ʿAbd Allāh ibn Thābit; finding him already overcome by the illness, he recited, “Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we return,” and added, “We have been overcome in regard to you.” (1)
I say: The sound view is that Jābir ibn ʿAtīk is the Companion to whom this report and the recorded date of death refer, whereas Jabr passed away long before. Jābir belonged to Banū Ghanm ibn Salamah. Allah knows best.
Their paternal uncle was al-Ḥārith ibn Qays ibn Hayshah al-Awsī (2), a distinguished veteran of Badr. He is counted among the participants by al-Wāqidī and by ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmārah. Ibn ʿUqbah, Ibn Isḥāq, and Abū Maʿshar do not mention him; rather, Ibn Isḥāq and Abū Maʿshar name Jabr ibn ʿAtīk ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Qays ibn Hayshah.
8 – al-Ashʿath ibn Qays ibn Maʿdī Karib al-Kindī * (ʿ)
son of Muʿāwiyah ibn Jabalah ibn ʿAdī ibn Rabīʿah ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Akramayn ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Muʿāwiyah ibn Thawr ibn Murtaʿ ibn Kindah.
(1) A sound hadith; it is reported by Malik in al-Muwattaʾ, no. 554 (Book of Funerals, chapter: The prohibition of weeping over the deceased); by Ahmad, 5:446; by Abu Dawud, no. 3111 (Book of Funerals, chapter: The merit of whoever dies in a plague); by al-Nasaʾi, 4:13 (Book of Funerals, chapter: The prohibition of weeping over the deceased); and by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir, no. 1779. Ibn Hibban, no. 1616, and al-Hakim, 1:352 (endorsed by al-Dhahabi) both declared it authentic.
The phrase qad ghalabna ʿalayka means: “Allah has prevailed over us with regard to your death; otherwise, your life is dear to us because of your praiseworthy service to Islam and to good works.”
(2) See Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat, 3:469.
(*) Musnad Ahmad, 5:211; Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat, 6:22; Khalifah, Tarikh, pp. 116, 193, 199; Ibn Qutaybah, al-Maʿarif, pp. 168, 189, 333, 551, 555, 586; al-Tabari, 3:138–139, 539; 4:561, 569; 5:51, 82; al-Tabarani, al-Muʿjam al-Kabir, 1:203; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3:522–523; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istiʿab, 1:133; Ibn ʿAsakir, Tarikh Dimashq, 3:17/2; Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah, 1:118; al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, p. 119; al-Dhahabi, al-ʿIbar, 1:42, 46; Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 1:359; idem, al-Isabah, 1:79; al-Khazraji, Khulasat Tadhhib al-Kamal, p. 39.