Background
Abu al-Sha'tha' Jabir b.
Zaid al-'Azdi al-Jawfi al-Basri of Banu 'Amr b. al-Yahmad, a branch of al-'Azd
tribe. He comes from Farq, a village between Manah and Nazwa in Oman where he
was probably born and where he moved with his family to settle in Darb al Jawf
in Basrah, a place which took its name from the area in which the tribe of
Jabir was living in Oman.
Al-Salimi suggests that
Jabir was born in Farq in Oman and traveled to Basrah to acquire learning. Basrah was one of the Iraqi centres of
scholarship at the time. Jabir spent his life in Basrah - as did most of his
eminent fellow Successors- disseminating knowledge
in mosques and religious centres, instilling good morals in people, enjoining
strong adherence to the noble religion and the preservation of its principles
and methods, and pronouncing fatwas on problems encountered by the people, to such an
extent that Iyas b. Mu'awiyah once said: 'I have been all over Basrah and there
is no mufti in it besides Jabir b. Zaid.'
The following dates are
given for Jabir's birth; 18 A.H. (639 A.D.) and 21 A.H. (639 A.D.). Some
sources aver that Jabir was present in Medina on the day on which the first
Caliph Abu Bakr was elected. There is no information about Jabir's childhood or
early life; and nothing is known about his parents.
Teachers
Jabir was fortunate enough to be a contemporary
of a large number of the veteran Companions. He met seventy of the Companions
who were present at the greater battle of Badr and learned from them all the
history (akhbar) and Traditions they knew. Jabir once said: 'I met 70 of those
that fought at Badr and I took on all their knowledge, except for the Bahr
('vast sea' in terms of knowledge)', referring to Abd Allah b. Abbas, may God
be satisfied with both of them. his principal teacher was 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas,
the most learned man among the younger Companions and known as Habr al-'Ummah
(the learned man of the Muslim community and as al-Bahr (the sea) because of
his vast knowledge both of the Qur'an, its interpretation, and of the Sunnah.
Jabir was a close friend of Ibn 'Abbas and his favourite pupil.
He also met A'ishah, mother of the believers, and
asked her about the private life of the Prophet, and discussed with her the
political problems of the Muslim community in which she played a major part.
He also received knowledge from Abdullah b.
'Umar, Abdullah b. Mas'ud, Anas b. Malik, and Jabir b. Abdullah, may God be
satisfied with them.
Students
The knowledge of Jabir
was transmitted to later generations through two channels; the main one based
upon what was recorded by his Ibadhi students such as Dhuman b. al-Sa'ib, Abu
'Ubaidah Muslim b. Abi Karimah, Abu Nuh Salih al- Dahhan, Hayyan al-'A'raj, and
others. The second is based upon what was recorded by his non-Ibadhi students,
among whom were 'Amr b. Harim, Qatadah b. Di'amah al-Sadusi (the teacher of
al-Bukhari), and Aiyub al Sikhtiyani. Other individuals who took knowledge from
Jabir were Abdullah b. Abadh, and Amr b. Dinar.
