In another report the Prophet bore witness to their martyrdom; therefore they are among those whose place in Paradise is assured (1).

Ḥassān ibn Thābit (2) lamented Zayd ibn Ḥārithah and Ibn Rawāḥah, saying—

[al-Khafif metre]
O eye, let fall the few tears you still contain,
and in times of ease remember the dwellers of the graves.
Remember Muʾtah and what took place there
the day they marched into the fierce engagement.
They went forth and left Zayd behind—
a noble refuge for the distressed and the captive.
Beloved of the very best of mankind in every age,
leader of men whose love abides in the hearts.
That is Aḥmad—there is no one like him—
my grief for him is at once my joy.
Indeed, Zayd was with us upon a matter
far from the affair of the deluded denier.
Then, O eye, weep as well for the Khazrajite,
a chief whose tears are anything but scant.
Sufficient to us is the news of their slaying;
we pass the nights in sorrow, devoid of joy.

As for Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib (4) son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, he was the cousin of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was ten years older than his brother ʿAlī; ʿAqīl was ten years older than Jaʿfar, and Ṭālib was ten years older than ʿAqīl. Jaʿfar accepted Islam early and emigrated to Abyssinia, where he displayed renowned stances, praiseworthy deeds, sound replies, and commendable conduct. These have already been detailed in the section on the migration to Abyssinia; all praise is due to Allah.

He reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the day of Khaybar, and the Prophet said, “I do not know which delights me more: the arrival of Jaʿfar or the conquest of Khaybar.” He rose to meet him, embraced him, and kissed him between the eyes. On the day they set out for ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ he said to him, “You resemble me in appearance and character,” whereupon Jaʿfar is said to have skipped for joy, as mentioned in its proper place. All praise and grace belong to Allah.

When the Prophet dispatched him to Muʾtah, he appointed him commander over the prayer—that is, second in command after Zayd ibn Ḥārithah. When Jaʿfar was killed, they counted on his body more than ninety wounds from swords, spears, and arrows, yet he never turned his back. His right hand was cut off, then his left, while he was holding the banner; when both were gone he clasped it to his chest until he was martyred in that state. It is said that a man from the Byzantines struck him with a sword and severed him in two. May Allah be pleased with Jaʿfar and curse his killer.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ proclaimed him a martyr, so his entry into Paradise is certain, and the ḥadīths refer to him as “the one with two wings.”