The Death of Abū Jahl

So Abū Jahl was killed, or was disabled, by these two young Anṣārī men, but he was laying there on the ground on the battlefield. In his last moments, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked the Companions and said: who would find out for me what happened to Abū Jahl? ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd said: so I — and when I realised that the man laying in front of me was Abū Jahl, I stepped over his neck with my foot. He said: when I recognised him, I put my foot on his neck — he had once held me captive in Makkah and hurt me and kicked me. And then he asked him, he said: so Allah has put you to shame, then, you enemy of Allah? ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd is saying that Allah has shamed him, he's the enemy of Allah. Abū Jahl said: and how has He shamed me? Aren't I the most noble man you have ever killed? Tell me which side won the day. Abū Jahl, even though he's in his last moments, wants to know the result of this battle. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd said: it went to Allah and His Messenger.

In another narration, it says that ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd was saying that Abū Jahl was laying on the ground, holding a fine sword and protecting himself, while he had a poor sword, so he struck his arm, so his sword fell off, and then he carried his sword, and he sat on his chest to sever his head. And when he was over his chest, Abū Jahl said: you've climbed very high for having been just a herdsman — Abū Jahl is arrogant even when he's dying; he's telling ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd that for him to be on top of his chest is too high a place for him, because he's but a herdsman, rāʿī al-ghanam. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd said: I then severed his head, and took it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd said: I was as though walking on air — he was flying in the air, speeding off, happy to go and deliver the head of Abū Jahl to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). I said: this, O Messenger of Allah, is the head of Allah's enemy. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: is it really, by Allah, other than whom there is none? I said, yes — and then I threw Abū Jahl's head down in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who then praised Allah, Mighty and Majestic. In the narration of Imam Aḥmad: Alḥamdulillāh, Allah has disgraced you, you enemy of Allah — this man was the Pharaoh of his people; every nation has a Pharaoh, and the Pharaoh of this Ummah is Abū Jahl.

Ibn Kathīr comments on the death of Abū Jahl, and he said: the death of Abū Jahl came about at the hands of a youth from the Anṣār; thereafter, ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd was placed over him. So look at who Allah chose to kill Abū Jahl: two young men from the Anṣār, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd — ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, who was belittled by Abū Jahl; ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, who was very slightly built, he was very thin. One day, he was climbing a palm tree, and there was wind blowing, and it shook ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd — he was very lightweight, and the Companions laughed when they saw the thinness of the legs of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: are you laughing because he has very slim legs? In the name of Allah, they are heavier on the scale on the Day of Judgement than the mountain of Uḥud. It's not by how many pounds you can carry, and how well built you are, and how athletic you are, and how powerful and strong you are: Abū Jahl, the leader of the enemy's army, was killed by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, and by two young men from the Anṣār. One shouldn't depend on worldly standards, on how strong a soldier is, how muscular he is — a Muslim soldier is supposed to prepare, but not to depend on that preparation; one depends on Allah.

So Ibn Kathīr said: the death of Abū Jahl came about at the hands of a youth from the Anṣār; thereafter, ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd was placed over him. By this, Allah comforted the believers, and this was more effective than if He had made a bolt of lightning strike him down, or made the roof of his house fall upon him, or if he had died a natural death. Fight them: Allah will punish them by your hands — not by lightning, not, as Ibn Kathīr says, by dying a natural death; Allah will punish them by your hands, and will disgrace them, and give you victory over them, and satisfy the breasts of a believing people, and remove the fury in their hearts. And Allah turns in forgiveness to whom He wills, and Allah is Knowing and Wise. So there's an element of revenge here, because the Muslims had been wronged, they'd been oppressed; so Allah is saying that He will satisfy their breasts and remove the fury in their hearts — the Muslims were furious at the kuffār, so Allah would remove that when they saw the fate of the enemies of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.