Knowledge
Jabir acquired a wide knowledge of the Qur'an,
Traditions, and Futya. His teacher Ibn 'Abbas was completely satisfied with
him. It is reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "If the people of Basrah turned
to the knowledge of Abu al- Sha'tha', he would enrich them with the knowledge
of the Book of God." He also described Jabir as one of the learned men,
and believed that Jabir had attained such a high standard of knowledge that
no-one, even Ibn 'Abbas himself, need be resorted to in order to formulate
legal decisions if Jabir had already expressed his opinion. When al-Rabi, a man
from Basrah, asked Ibn 'Abbas for his legal decision concerning certain
problems, Ibn; Abbas said, "How can you ask us when you have Jabir b. Zaid
among you?" Other Companions, viz., 'Abdullah b 'Umar, Jabir b. 'Abdullah
al-'Ansari, hold the same opinion of Jabir as Ibn 'Abbas; al-Bukhari reported
from Jabir b. Zaid that he said, Ibn 'Umar came across me while I was
performing the tawaf (circumambulation of Ka'bah) and said to me, 'Jabir, you
are one of the learned men of Basrah, people will come to you asking for
fatwas, so do not give any legal decision unless it is clearly stated in the
Qur'an or a genuine Sunnah, otherwise you will go astray and lead the people
astray." It is also reported that Zaid b. Jubair consulted the Companion
Jabir b. 'Abdullah al-'Ansari about a certain case. After he had given his
opinion, he said, "Why do you ask me when Abu al- Sha'tha' is among
you?" So then Jabir was one of the outstanding learned men of Basrah -
according to Muhammad b. Mahbub, Jabir had more knowledge than al-Hasan
al-Basri. Jabir became the Mufti of Basrah and spent his life delivering legal
opinions, teaching the Traditions of the Prophet, and transmitting his vast
knowledge of Islam to his students.
When
Jabir died, Anas b. Malik, said: 'The most knowledgeable person on the face of
the earth has now died'. Thabit al-Bunani visited Jabir b. Zaid when he was
near death and asked him: 'Do you desire anything?' He said: 'I desire to see al-Hasan
al-Basri'. Al-Hasan was in hiding out of
fear of the tyranny of the Umayyads and their agents. Thabit, knowing his
whereabouts, went to al-Hasan and brought him to his dear friend, now on the
edge of death the great Muslim Successor spoke to the great Muslim scholar and
they exchanged mutual advice in
preparation
for a long separation in this world and in hope of a happy encounter in the
next. Al-Hasan said of his colleague, companion and friend who had departed
from this world and met with the next: 'By God, this man was a learned faqih.
Tawtheeq
(Reliability)
Jabir's wide knowledge of the interpretation of
the Qur'an and the Sunnah made him an outstanding figure in this field of
knowledge, and he is described by the
Traditionalists as reliable (thiqah). The only exception to this was
al-'Asili, who regarded him as weak (dha'if) Traditionalist, but his view was
rejected by Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani. Apart from his regular students who studied
Traditions and Futya with him, people used to come to him seeking his legal
opinions on religious matters. Some of these opinions were written in the form
of questions sent to him by friends outside Basrah. He is described as the most
learned man in the field of Fatawa. Many of his students used to put down his
legal opinions in writing, but Jabir was not in favour of recording his
opinions in this way; On hearing of his students writing them down, Jabir commented, "To God we belong (Inna
lilah). They are writing down the opinions which I may change tomorrow! Yet
not-withstanding, most of his opinions and narrations (riwayat) were recorded
by his students.
Based on the reliability which Imam Jabir
obtained from the Companions of the Messenger of God (PBUH), as well as the
Successors, he was considered by the Scholars of Al-Jarh wa Al-Taadeel
(invalidation and validation) as one of the most eminent jurists of the
1st Century AH. Al-Ajli declared him thiqah (reliable) and Ibn Hibban said: 'He
was one of the Successor Scholars, knowledgeable of the Qur'an and
one of the religious jurists of people of Basrah. And no one has
disparaged his Adaalah (integrity).
The position of Jabir in Ijma (scholarly
consensus) is prestigious. Imam Ibn Hazm mentioned in his book al-Muhalla that
he deplores every Ijma that is opposed by Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdullah bin
Masoud, Anas bin Malik, Ibn Abbas, and the Companion in Sham, and then the
Successor in Sham, Ibn Sirin and Jabir bin Zaid.
Piety
With regard to his way of life, Jabir led a pious
and ascetic existence. He once said, "I asked of my God three things which
He granted me; a good wife, a good riding camel and my daily bread upon which
to live from day to day." Speaking about his wealth, Jabir told his
companions, "I am the richest of all of you; I possess no dirham, nor do I
owe any one a dirham." al-Hajjaj b. 'Uyaynah said, "Jabir b. Zaid
used to visit us in our mosque; one day he came wearing an old pair of shoes
and said, "Sixty years of my life have passed; these shoes of mine I like
more than any other thing which is past, unless it be good work I have
done." Muhammad b. Sirin said, "Abu al-Sha'tha' was pious. Simplicity
and piety are the main attributes of Jabir's life.
