Sa'id ibn Amir al-Jumahi

Said ibn Aamir al-Jumahi ( ) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and Governor of Homs in Syria during the caliphate of Umar .¹ As a youth he was among the thousands who left for Tanim on the outskirts of Mecca at the invitation of the Quraish to witness the killing of Khubayb ibn Adiy, a companion of Muhammad whom they had captured and whose death was to be in revenge for Quraish losses in the battle of Badr . After accepting Islam shortly following Khubayb’s death Said ibn Aamir migrated to Medina and attached himself to Muhammad, participating in the battle of Khaybar and other engagements thereafter. After Muhammad’s death in 632 he continued active service under his two successors, Abu Bakr and Umar, who both knew Said for his honesty and piety and listened to his advice. Umar appointed him as governor of Homs (Emessa) in Syria, which was then called little Kufa because, like Kufa , its inhabitants complained a lot about their leaders. During a visit to Syria, Umar asked the people of Homs if they had any complaints against their governor, to which they mentioned four. Umar summoned Said ibn Aamir, and in his presence asked the representatives of Homs to state their complaints. The first complaint was the he left his home late every morning, to which Said replied that he had no servants, and that following prayers, reading the Quran and assisting his wife in preparing meals took some time. The second complaint was that he did not attend to anyone at night, which he explained was due to his practice of reserving the night for prayer. The third complaint was that once a month he left his house late in the afternoon, which he explained was a result of washing and drying his one change of clothes. The fourth complaint was that he occasionally fell into fits of unconsciousness. Said said that in Mecca he had witnessed Khubayb ibn Adiy’s torture and death by the Quraish. The Quraish offered him safety and protection of his wealth if he disowned Muhammad and he spurned the offer. Said added, that being an infidel at the time he did nothing to aid Khubayb and whenever he recalls the event he becomes overwhelmed with remorse and passes out. Umar dismissed the complaints and said: Thank Allah, my opinion about Said has been confirmed by this trial. Verily he is a great Muslim and those who complain against him in their ignorance own him an apology.²