Life of Julaybib, a Companion of the Prophet
Around the Prophet, there were people like ‘Umar and Hamza, whose presence alone caused many a heart to tremble. The vigor of their faith and gravity of their justice required no words to be conveyed. Others among the Companions of the Prophet had similar commanding personas, whose auras were humbling and awesome. But not all were this way.
Among them, for example, was a person named Julaybib, a man short in physical stature; in fact, he was dwarf-like. His looks were not impressive either. The Arabic words that describe him, as they are recorded in the books on the Companions of the Prophet, say that he was a man tested with a repulsive appearance. Some have said that he suffered from a malformation that was no fault of his own but nonetheless difficult to look at.
But his problem did not end there. Julaybib was someone who’s parentage was unknown or, at the very least, open to speculation. In the Arabian Peninsula of his day, this was no small handicap. Given that the Arabs at that time considered one’s pedigree to be the source of all honor and respect, Julaybib was out of luck, or so it seemed. Because of his appearance and lack of family protection, Julaybib avoided public space and, in fact, often took refuge from the bullies of town and accompanied the circles of women in Yathrib who found enough mercy in their hearts to permit him among them.
Julaybib seemed destined to live out his life scorned, avoided, and without any hope for advancement or notoriety. But apparently that destination was not written for him. Instead, we remember him today, even on the pages of a Chicago newsletter some fourteen centuries later. When we mention his name, we offer the honorific phrase, “God be pleased with him,” as we do when we mention ‘Umar, ‘Ali, Hamza, and ‘Amr (God be pleased with them). But an honor greater than all of this is the fact that the Final Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) sent to humanity—the man more beloved to God than any other creature—took in Julaybib, loved him, was pleased with this company, and said of him: “He is of me, and I am of him.” If we really understood the power of those words, we would gladly trade in our health, pedigree, and appearance for them.
The task before the Prophet, we must remember, was enormous. To establish a society that believed in God and in the brotherhood of the sons and daughters of Adam was no small accomplishment. The enmity that the Prophet and his small community faced from the idolaters of Quraysh, the hypocrites of Madinah, and the hostile tribes among the People of the Book was not subtle. The success of his community was connected with the success of all religious history, from the day Adam stepped foot on earth. With all of this on the chest of the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), Julaybib—who had a life of rebuff and rejection—was embraced, found acceptance, and respected in a way he never before experienced.
The Prophet took care of Julaybib to the point that he sought for him a bride. One day the Prophet approached a believer among the Ans¥r (the native inhabitants of Madinah) and said, “I wish to have your daughter married.” The man became overjoyed, thinking that the Prophet himself was asking to marry his daughter. “I do not want her for myself,” the Prophet said. Disappointed, the man said, “Who shall she marry, Messenger of God?” He told him, “Julaybib.” Taken aback by the thought, the man controlled his repulsion and simply said, “Let me speak to her mother.” And when he did, the mother protested: “Julaybib! Never. By God the Ever-Living, we will not marry her to Julaybib!”
The daughter overheard bits of the conversation and demanded to know who they were talking about as a potential husband. She was then told that the Prophet recommended that she marry Julaybib. The daughter, a beautiful young woman herself, became disturbed, but not at the proposal, but at her parents’ reaction: “Do you refuse the Messenger of God? Send me to him; he will not cause me ruin.” She said, moreover, “I am pleased and accept what the Messenger of God deems good for me.” The Prophet learned of her reaction and prayed for her: “O Lord, bestow great good upon her and do not give her a life of toil and trouble.” She and Julaybib were wed and lived together until Julaybib died when on an expedition with the Prophet.
During the expedition a group of men hostile to the Muslims battled with the Prophet and his Companions. The Muslims fought and successfully triumphed over their attackers. After the battle, the Prophet grew concerned about his small friend. “Where is Julaybib?” he asked. His Companions searched the battlefield for Julaybib and eventually found his body amongst seven enemy combatants who apparently had fallen at the hands of this small giant of a man. The Prophet stood over him and said: “He is of me, and I am of him.” He repeated it more than once. He then bent over and personally carried the body of Julaybib, whose head rested against the forearm of the Prophet. The Prophet then dug a grave for him and gently laid his little body therein. He then prayed for him.
Once shunned and rejected, Julaybib found love and acceptance with the greatest of human beings; and at his death, Julaybib’s body found acceptance again, carried in the arms of God’s Final Messenger, gently lowered in a grave that the Prophet himself dug for him, and finding words that went to the Throne of God. No earthly honor compares with this.
One should never wonder why Muslims found honor and succor in the land. When a people form a community and society in which all find space, love, dignity, and brotherhood—succor and triumph shall be theirs. Conversely, when a people harbor contempt for others, wrong and oppress them, lord over them in tyranny, and cause fear to be the milk they drink, the flesh they swallow, the air they breathe, and the thought upon which they sleep and awaken—then debasement and loss shall be their lot.
In the Quran, the Prophet is described as a “mercy to the worlds,” a torch that would light the way for all who seek out God and His guidance. The slave and the king, the‑ weak and the mighty, all were welcome.