Jabir
was well-known for never bargaining in three things: the cost of travelling to
Makkah, the price of a slave that he bought in order to set free, and a sheep bought for sacrificial
slaughter. He used to say: 'One does not bargain over something through which
he seeks closeness to God Almighty. Whenever a stuq came into his possession, he would break it and throw
it away, so that no Muslim would be tempted to use it: a stuq is a counterfeit
dirham.
His
heart was filled with faith in God, sincere calls to God's religion were always
on his lips and his limbs constantly performed the good deeds that please God. Hind
bt. al-Muhallab said, 'Jabir b. Zayd more than anyone used to give much of his
time to myself and my mother. Anything that he knew would bring me closer to
God, may He be exalted and glorified, he would command me to do, and
anything" which he knew would make me distant from God, he would forbid me
to do; he also used to tell me where to wear the veil'. She used to place her
hand on her forehead, indicating the place for the veil on a Muslim woman's
face.
He
was more intelligent than to be deceived by the temptations of bid'ah (heresy),
whether manifest or hidden. He was more tearful of God than to keep quiet about
an evil act when he saw it. He was more courageous than to comply with the
actions of oppressors or be satisfied with the conduct of tyrants. He was more
concerned with fulfilling Islam's message than to weary of the duties of teaching in every place.
He
once noticed one of the chamberlains performing prayers on top of the Ka'bah.
So he shouted out to him: 'You, praying on top of the Ka'bah! You are not
facing any qiblah!' ibn Abbas heard him from another part of the mosque and
said: 'Jabir b. Zaid is somewhere in town. That is him speaking.' This gifted
teacher knew which of his students had a sound mind, a spark of talent and a
keen eye, as well as being concerned for the affairs of Muslims and working to
better guide them and direct them to the nobler path.
Policy
Living in Basrah, one of the major centres of
political activities, and being contemporary with the events of the lively
period (28-93 A.H.), Jabir was able to form a clear understanding of the
complicated course of the political and religious affairs of the growing Muslim
community. As a result, he chose the most effective way to attain his aims. He
kept himself apart from all Political activities and followed a very careful
course in his relations with the 'Umayyad rulers. On the other hand, he devoted
his time to teaching people Islam and formulating legal opinions on religious
problems.
Al-Hajjaj
had a secretary called Yazid b. Muslim, who loved Jabir very much and admired
him greatly. One day, circumstances of everyday life led to Jabir going to
visit this admiring secretary. It seems the secretary wanted to please both his
master and his friend, and so he set up a meeting without them being aware of
it. Al-Hajjaj listened to the great imam and, admiring his knowledge and his
manners, offered him the position of judge. He said to him: 'You need not seek
the pleasure of anyone, we shall appoint you as judge for the Muslims.' This had
been the intention of his secretary friend, but Jabir was not one who sought
the things of this world. So he said to him: 'I am not up to the task.'
Al-Hajjaj then asked him:
'What
makes you incapable?' He said: 'An evil [a dispute] is occurring between a
woman and her servant, but I cannot make peace between them.' Al-Hajjaj said:
'That is certainly a weakness'.
In
this way, the great imam was able to extricate himself from this prestigious
offer, which someone else would have been overjoyed with. It seems, however,
that his secretary friend had not understood the imam's purpose in extricating
himself (from the offer), desiring to exploit, the occasion to the benefit of
the imam, and to do him a long-term favour. Thus he said to al-Hajjaj: 'Here is
an idea - it is of no burden for the shayekh and of assistance to Muslims:
employ him as an assistant to the Treasurer in Basrah'. Al-Hajjaj agreed to the
suggestion, but the devout scholar did not accept it. He said Yazid: 'You have
accomplished nothing: do you see me as assistant to the Treasurer?'
