besieged the fortress over the course of months without a clear victory. During the siege, both sides exchanged envoys in an effort to demoralize each other. In the days leading up to the end, 'Ubadah was sent with a delegation to Muqawqis to negotiate for the last time. It is said that Muqawqis became afraid of 'Ubadah when he saw 'Ubadah's dark and majestic appearance. 'Ubadah then mocked Muqawqis in a chronicle:

'Ubadah gave him three options: accept Islam, pay ''Jizyah'', or fight. Muqawqis refused chose to continue fighting. Following the failed negotiation, Byzantine forces decided to fight, and on the same day the fortress fell to the Muslims led Zubayr ibn al-Awwam who climbed the fortress wall alone and opened the gate from inside. After the fortress had been taken, al-Aas consulted with Maslama ibn Mukhallad. Maslama suggested that Amr give a field command to 'Ubadah to attack Alexandria. 'Ubadah rode to Amr, who gave him his spear of command. 'Ubadah rode towards the army and gave a speech before commencing his attack on Alexandria. 'Ubadah led a detachment to besiege Alexandria and reused his strategy of using trenches to conquer Latakia in Syria. When he and his main force arrived at Alexandria's outskirts, he gave a signal to the army including those who hid in the trenches to launch an assault. His attack breached and routed the Alexandrian garrison forces on the first charge. After Alexandria, 'Ubadah stayed in Egypt to help al-Aas build the city of Fustat and its landmark, Mosque Amr ibn al-Aas.

Return to Levant

'Ubadah was dispatched by Caliph Umar to assist Abu Ubaydah and Mu'awiyah in Syria. Until the last years of caliph Umar's life, he wanted to appoint 'Ubadah as governor in Homs, as the caliph thought that the grip of the caliphate and Islam was new in that area, so he wanted someone he trusted to impose strict order. 'Ubadah declined the offer and then agreed to be instead appointed as Qadi in Palestine. 'Ubadah spent time during his tenure as Qadi to teach the Quran and Hadith, opened a public Majlis and led sermons. 'Ubadah joined the main force of Muawiyah to conquer Caesarea in 640 and was appointed to lead the right flank of the Muawiyah corps during the last battle against the Romans at Qaysariyyah or Caesarea Maritima, The Muslims were repelled several times before 'Ubadah and his men crushed the Byzantine ranks in a single charge that broke the stalemate. This allowed the Muslim forces to annex the historical territory of Byzantine, which led to the formation of the Jund Filistin. This ended 'Ubadah's journey in the Levant. During this time, 'Ubadah was appointed as the first governor of Jund Filistin. Later, 'Ubadah assisted Muawiyah I to attack Amorium, 170 miles south east of Constantinople, in the winter of 644 with a force of 10,000 men. This campaign continued northwards until they reached an area in Anatolia called Shaifa.

First Conquest of Cyprus

After Uthman ibn al-Affan became caliph after Umar's death, Muawiyah requested that the caliph allow him to build a navy to attack Cyprus, as Muawiyah reasoned that Cyprus had become a satellite island of Byzantine forces which could threaten the caliphate on the western banks of Palestine.Ali Sallabi" /> 'Ubadah, along with veteran companions of Muhammad such as Miqdad Ibn al-Aswad, Abu Dhar GhiFari, Shadaad ibn Aws, Khalid bin Zayd al-Ansari, and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, all participated in building the caliphate's first Naval armada, led by Muawiya. Before he joined Muawiya's project to built first naval forces of the caliphate, 'Ubadah joined forces with Muslim general, Abdallah ibn Qais. Together with Muawiyah, they built the first caliphate armada with permission from ibn al-Affan. Abu Dharr mentioned that Miqdad ibn Amr al-Aswad participated in this project. Shortly later, Muawiya and 'Ubadah departed from Acre and headed to Cyprus. According to al-Baladhuri and Khalifa ibn Khayyat, Mu'awiya and 'Ubadah led the attack and were accompanied by their wives Katwa bint Qaraza ibn Abd Amr of the Qurayshite Banu Nawfal and Umm Haram. Umm Haram died in an accident during the campaign.Ali Sallabi" /> The Muslim forces accepted Cyprus' surrender under the condition that they refrain from hostility to the Muslims, inform the caliphate of any Byzantine movements, pay 7,200 dinars annually for ''Jizya'', and never reveal information to outsiders regarding the caliphate's military operations.Ali Sallabi" />

Muawiya and 'Ubadah forces pacified almost every Byzantine garrison. This is evidenced by two Greek inscriptions in the Cypriot village of Solois that note those two offensives. The entire island of Cyprus surrendered after their capital, Salamis, was surrounded and besieged.Ali Sallabi" /> At least 50 military operations occurred in Cyprus between this first campaign in 648 until the last one in 650.Ali Sallabi">

Hadith of the prophecy of Cyprus conquest

One of the most famous Hadiths related to 'Ubadah and Umm Haram relate to the prophecy that the Islamic caliphate would dominate the sea on two occasions. This was taught by Muslim scholars as a prophecy of the conquest of Cyprus. 'Ubadah participated in both the initial conquest and the second campaign years later. Umm Haram narrated the prophecy, which she believed related to this campaign. Anas ibn Malik, her nephew, reminded them about the Hadith of the promise of incoming naval conquests by Islam.

