Julaybib (ra): The Most Beautiful Story

While others mocked Julaybib (ra) for his small stature, the Prophet ﷺ exalted him among society, even facilitating his marriage to a beautiful, wealthy woman. He was among those at Badr. Find out what the Prophet ﷺ said when he discovered his body after battle.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

The last person that we will cover, Bidnallahi Ta'ala. And subhanAllah, several, several years ago, previous lifetime, I did a video about this companion and Julaybib. And I didn't get to give the full context of Julaybib. Julaybib. Ansari, he's considered from the Ansar. We don't know a single other name for him, nor do we know what tribe he belonged to, nor do we even know what region he belonged to. It's said that he was from the Ansar somewhere, min Ahlul Medina. And nothing. Like he had no home, no tribe, no region that would claim him. So he's an unclaimed young man, somewhere in Medina, unknown. And this is where the description of him comes. That he was uh deformed, he had uh many um deformities. Khasir al-Kama, he was extremely short. And you know, people would comment on his appearance before Islam and they would belittle it. So he's someone who is actually bullied for his appearance. Right? Wizza radiallahu ta'a anhu, we don't have that narration about him, we just have a bullied person in his appearance. SubhanAllah, you think about like Allah Azwaj talking about the exploitation of the yateen, the orphan, or a person who has no tribe, no nasab, or a person um who is uh physically, you know, something to be mocked. Or racism. Jalaibib radiallahu ta'ala anhu was extremely dark-skinned. So you gotta reckon with racism. Jalaibib radiallahu ta'a annu has no tribe to protect him. You gotta reckon with tribalism. Every single ism has to be reckoned with, is stacked against him. Radiallahu ta'ala anhu, wa ma'adalikana sahiba qal bin tahr, wa mahbu bin in der Rasulillahi sallallahuislam. That's the bio. All these descriptions, but with that, his heart was so pure and he was so beloved to the Prophet, so he was a sweetheart, when he would be walking around the masjid. Now subhanAllah, I was trying to like do research into his name. What does the name Julaybeed mean? Does anyone know? It's the tasrier, it's the diminutive of a word. What sounds like Julaybeed? Sisters should have all the brothers answered, where the sisters said Jalbaab. What did you say? Jalaib, what is it? Are we talking about desserts now? Alright. Jalbaab, Jalbaab. So if Ibn Hajar Rahimallah Ta'ala, he actually uh mentions that it is the tashir of Jalbaab, which is the cloth of a woman, right? The way that a woman would cloak herself. And subhanAllah, that in and of itself has a whole theory behind it. Why was he called that? Either because he was walking around and he was wrapped up all the time, like a little Jilbaab walking around the masjid, walking around the city of Medina, right? Or it referred to his skin color, the darkness of his skin color, because a Jalbaab, especially with the Muslims, was typically dark. So is it the skin color? Is it the little Jalbaab? Or it refers to the warm embrace of him that you know you hug him and you hold him tight, almost from a place of playfulness, right? That someone called him Julaybib, like someone hugged him and called him that, maybe like a grandma or something like that, and that stuck with him for the rest of his life, and that was his name that was known. But it's not his real name. So not only do we not know his last name, we actually don't even know his first name. Okay? Julaybib is just muraqab, it's something that he was called by, but there is something that the Ulama mentioned that's extremely important here. Whatever the term meant, we know for a fact that it was not a derogatory name. Why? Because the Prophet didn't change it. Prophet would change people's names. He wouldn't let you call someone by a derogatory nickname, even if the nickname had a bad meaning to it, he would change it sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And if the name had a bad meaning to it and it was the most powerful person in society, he changed the name sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So the Prophet Sunnah was not only to not call people by a name that was derogatory in its nature, but to change any name that had anything negative implied within it. So why would he say Julaybib and let it go if it was something that was uh derogatory? So little Jil Bab is his name, right? Walking around the masjid, wrapped up Radiallahu Ta'ala anhu, and uh radiallahu ta'ala anhu, min al-Fukara, Al-Mutallaen. He was someone who was very poor. He had no money, he had no presence. The Prophet loved him, and the Prophet would prefer him in his dealing. So, like if there is a gathering or a get together, the Prophet brought him forward, Bil Ata. Like if Prophet's giving something, he brought Julaybib up first, brought him to the first of the line, and he tried to build his um his place in society, now Abi Barza al-Aslami, he has a narration about himself. He says that uh Julaybiban, Julaybib radiallahu ta'ala anhu uh used to be a young man, Yathhulu alan nisa, Yamur rubihin, wayula ibuhunna, yani yatahna uh