Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah ibn ʾAmr ibn Haram al-Ansari was a prominent companion of Muhammad.
Life
Early life
Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah al-Ansari was born in Yathrib 15 years before the Hijra. He belonged to a poor family of Yathrib. He was from the tribe of Khazraj. His mother was Nasiba bint Uqba ibn Uddi.
Muhammad's era
Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari is said to have accepted Islam when he was about 7. Also, he is recognised as the Sahaba with the most count of hadith relating to Hajj. His participation in the Battle of Badr is questioned by some historians; he is known to have fought in 19 battles under command of Muhammad and was a trusted Sahabi. He was present during the conquest of Mecca.
In the Battle of Uhud, Jabir ibn Abdullah was not allowed by his father Abdullah to take part in Jihad. Jabir had seven sisters and Abdullah wanted him to take care of his family. So instead of fighting, Jabir served the thirsty soldiers. Jabir's father, Abdullah bin Amru bin Haram al-Ansari was killed in the Battle of Uhud along with his brother-in-law, Amro bin Jamooh, both having reached nearly 100 years of age.
Miracle of the date pile
Jabir narrates, "When the season of plucking the dates came, I went to Allah's Messenger and said, "You know that my father was martyred on the day of Uhud, and he was heavily in debt, and I would like that the creditors should see you." The Prophet said, "Go and pile every kind of dates apart." I did so and called him. When the creditors saw him, they started claiming their debts from me then in such a harsh manner. So when he saw their attitude, he went round the biggest heap of dates thrice, and then sat over it and said, 'O Jabir, call your companions.' Then he kept on measuring to the creditors till Allah paid all the debt of my father. I would have been satisfied to retain nothing of those dates for my sisters after Allah had paid the debts of my father. But Allah saved all the heaps, so that when I looked at the heap where the Prophet had been sitting, it seemed as if a single date had not been taken away thereof."
Jabir had a long life and became blind in his old age. According to the Shias, he devoutly waited for the time when he would meet the fifth Imam. Each morning he would come out from his house, sit by the roadside and wait for the sound of the footsteps to recognize the fifth Imam. One such day while he was waiting in the street of Medina, he heard someone walking towards him, the sound of footsteps reminded him of the way Muhammad used to walk. Jabir stood up, stopped the man, and asked his name. He replied, “Muhammad”, Jabir asked, “whose son”? He replied “Ali ibn Hussain”. Jabir immediately recognized the man he was talking to was the 5th Imam. He kissed his hands and conveyed the message of Muhammad.
He narrated about 1,547 Hadiths. After the death of Muhammad he used to deliver lectures in Masjid Nabwi, Medina, Egypt, and Damascus. Such leading Tabi'en scholars as Amr ibn Dinar, Mujahid, Atiyya ibn Sa'd and Ata' ibn Abi Rabah attended his lectures. People gathered around him in Damascus and Egypt to learn about Muhammad and his Hadiths.