Second conquest

In 652, Cyprus rebelled against the caliphate and caused Muawiyah and 'Ubadah to mount a second campaign.Ali Sallabi" /> This time Mu'awiyah and 'Ubadah split their forces: one led by Mu'awiyah and the other by Abdallah ibn Sa'd. This punitive campaign was described in Tarikh fi Asr al-Khulafa ar-Rashidin as particularly brutal. Many died in the campaign and many were taken captive.Ali Sallabi" />

After they pacified Cyprus once more, 'Ubadah told Mu'awiyah to share the spoils according to the Teaching of Muhammad, which must be divided in fifths.Ali Sallabi" /> Muawiyah agreed with 'Ubadah's counsel and gave him the task. Afterwards, Muawiyah consulted with one of his officers, Ismail bin Ayyasy, as to how to prevent another uprising. Muawiyah decided on a garrison of 12,000 soldiers. Muawiyah also transferred Muslim settlers from Baklabak, Syria, to Cyprus and constructed mosques.Ali Sallabi" />

Later life and death

At the end of his military career, 'Ubadah retired to Palestine. When Caliph Uthman faced dissidents from the Khawarij sect and portions of the followers of Abdullah ibn Saba. 'Ubadah was among those who expressed support for Uthman. 'Ubadah did not appreciate the revolts from the Abdullah ibn Saba followers, which was headed by Yazid ibn Qais and Malik al-Ashtar. He, Mu'awiyah, Kharijah ibn Huzafah of Egypt, Anas ibn Malik, Hisham ibn Amir, Abu Darda, and Tabiin pupils of Abdullah ibn Masud were among those from outside Medina who urged the caliphate to take action against the Khawarij dissidents in Medina.

'Ubadah passed in Ramla at the age of seventy two (72) years. 'Ubadah said on his deathbed:

Personal information

Appearance

Dr. Khalid Basalamah Lc, MA, interviewed the Imam of Al-Aqsa mosque during a visit to 'Ubadah 's grave in Palestine. The Imam related the oral tradition that 'Ubadah was a "handsome man with dark skin". This was supported by Ibn Hajar in his Siyar A'lam Nubala in the chapter of 'Ubadah where he describes him as physically attractive. The Imam noted 'Ubadah was "very muscular. So ripped and huge his forearm size is equal to the span of nadult male hand palm.". Several historians noted how his enemies, such as Muqawqis, governor nclof Egypt and Jabalah and leader of the Ghassanid Arabs in the battle of Yarmouk were awed by his appearance.

Family

'Ubadah's sister was named Nusaybah. His father was Samit Ibn Qais Ibn Asram Ibn Fahr while his mother was Qarat al-Ain Bint 'Ubadah bin Nidhal al-Khazrajiyya. His brother, 'Aws bin al-Samit, was married to Khawla bint Tha'labah, a female companion of Muhammad who was mentioned in Surah al Mujadalah.

Records from Bukhari and Muslim texts included a statement from Anas Ibn Malik that 'Ubadah was married to Umm Haram bint Milhan during the first conquest of the Island of Cyprus with Muawiyah where Umm Haram died during the campaign. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani translated this to mean 'Ubadah married Umm Haram during the campaign. However, Ibn Ishaq disagreed and translated the words of Anas to mean Umm Haram had married 'Ubadah before the campaign. Ibn Hajar argued further that another record from Ibn Hibban that stated that Umm Haram had just married 'Ubadah, which caused Ibrahim al Quraibi, author of Tarikh ul-Khulafa, to support the opinion of Ibn Hajar.

'Ubadah was also married to Jamilah bint Abi Sa'sa' and they had a son named Walid ibn 'Ubadah.

His son, Ubaydah ibn Ubadah ibn Ubadah, was buried in Egypt.

Character

During his lifetime, 'Ubadah held influence within caliphate administration. He was trusted to pass fatwas judgements, which only a handful of Muhammad's companions were allowed during their life.