The
imam did not accept the second offer which this loving and admiring person had
brought to him. He avoided employment in an oppressive government: how could it
be right for Jabir to assist such oppressors, when he criticized their actions
on a daily basis and called for them to grant what is due to those who deserve
it, to release payment and stipend to those who had a right thereto, and to
give such jobs to trustworthy and careful people who fear God and dread His
reckoning?
When
it was time for him to return home after the visit and prepared for the
journey, Yazid ordered his slaves to saddle a horse. But the imam was too
ashamed before his Lord to ride a mount picked out for him by luxury-loving tyrants and bestowed upon him by
opulent despots. He accordingly excused himself from his friend. A male
was then brought for him. He accepted it and rode off on it, knowing full well
that riding on a male was rougher and less comfortable, as well as being the
opposite of prestigious, but it was closer to the Sunnah of God's Messenger,
may God bless him and grant him peace: the best of creation used to ride on a
grey mule called Duldula. Yazid went to excess in his generosity towards the
imam, as the rich and wasteful rulers in an oppressive state are wont to do. He
ordered his servants to perfume Jabir's head and beard with musk and ambergris.
The great imam made his way to the Tigris and washed his head and beard,
scrubbing them hard and saying: 'O God do not make it my fate that I be amid
these people.'
It
was Jabir's custom to do the pilgrimage each year. In one year, the governor of
Basrah sent him a message asking him not leave town that year because people
were in need of him for teaching and fatwas. Jabir, however, insisted on his
custom and informed the governor that he would not abandon a deed for God's
cause on account of a command issued by a human being, even if that human being was a
governor of the Umayyad
state.
The governor arrested him and put him in jail.
When
the crescent moon began to appear in Dhul-Hijjah, people went to see the
governor and pleaded with him: 'May God make the emir good! the new moon of
Dhul-Hijjah is upon us and there is almost no time left to make the journey
from Basrah to Makkah'. The emir released him. When Jabir got to his house, he
began to saddle up a she-camel of his- he would race her to the pilgrimage. He
said: Whatsoever mercy God opens to men, none can withhold [Fatir, 2]. Then he
asked Aminah, 'Do you have anything (I can take)?' She said that she did, and
presented some provisions in a pair of knapsacks. He asked her not to tell
anyone that he
was
leaving that day. When he arrived at Arafat where the people were standing (in
the rite of pilgrimage), his she-camel struck the ground with the front part of
her neck and began to tremble. People shouted: 'Slaughter her! slaughter her!'
He then said: 'It is not fitting for a she-camel that has seen the new moon of
Dhul-Hijjah in Basrah and reached people in (pilgrimage) sanctity that this be
done to her.' The she-camel was unharmed. He travelled on her 24 times to do
hajj and umrah.
Among
the powerful families with whom Jabir established good relations was the
Muhallabid family, his kinsmen; but, what was more important than kinship,
Jabir was the religious teacher of this family. He used to visit them and teach
them Islam and "command them to do good."
Death
The
biographers who wrote Jabir's biography gave five different dates for his
death. According to those who report that Jabir died on the same week as Anas
b. Malik the Companion, there are two dates; the first is 91/709,as reported by
Ibn Hibban,98 the second is 93/711. This date is given by al-Rabi' b. Habib,
Bukhari, Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Fallas, al-Najjar, Abu Nu'aim, al- Salimi and Ibn
Hiyyan. All these are Traditionalists, who must be more accurate in giving
nearly the exact date of the death of the Muhaddith (Traditionalist), for it is
of great value to them, regarding the correctness of the isnad (Chain of
authorities reporting a Tradition).
The
Historians such as Ibn Sallam, Ibn Sa'd, Waqidi, al-Mas'udi, al-'Asma'i and Ibn
Midad gave the date 103/721,100 while Shammakhi alone gave the date 96/714; Ibn
Hajar quoted from Ibn 'Adiy that Jabir died in the year 104/722.
