Abdullah Ibn Rawaha belonged to Banu Khazraj tribe of Medina and was a good scribe and poet. He was among those fortunate 12 representatives from the Aus and Khazraj tribes who gave allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). He was also present at the second pledge of Aqaba and invited the Messenger to Medina to establish the Islamic State, assuring him security and safety. He was one of the trusted companions of the Messenger of Allah as whenever he used to leave Medina he would appoint Abdullah as the leader. He used his extraordinary poetic skills in defending Islam and honour of Muslims.
When a verse from Surah Shura was revealed saying, “As poets, do not follow the misguided” (26: 224) he was saddened, however his sadness vanished when a comforting verse was revealed saying, “Except those who believe and perform beneficial works, remember God unceasingly, and succour after suffering injustice, while those who know how committed they will undergo reversal” (26: 227).
Once Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Abdullah, “Why do you recite so many poems?” To this the Messenger of Allah replied before Abdullah could, and said, “Oh Umar! His poems are more effective (against the disbelievers) than your arrows.” The reply of the Messenger illustrates the high regard he had for Abdullah and his poetry. Besides he was very vigilant of the strategies and plans of the hypocrites, especially of Abdullah Ibn Ubayy. He almost foiled most of their plans.
Abdullah remained alongside the Messenger of Allah during all the important events. He was present at the Battle of Badr and was also there at the moment when Bait-e-Rizwan took place. When a verse from Surah Nisa saying, “And whoso obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace….,”was revealed, the Messenger of Allah said, “I can vouch for a companion who is among those blessed by Allah.” The companions anxiously waited to hear the name of this auspicious individual. After a slight pause, the Messenger uttered from his blessed lips the name, “Abdullah bin Rawaha.”
Abdullah was very prompt in obeying the Messenger and never delayed following any of his orders. One day he came to the mosque while the Messenger was delivering a Khutba. When he reached the gates of the mosque, he heard the Messenger’s voice saying, “Oh people be seated.” The moment he heard his voice he sat down immediately at the gates. As the day was hot, Abdullah began to sweat profusely. When the companions enquired why he did not enter inside and then sat down to which he replied, “I could not bear hearing the Messenger give an order without putting it in action immediately.”
Abu Darda and Abdullah were great friends; however Darda did not enter the fold of Islam until the Battle of Badr. It was on Abdullah’s invitation that Darda entered the fold of Islam. His respect and reverence for Abdullah grew manifolds since then as Abdullah gave him the valuable gift of Islam. Abu Darda often used to say, “I seek Allah’s refuge from a day when I don’t remember Abdullah Ibn Rawaha.”
He took part in most of the battles that were fought for Islam and finally received martyrdom in the Battle of Mutah, one of the fiercest battles fought by the Muslims. The battle was so fierce that the Messenger of Allah nominated two people who would take the charge of commander if the previous gets slain. The Messenger said, “If Zayd is wounded or killed, Jafar ibn Abi Talib would take over the command. If Jafar is killed or wounded, then your commander would be Abdullah ibn Rawahah. If Abdullah ibn Rawahah is killed, then let the Muslims choose for themselves a commander.” When the banner of Islam fell from Jafar (may Allah be pleased with him) Abdullah ran to take hold of the banner and fought valiantly until he was martyred. Abdullah was a man of courage and had deep faith in Allah and knew that victory is in the hands of Allah and not in numbers and power. Initially when the situation was a little unbalanced at the Battle of Mutah, some Muslims thought of sending the emissary to the Messenger to inform him about the strength of the army. The Muslims thought the Messenger would send either reinforcement or give orders to fight and in that case they will fight. It was Abdullah who shook the Muslims and said, “By God, we are not fighting our enemies by the number or power or wealth. We do not fight with this religion which God has honoured us. Go ahead, and this will be one of the splendours: victory or martyrdom.”
Before leaving for the Battle of Mutah, he came to the Messenger of Allah for some advice as he had apprehension that he might not return to him again. The last advice of the Messenger which Abdullah received was very profound and salient in today’s perspective. The Messenger said, “When a feeling comes to you that you are not a good person, don’t allow Shaytaan to use that opportunity to take you away from Deen and Ibadah. Instead, use that opportunity to perform even more good deeds. If you remember ten of your sins, perform ibadah and remind yourself that now it is only nine sins. So don’t make matters worse, instead use that opportunity to make yourself better.”
With this advice he went to the battlefield and received martyrdom. The Messenger of Allah, through divine correspondence, received the news of his death and two others namely Jafar Ibn Abu Talib and Zaid Ibn Haritha. Then the Messenger rose to the pulpit and said to the companions, “I see all three of them in their high positions in Jannah.”