that he used to uh enter, he used to spend his time with the women in Medina. He would enter upon the women freely, and he would play with them, and it's explained, play with them means like he would talk to them more. And the implication is that he found harshness amongst the men. He found harshness, bullying, amongst the men, which isn't hard to imagine, right? So he found a softness amongst the women that um he inclined towards, and this is before the ayat of hijab are revealed. So this is very early on in Islam. Remember, there's a learning curve here, and the Prophet is getting a hold on society. And I have a theory as to how early he died in Islam, by the way, which I'll mention inshaAllah ta'an. Okay, but he's someone who used to enter into the gatherings of the women, not amongst the men, because of the harshness that he found amongst the men. That's the implication. And he said, until I said to my wife, Layot khulanna alaykum julaybib. Right? Like I got jealous, like it's a little bit too much. Julaybib should not enter amongst you. And if I see this happen again, then this is gonna happen, this is gonna happen. So he's saying, like, I was not happy about the fact that he was always amongst the women, right? And this is implied before the ayat of hijab. Okay? Now, Abi Barza, uh, he he actually, Abi Barza comments, he's one of the narrators of one of the famous stories of Juday Bib afterwards, right? As if to say, like, I didn't know what he really meant amongst the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. He said, I was a very jealous man. So like even though Juday Bib was described as being quote unquote ugly, and Judaybib was this and this and this and that, and he had, but like, khala, so it wasn't working for me that he's still a young man, he's still entering, and he's still spending time with the women. And this is before the ayat of hijab were revealed. So there's no tahrim here. It's not prohibition, it's just my rira, it's just my jealousy, right? That's the implication. Then he continues in his narration, he says, This is so powerful. He says that the ansar, if one of their women became a widow, a daughter, or a sister, or whatever it may be, then before they would marry her off to anyone else, they first wanted to just make sure that the Prophet had no interest. Because, like, maybe the one in a million possibility that the Prophet might ask for her hands. And it actually makes sense. Like, if you're the Ansar and you love the Prophet that much and he's entered upon you, like in your mind, could it be maybe, maybe there's a chance, maybe there's a possibility. So, like, let's leave a window open. And, you know, if the Prophet comes to our house, right when their idda finishes, like, maybe, maybe this is gonna happen. Obviously, it doesn't happen uh in almost every situation, right? And there's a whole, you know, subhanallah, uh, beauty and power, by the way, to where some of the illuminat mentioned, like the Prophet, he married some of the women from the warring tribes, right? And that was a means of bringing people together. He didn't even have to do that with the ansat, because they already loved him more than they loved themselves. Like the Prophet did not have to go around marrying uh, you know, a woman from this tribe and that tribe. They already gave themselves fully to the Prophet. Like, and that was one of the main uh meanings, objectives of the Prophet to marry from Ben al-Mustalaq, to marry the daughter of Abu Sufyan, to try to bring people together, right? So, anyway, so he says, so the Prophet went to a man from the Ansar, and they kind of got excited. Prophet walked in, and the Prophet said, I'm here to propose marriage. And they said, Na'immah, waqaramatan Ya Rasulullah, what an amazing blessing, Ya Rasulullah, what an amazing honor, Ya Rasulullah! The best son-in-law that a person could ask for, the best in-laws that a person could ask for. And the Prophet says, Wait up, inni nafsi. I'm not asking for her for me. Oh, okay. Uh Abu Bakr, Umar, Rahman, Ali, Abdulman ibn Auf. I mean, like, it's a big deal. The Prophet's here to propose on someone's behalf. I said, Okay, well, whoever the Prophet brings is also gonna fit a caliber. So, like, we're disappointed, but not yet. So I said, Who is it, Ya Rasulullah? He said, Julay beep. So the man doesn't want to disrespect the Prophet right away. He says, Um, Ushawi Ru Ummaha, Ya Rasulullah, let me go talk to her mom. Right? Like, let me go consult her mom, Ya Rasulullah. Can you imagine the Prophet is sitting in the living room? He goes to um talk to his wife, and um he says, the Prophet is here to propose marriage, and she cuts him off and says, Amazing, mashaAllah, you know what a ni'mah, what a karama, what an honor, what a blessing. Of course, he can take her, and everything is for Rasulullah, like it's the most exciting day in the world for this household. And he said, No, it's not for him. It's not for him. So he's here proposing for Julaybib. So they know who Julaybib is. She starts to scream out. The Prophet can hear her. Right? She starts to scream out, and she says, La, la Amrullah. She says, I swear by Allah, la nuza wiju. We're not gonna marry our daughter to Julaybib. Like what an