Companions of the Prophet – Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum

Abdullah ibn um Maktum was a cousin of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Mother of the Believers. May God be pleased with her. His father was Qays ibn Zaid, and his mother was Aatikah bint Abdullah. She was called um Maktum (Mother of the Concealed One) because she gave birth to a blind child. Abdullah witnessed the rise of Islam in Makkah. He was amongst the first to accept Islam.

Companions of the Prophet – Abdullah Ibn umm Maktum

He lived through the persecution of the Muslims and suffered what the other companions of the Prophet experienced. His attitude, like theirs, was one of firmness, staunch resistance, and sacrifice. Neither his dedication nor his faith weakened against the violence of the Quraysh onslaught. All this only increased his determination to hold on to the religion of God and his devotion to His messenger. Abdullah was devoted to the noble Prophet and was so eager to memorize the Qur’an that he would not miss any opportunity to achieve his heart’s desire. Indeed, his sense of urgency and insistence could sometimes have been irritating as he unintentionally sought to monopolize the attention of the Prophet. In this period, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was concentrating on the Quraysh notables and was eager that they should become Muslims. 

On one particular day, he met Utbah ibn Rabiah and his brother Shaybah, Amr ibn Hisham, better known as Abu Jahl, Umayyah ibn Khalaf and Walid ibn Mughirah, the father of Khalid ibn Walid who was later to be known as Sayf Allah or ‘the sword of God. He had begun talking and negotiating with them and telling them about Islam. He wished they would respond positively to him and accept Islam or call off their persecution of his companions. While he was thus engaged, Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum came up and asked him to read a verse from the Qur’an. « O messenger of God, » he said, « teach me from what God has taught you. » The Prophet frowned and turned away from him. He turned his attention instead to the prestigious group of Quraysh, hoping that they would become Muslims and that by their acceptance of Islam, they would bring greatness to the religion of God and strengthen his mission. As soon as he had finished speaking to them and had left their company, he suddenly felt partially blinded, and his head began to throb violently. At this point, the following revelation came to him: « He frowned and turned away when the blind man approached him! Yet for all you knew (O Muhammad), he might have grown in purity or been reminded of the Truth and helped by this reminder. Now, as for him who believes himself to be self-sufficient: to him, you gave your whole attention, although you are not accountable for his failure to attain purity. But as for him who came unto you full of eagerness and in awe of God, he did you disregard. Nay, certainly, this is but a reminder, and so, whoever is willing may remember Him in the light of His revelations blest with dignity, lofty and pure, borne by the hands of messengers, noble and most virtuous. » (Surah Abasa 80:116). These are the sixteen verses that were revealed to the noble Prophet about Abdullah ibn um Maktum sixteen verses that have continued to be recited from that time till today and shall continue to be recited. From that day, the Prophet did not cease to be 23 generous to Abdullah ibn um Maktum, to ask him about his affairs, to fulfill his needs, and take him into his council whenever he approached. Was he not censured by God most severely on Abdullah’s account? In later years, he often greeted Ibn um Maktum with humility: « Welcome unto him on whose account my Sustainer has rebuked me. »

When the Quraysh intensified their persecution of the Prophet and those who believed in him, God permitted them to emigrate. Abdullah’s response was prompt. He and Mus’ab ibn Umayr were the first Companions to reach Madinah. As soon as they reached Yathrib, he and Mus’ab began discussing with the people, reading the Qur’an, and teaching them the religion of God. When the Prophet, upon peace, arrived in Madinah, he appointed Abdullah and Bilal ibn Rabah to be muadhdhins for the Muslims, proclaiming the Oneness of God five times a day, calling man to the best of actions and summoning them to success. Bilal would call the adhan, and Abdullah would pronounce the iqamah for the Prayer. Sometimes they would reverse the process. During Ramadan, they adopted a particular routine. One of them would call the adhan to wake people up to eat before the fast began. The other would call the adhan to announce the beginning of dawn and the fast.

Bilal would awaken the people, and Abdullah ibn um Maktum would announce the beginning of dawn. One of the responsibilities the Prophet placed on Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum was to put him in charge of Madinah in his absence. This was done more than ten times, one of them being when he left for the liberation of Makkah. Soon, after the battle of Badr, the Prophet received a revelation from God raising the status of the mujahideen and preferring them over the qa’ideen (those who remain inactive at home). This was to encourage the mujahid even further and spur the qa’id to give up his inactivity. This revelation affected ibn um Maktum deeply. It pained him to be thus barred from the higher status, and he said: « O messenger of God. If I could go on jihad, I would certainly do. » He then earnestly asked God to send a revelation about his particular case and those like him who were prevented because of their disabilities from going on military campaigns. His prayer was answered. An additional phrase was revealed to the Prophet, exempting those with disabilities from the import of the original verse. The complete ayah became: « Not equal are those who remain seated among the believers except those who possess disabilities and those who strive and fight in the way of God with their wealth and their persons…. » (Surah an-Nisaa, 4:95).