He had been a chief whose word was obeyed; before the Prophet’s migration ﷺ the people of Medina had even resolved to crown him their king. Yet his plans came to nothing, and he attained neither worldly profit nor eternal reward—may Allah grant us safety.
66 – ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl, ʿAmr ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī * (t)
son of al-Mughīrah ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Makhzūm ibn Yaqaẓah ibn Murrah ibn Kaʿb ibn Luʾay.
The noble, the leader, the martyr, Abū ʿUthmān al-Qurashī, al-Makhzūmī, the Meccan.
When his father was killed, the chieftainship of Banū Makhzūm passed to ʿIkrimah. He later embraced Islam, and his Islam became exemplary in every respect (1).
Ibn Abī Mulaykah said, “Whenever ʿIkrimah wished to emphasize an oath he would say, ‘No—by the One who delivered me on the Day of Badr.’”
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered (Mecca), ʿIkrimah fled from the city, as did Ṣafwān ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf,
…When Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul died, his son Abdullah ibn Abdullah came to the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, and asked him to give him his tunic so that he might shroud his father in it; the Prophet complied. He then requested that the Prophet lead the funeral prayer. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, rose to do so, but Umar caught hold of his garment and said: “O Messenger of Allah, will you pray over him when Allah has forbidden you to do so?” The Prophet answered: “Allah has only given me the choice, saying: ‘Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; and even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times…’ (al-Tawbah 9:80). I shall exceed the seventy.” Umar replied: “He was a hypocrite.” Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, prayed over him, and Allah then revealed: “Never pray over any of them who dies, nor stand at his grave” (al-Tawbah 9:84).
Principal sources: Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat, 5/329; al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, Nasab Quraysh, pp. 310–311; Khalifah ibn Khayyat, al-Tabaqat, 20/299, and Taʾrikh, p. 92; al-Bukhari, al-Tarikh al-Kabir, 7/48, and al-Tarikh al-Saghir, 1/35, 39, 49; Ibn Qutaybah, al-Maʿarif, p. 334; Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Jarh wa-l-Taʿdil, 7/6–7; Ibn Hibban, Mashahir ʿUlamaʾ al-Amsar, no. 174; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istidhkar, 8/116; Ibn ʿAsakir, Tarikh Dimashq, 11/375/2; Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah, 4/70; al-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asmaʾ wa-l-Lughat, 1/338–340; al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, no. 950; al-Dhahabi, al-ʿIbar, 1/18; al-Fasi, al-ʿIqd al-Thamin, 6/119–123; Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 7/257 and al-Isabah, 7/36; al-Khulasi, Khulasat Tadhhib al-Kamal, p. 270; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-ʿUmmal, 13/540; Ibn al-ʿImad, Shadharat al-Dhahab, 1/27–28.
(1) The word “bil-marrah” (“completely”) is absent from the printed edition.