of Allah ﷺ, who therefore dispatched Abū Bakr and ʿUmar at the head of an elite band of the Emigrants, and the Prophet of Allah appointed Abū ʿUbaydah as their commander.

When they reached ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, he declared, “I am your commander.”

The Emigrants replied, “You are the commander of your own men, whereas our commander is Abū ʿUbaydah.”

ʿAmr retorted, “You are only reinforcements that have been sent to support me.”

Seeing this, Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarāḥ—who was a man of exemplary character, gentle disposition, and ever obedient to the instructions and pledges of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—ceded the leadership to ʿAmr.

It is reliably established through multiple chains on the authority of Anas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Every community has its trustee, and the trustee of this community is Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarāḥ.” (1)

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Faqīh and others informed us, by authorized transmission, saying: Ḥanbal ibn ʿAbd Allāh reported to us; Hibat Allāh ibn Muḥammad narrated to us; Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Mudhhib informed us; Abū Bakr al-Qaṭīʿī related to us; ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad said, “My father narrated to me”; Abū al-Mughīra narrated to us; Ṣafwān narrated from Shurayḥ ibn ʿUbayd, Rāshid ibn Saʿd, and others, who said:

When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb reached Sargh (2) and was told that a severe plague had struck Syria, he said, “If I am overtaken by…"