insult. This went from the greatest blessing to suddenly becoming like Iana, like he's insulting us, right? Until what happens? The girl herself comes out, and she overheard her mom screaming at the dad. The Prophet can hear it from the living room, and she says, uh, Man Khattabani ilaikum, like who's coming to propose Julaybib? Who's coming on his behalf? Fakharat Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. It's the Prophet, but that's aside from the point. Julaybib, like she starts to, she says, no, no, no. The daughter, she says, are you gonna turn away the Prophet? Marry me to him because the Prophet would not lose me, he would not let me go to waste. Subhanallah, what a woman! What a beautiful perspective. Right? Like if the Prophet is proposing on someone's behalf, I don't care who it is, it's this by the way, the same words that Hajar said, when Ibrahim turned away, Allahu amarakabihad, did Allah command you to do this? Idan, languai, Allah will not lose me. So, no, the Prophet is not going to lose me. Like he knows what he's doing. SubhanAllah, the ulama mention that this is one of the explanations of, and some of the ulama mention potentially Sabah ibn, or one of the the reason for revelation, or one of the uh cases that's being talked about. It is not befitting for a believing man or a believing woman when Allah and the Messenger say something, for them to still have a choice in the matter. Now, by the way, the Prophet would not force marriages. He would not. It was understood in Medina. Like if they said no, the Prophet would just walk away. He tried. He tried to, I mean, there the whole story of Muriet and Barira, like so many times, the Prophet would say, Look, I'm coming as a Shafir, I'm coming to intercede on behalf of someone. And this is so beautiful. I mean, the Prophet being your guy, to intercede on your behalf, to propose on your behalf. What an amazing honor in and of itself. And the Prophet would do so on behalf of those who would not have the whole you know tribal uh royalty around them. He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam took that position himself. So she said, whatever the Prophet says, we're gonna do it. So she told the parents, accept the proposal of the Prophet. So the Prophet made a dua for her. It's a beautiful dua, by the way, if you want to make it for someone. Allah subba alayhi al-khayra sabba. O Allah, pour good upon good upon good upon her. And do not make her life difficulty after difficulty. Because she said the Prophet would not lose me. Like the Prophet has got my back. So the Prophet immediately made a dua that Allah Azza would take care of her, that her life would be an easy life and it would not be a hard life, especially since she's married. And you got to think about tribal pressure. You got to think about the parents not being happy. You got to think about people in society making fun of her now, right? And she is the implication from the hadith, a powerful woman, beautiful woman from a pr from a notable tribe, right? And now she's got to deal with all that talk, right? But she still does it. And the only other story that we have about Julabib himself, Rodhiallahu Ta'alaan, who has done his stichad, his martyrdom. And the Prophet has narrated Kana, fi maqzan, he was in one of his battles. He was in one of the ghazawat. I personally believe that this is betr for numerous reasons. The earliness of it, um, the victorious spirit of it, the victorious nature of it, right? That there is a certain calm after this battle, and it's a ghazu, it's not an expedition. It's clearly a battle, a full-out battle. So some of the ulmat said badr, some said uh, it just fits badr so much more. So it makes sense that this is really early on in Islam. Okay, really early on in Medina, and Allah knows best if he's from the Badriyun, if he's from the people of Badr, but even if not, the Prophet goes out in a battle and takes with him the ansar. Julay Bib does not make the excuse. So the same young man that would not hang with the man because he would be bullied and because of the harshness did not shy away from the battlefield, picked up a sword and went into the battlefield, fought alongside the Prophet. That in and of itself says something so much about his character. So the battle is over, the dust settles, the Prophet starts to call out, Hal tafkhidunam an ahad. Is anyone missing anyone? So all the heads of the sub tribes they start to call out. They look around, they count their people, the tribe of so-and-so. Benu so-and-so says, Alhamdulillah, we have all of our men. Right? Hel tafkidun ahad. Like imagine the Prophet going tribe by tribe and saying, Are you missing anyone? Are you missing anyone? Are you missing anyone? Right? And all the sub tribes are looking around, they're doing a head count. Alhamdulillah. Um, we're not missing anybody, right? And the spirit of Badr, obviously, right, was just an overwhelming victory. Very few shuhada that we have of Badr. So um, haltafkiduna, ahad, are you missing anyone? So one group said, yes, we're missing this person, this person, this person. Another group said the same. And as the Prophet finished going through the tribes, he said, are you missing anyone? I said, No. He said, But