"In every nation there exists a man worthy of all trust, and the trustworthy of this nation is Abu 'Ubaida bin Jarrah" [Bukhari: 3744, Muslim: 2419]
This is how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ praised this Sahabi. Abu 'Ubaida embraced Islam through the hands of Abu Bakr at the beginning of its dawn in Makkah. Moreover, he was one of the Sahabas who migrated to Abyssinia with the second delegation. He fought all the battles alongside Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Trustworthiness became his strong trait and flourished under the guidance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Not only was Abu Ubaida loyal but he had a strong sense of responsibility towards Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. During the battle of Uhud, he sensed the potential threat to the Prophet's ﷺ life. Hence, throughout the battle he kept a close eye on him ﷺ. As the battle reached its fiercest, Abu Ubaida was the first one to reach the Prophet ﷺ when the arrow hit him and protected him from further harm. Two of the rings of the Prophet's mail had penetrated his cheeks and he was bleeding. In one narration Abu Bakr reports the whole event, explaining how Abu Ubaida insisted to be the one who helps Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Abu Ubaida used his teeth to pull out the mail and in doing so lost his upper teeth while pulling the first mail and lower front teeth while pulling out the second one. [AlMustadrak: 3/266]
But the tale of his bravery doesn't stop here; wherever he was given an obligation he did it with honesty and diligence. Abu Ubaida was sent to the battle of Khabat as a commander by the orders of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The expedition had no means of supplement except for a bag of dates. This did not waver the Sahabas in their mission. Rather, when the dates finished they would crush withered leaves and swallow them with water to satisfy their hunger. Their only goal was to accomplish what their Prophet had asked of them. Therefore, the expedition came to be known as Al Khabat (The Struggle).
Umar Ibn al Khattab said about him on his deathbed "If Abu Ubaida Ibn Jarrah was alive, I would have entrusted him with the caliphate, and if Allah asked me about him, I would say, I assigned the caliphate to the trustworthy of Allah and His Prophet ﷺ, Abu Ubaida Ibn Jarrah."
Previous statement does not mean that this great Sahabi was not bestowed with ruler ship; on the contrary Abu Ubaida was privileged to be the commander-in-chief, leader of the greatest Muslim army ever and a beloved ruler of Syria. However, these titles and high positions meant nothing to Abu Ubaida. He continued to be a humble and simple person as he was before all the riches. Once Umar Ibn Al Khattab visited him when he was the governor of Syria, his house had no furniture not to mention that the room in which he slept only had a sword, saddle bag and a shield. Upon Umar's questioning about why he had not kept any furniture in his house? He simply answered that he had room to sleep in and that was enough for him.
The news of his death saddened Umar (May Allah be Pleased with Him) who was Ameer ul Mu'mineen at the time. He is reported to have said "If I were to make a wish, I would have wished for a house full of men just like Abu Ubaida".
[Men and Women around the Messenger, Khaalid Muhammad Khaalid, Dar Al Manarah, 2003, pg.: 190-195]
This is how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ praised this Sahabi. Abu 'Ubaida embraced Islam through the hands of Abu Bakr at the beginning of its dawn in Makkah. Moreover, he was one of the Sahabas who migrated to Abyssinia with the second delegation. He fought all the battles alongside Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Trustworthiness became his strong trait and flourished under the guidance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Not only was Abu Ubaida loyal but he had a strong sense of responsibility towards Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. During the battle of Uhud, he sensed the potential threat to the Prophet's ﷺ life. Hence, throughout the battle he kept a close eye on him ﷺ. As the battle reached its fiercest, Abu Ubaida was the first one to reach the Prophet ﷺ when the arrow hit him and protected him from further harm. Two of the rings of the Prophet's mail had penetrated his cheeks and he was bleeding. In one narration Abu Bakr reports the whole event, explaining how Abu Ubaida insisted to be the one who helps Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Abu Ubaida used his teeth to pull out the mail and in doing so lost his upper teeth while pulling the first mail and lower front teeth while pulling out the second one. [AlMustadrak: 3/266]
But the tale of his bravery doesn't stop here; wherever he was given an obligation he did it with honesty and diligence. Abu Ubaida was sent to the battle of Khabat as a commander by the orders of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The expedition had no means of supplement except for a bag of dates. This did not waver the Sahabas in their mission. Rather, when the dates finished they would crush withered leaves and swallow them with water to satisfy their hunger. Their only goal was to accomplish what their Prophet had asked of them. Therefore, the expedition came to be known as Al Khabat (The Struggle).
Umar Ibn al Khattab said about him on his deathbed "If Abu Ubaida Ibn Jarrah was alive, I would have entrusted him with the caliphate, and if Allah asked me about him, I would say, I assigned the caliphate to the trustworthy of Allah and His Prophet ﷺ, Abu Ubaida Ibn Jarrah."
Previous statement does not mean that this great Sahabi was not bestowed with ruler ship; on the contrary Abu Ubaida was privileged to be the commander-in-chief, leader of the greatest Muslim army ever and a beloved ruler of Syria. However, these titles and high positions meant nothing to Abu Ubaida. He continued to be a humble and simple person as he was before all the riches. Once Umar Ibn Al Khattab visited him when he was the governor of Syria, his house had no furniture not to mention that the room in which he slept only had a sword, saddle bag and a shield. Upon Umar's questioning about why he had not kept any furniture in his house? He simply answered that he had room to sleep in and that was enough for him.
The news of his death saddened Umar (May Allah be Pleased with Him) who was Ameer ul Mu'mineen at the time. He is reported to have said "If I were to make a wish, I would have wished for a house full of men just like Abu Ubaida".
[Men and Women around the Messenger, Khaalid Muhammad Khaalid, Dar Al Manarah, 2003, pg.: 190-195]