The
following facts must be considered in order to try to establish the exact date
of Jabir's death:
a)
Most of the sources reported that on the night of his death, Jabir wised to see
al Hasan al-Basri, who was at that time in hiding from al-Hajjaj. According to this
information Jabir's death must have occurred before the death of al-Hajjaj in
95/713.
b)
Most of the sources reported that Jabir died before the death of the Companion
Anas b. Malik who said, on hearing of Jabir's death, "Today died the most
learned man of the people of earth" Dates given for the death of Anas are
91 and 93. Although the precise date cannot be arrived at in a case such as
this, the year 93, given by the Traditionalists and confirmed by the Ibadhi
authorities, is to be considered fairly close to the truth.
Writings
Jabir
is considered one of the earliest, if not the earliest, authors of Islam. Among
the extant works in which legal opinions (Fatawa) and narrations (Riwayat) from
Jabir are recorded are: -
1)
Riwayat Dumam; narrated by Abu Sufrah 'Abd al-Malik b. Sufrah, from al-Rabi' b.
Habib, from Dumam from Jabir b. Zaid.
2)
Musnad al-Rabi b. Habib al-Farahidi, from Abu 'Ubaidah, and Duman from Jabir b.
Zaid.
3)
Jabir's correspondence (Jawabat) which contains some of his legal opinions sent
in letters to some of his friends and followers.
All
these were recorded by Ibadhis. There are also the following works:-
1)
Kitab al-Nikah, which contains legal opinions on marriage, reported from Jabir.
It is still not known by whom this book was narrated.
2)
K. al-Salat, this book is narrated by Habib b. Abu Habib al-Harmi, from 'Amr b.
Harim from Jabir b. Zaid.
3)
The narrations from 'Amr b. Dinar, and 'Amr b. Harim, included in parts V and
VI of K. Aqwal Qatadah, contain Traditions and legal opinions mainly on the
subject of marriage, zakat, and prayers, besides his other legal opinions and
Traditions reported from him by Qatadah.
It
is reported that the books of Jabir were in the possession of Abu 'Ubaidah
Muslim b. Abu Karimah, then they came to al-Rabi' b. Habib, then Abu Sufyan
Mahbub b. al Rahil, then his son Mohammad b. Mahbub, from whom they were
transcribed in Mecca.
Some
Ibadhi historians reported that Jabir himself wrote a large book of Traditions
and legal opinions (Futya) known as Diwan Jabir b. Zaid, and that a copy of the
Diwan was extant in the library of the 'Abbasid Caliph Harun al- Rashid
(786-809 A.D.) It is also reported that the Ibadhi scholar of Jabal Nufusah,
Naffath (Faraj) b. Nasr, managed to transcribe the Diwan and brought it to
Jabal Nufusah, but being in opposition to the ruler of the Jabal and Rustumid
Imamate, Naffath destroyed the copy of the Diwan so that his opponents would
not get access to it. The Diwan was of great value on account of the knowledge
and guidance it contained, its proximity to the age of Prophethood, and its
author's direct transmission from Companions, may God be satisfied with them.
Its other valuable feature was as a historical relic, in that it was the first
large work composed in Islam. However, Ibadhi Jurisprudence was established
mainly on the basis of the Traditions, and legal opinions handed down by Jabir
to his Ibadhi students. Abu 'Ubaidah Muslim b. Abi Karimah said: "Every
man of Tradition who has not an Imam in jurisprudence is fallen into error. If
God Almighty had not favoured us with Jabir b. Zaid we too would have fallen
into error."
References:
Ibadhism in History: The emergence of the ibadi school; by
Ali Yahya Muammar
Studies in Ibadhism; by Amr Ennami
The Doctrines of the Ibadhi Creed Till the End of the Second
AH Century; by Musallam Salim Al-Wahibi
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