I'm missing Julayeb. Subhanallah. I mean the masjid, one thing, the marketplace, uh, peace and ease, another thing. But in battle, the head of the army, and I'm missing Julaybib. Like that's my family. I'm missing Julayb. You can imagine the shock, the surprise. Wow. Okay, not Banu Hashem, Julaybeed. I'm missing Julaybib. So they went to look for his body. Um so the Prophet says, everyone go look for Julaybeed. Let's go look for Julayb. Fatulibil Qatla Wajaduhu Ila Jambi Sabba Atin Kadalahu. They found him laying on the battlefield, and around him were seven men that he killed from the enemy. So qatl or qutil, he actually which back then, by the way, to fight and kill seven of the opposing army is a major feat. Right? You look at the casualty counts from these battles, they're not that much. Right? Seven accounts for 10% of the qatla on the other side, right? So they found his small body with the sword next to him, and they found seven men around him that were killed by his sword. And the Prophet he he confirmed sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, he killed seven, and then they killed him. Like subhanAllah, that young man that you would pass off, little Jalbaab killed seven of the enemy, courage, bravery, until he was killed. And then the Prophet he kneeled down above him and he said the words that would that were the sweetness to the ears of every sahaba. And every Sahabi and every person of the Ummah of Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. What is it? He looked up to the skies and he said, Allah mahada minni wa anaminhu. Allah mahada minni wa anaminhu. Oh Allah, this one is from me and I am from him. This one is from me and I am from him. He said it three times. This is next level. Shaheed. Right? Prophet got him personally married. And now the Prophet is asking about him in battle and saying he's from my people. And now the Prophet is not just saying he's from my people, Ha Da minni wa'ana minha. He is part of me and I am part of him. And the Prophet he um took his body, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and this is so profound, subhanAllah. He was so small, the Prophet scooped him up in his arms. He held him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And he dug his grave, hufi rahudi afi khabrihi, and the Prophet put him in his grave, and the Prophet did not do ghusul of him. Right? So he treated him like the full shaheed, and the Prophet buried him with his own two hands. What maqam is that? What station is that in Jannah? A man who the Prophet said, Ha the minni wa anaminhu. He is from me and I am from him. And you would have seen him height, no height, uh, looks, people called him ugly, bullied, no tribe, racism, classism, poor, and all of that goes out the window with ha the mini wa anaminho. He's of me, and I of him, I am of him. Radi Allahu, Ta'ala Anhu. The last thing to say in his biography is actually not about him. It's about his widow now. Remember the Prophet said, Allah Masubba alayha, sabba, wala taja al Aishaha, keddan, keddah. U Allah pour good upon her abundantly and do not make her life hardship upon hardship. That this woman was blessed with all sorts of wealth, and there was not a single widow from the Ansar who used to give more charity than her. Who's this special woman? We don't even have a Julayb equivalent. Allah knows best. But Allah Azza knows her. And the lesson, of course, subhanAllah, is uh so profound. But if Allah knows you, then it doesn't matter who else knows you. And the rank of these people. And the Prophet said, it may be that a person is a shaf, um, uh dusty, disheveled, turned away from people's doors. But if that person were to take an oath upon Allah, Allah would honor that person. Allah would honor that person's oath out of how much reverence Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has for that person. And Jalaybib radiallahu ta'ala anhu is certainly uh one of those people. May Allah send his peace and blessings upon our Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, rahmatandilaen. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be gathered under the throne of the most merciful and with the one who was sent as the most merciful, filfrido'ala, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our hearts and open our eyes and open our minds to his people, to his awliya amongst us, and allow us to direct our honor towards them. And may Allah write us down from his awliya while we are alive, and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala write us down amongst the shuhada when he takes us, those who are always alive. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to build in this masjid and this community what resembles the masjid and the community of the Prophet. May Allah not allow us to lose sight of the people that were like the woman that cleaned the masjid, Umma Mahjan, or Zahir from the outside, or Juraybi, who is bullied and turned away from the inside. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to elevate those who are elevated in his sight. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us for our shortcomings. Allah Ameen, Jazakumullah, Masalallahu Salaambaq and Abiyya Muhammad, wa the adihi wa sahabbi ajmain.