Regarding his battlefield achievements, 'Ubadah was known as a fearless warrior. Caliph Umar himself has praised him as an equal of 1,000 warriors. He was once recorded for displaying his personal military prowess when the Muslims had besieged a Byzantine fort. 'Ubadah was found alone praying in a field by Byzantine soldiers. Before they could approach, he jumped to his horse and advanced towards them. The Byzantine soldiers fled and were chased by 'Ubadah until they reached their fort.

He was known as a clever commander who deployed successful strategies, such as the use of ambush trenches which allowed him to conquer strongholds such as Latakia in Syria and Alexandria in Egypt.

Islam historians described 'Ubadah as a stern man with high confidence who could not be easily intimidated during negotiation. He is known as a solemn personality who detested sycophants, which he showed at one Friday prayer in Damascus. The khatib lauded him with praise when 'Ubadah was a chief judge. He threw mud in the Khatib's face and quoted Hadith about the instruction from Muhammad to throw mud in the face of flatterers. Caliph Umar held 'Ubadah in high regard. The caliph respected him to the extent that he gave 'Ubadah important tasks. Caliph Umar supported 'Ubadah when the latter came into dispute with Muawiyah. The caliph appointed 'Ubadah as a judge while giving him autonomy so that Muawiyah, who was the governor of Syria, could not interfere with his verdicts. The source of the dispute was recorded by a Hadith that was grade highly by Sunan ibn Majah. The Hadith explained the difference between 'Ubadah and Mu'awiyah regarding the permissibility of transactions using gold to exchange with coin of Dinar and silver with coin of Dirham.

Legacy

Sunni scholars classified 'Ubadah as among the higher-ranked Companions of the Prophet, due to his heritage as an Ansari and his attendance at the First and Second Pledges in Aqaba, the Battle of Badr, and the Pledge of the Tree. At least five reasons are stated by scholars that ranked 'Ubadah in such saintly venerable status according to the traditions of Islamic scholars:

* His attendance at the Aqaba pledge of allegiance, which inaugurated an honorific title of ''Al-Aqabi''.
* His status as Ansar, which inaugurated a honorific title of ''"Al-Ansari"''. Furthermore, The embeddings of 'Ansari by Muhammad in various Qur'an verses and Hadith were viewed as a special status in Islam. Two patrons of Hadith, Muslim and Bukhari, compilled special chapters regarding the Ansar matter. Nasiruddin al Albani highlighted the Hadith from Muslim, that the Ansar is "the best tribe in human history until end of times". Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani recorded and gave commentary in his book, Fath al-Bari, regarding the Hadith that loving and caring the Ansaris are required Muslims, while bearing ill will towards the Ansaris and their families were sign of hypocrisy.
* His attendance at the Battle of Badr, which inaugurated a honorific title of ''"Al-Badri"''. His status as a veteran is special in the eyes of scholars as Muhammad regarded those of his companions who attended Badr as among the most important in Islam.
* His attendance at the Battle of Uhud, which inaugurated a honorific title of ''"Al-Uhudi".''
* His attendance in the Pledge of the Tree. Rashid Rida explained that for everyone who pledged were regarded by Islam teaching as special. This explanation is in line with Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's explanation of the Hadith Bukhari regarding pledge attendance, which resulted to the revelation of Hadith Qudse regarding the God's will towards them.

Early Muslim scholars supported scholarly knowledge of 'Ubadah's status as evidenced from Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Al-Dhahabi listed a specific chapter of his biography in his ''Siyar a'lam Nubala.''

Quran

Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi narrated that during the time of Muhammad, 'Ubadah was among those who collected and wrote down the Qur'an along with Muadh ibn Jabal, Abayyuu ibn Ka'ab, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, and Abu Darda. Quranic experts generally accepted 'Ubadah's participation in the Pledge of the Tree as Asbab al-nuzul of the verse 55-56 of Surah Al-Ma'idah, which is one of the factors that makes 'Ubadah venerated. Furthermore, tradition from Al-Tabarani and bayhaqi agreed that the revelation of verse 51 to 52 of Surah Al Ma'idah was also linked with 'Ubadah. Where the verses reprimanded 'Ubadah to not follow the path of hypocrites like Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy who took companionship from heretics like Jews and Christians. Those verses are believed by Muslims to be the revision of the Ten Commandments according to Islam. Either as revealed to Moses originally or as taken by Muslims now: 'Ubadah was reportedly one of the earliest figures to teach Qur'an exegesis. Hammam ibn Munabbih, a Tabi'in who authored one of the oldest Hadith, reported that 'Ubadah was trusted by Muhammad to tutor the disciples of Suffah the art of writing and imparting tafseer of Qur'anMuhammad Hamidullah