Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl

From the House of Abu Jahl to Islam

Ikrima was the son of Abu Jahl, the great enemy of the Prophet ﷺ. At the conquest of Makkah he fled toward the sea, fearing for his life; but his wife Umm Hakim accepted Islam, obtained the Prophet’s ﷺ amnesty for him, and rode after him, bringing him back from the very shore. The Prophet ﷺ forbade the Companions to revile his dead father — for that would only hurt the living — and rose joyfully to welcome him. Ikrima embraced Islam, vowing to spend and fight in Allah’s cause double all he had spent against it. 1 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 1 · pp. 194–197 — Kandhlawi — Ikrima flees the conquest; Umm Hakim secures his amnesty and brings him back; the Prophet welcomes him; his Islam and vow.

A Martyr’s End

True to his vow, Ikrima became a devout and valiant Muslim, and gave his life in the conquest of Syria (in the battles of Ajnadayn or Yarmuk), among the martyrs of that campaign. 2 History of Islam · Vol 1 · pp. 311 — Najeebabadi — Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl among the martyrs of the Syrian campaigns.