عَمْرُو بْنُ الْجَمُوح
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Amr ibn al-Jamuh
Chief of Banu Salamah, of Khazraj · Gave up the idol in his house · Insisted on Uhud despite his lameness
may Allah be pleased with him
Khazraj — Banu Salamah, of Madinah · Madinah, up to 3 AH
A chief of Khazraj who kept a household idol until young men of his own clan kept knocking it down, until he finally gave it up for good. Lame in one leg, he refused to be excused from Uhud, and was killed there.
Known for
He kept an idol in his house that young men of his own clan repeatedly discredited, until he gave it up for good
He was a chief of Banu Salamah and, like other men of standing, kept a household idol. After Islam had begun to spread among his people, young men of the clan took to removing it at night and leaving it in a degrading condition. Each time he found it he cleaned it and put it back, until the pattern itself finally persuaded him and he renounced it.
He was lame in one leg — a disability that under the custom of the time would have excused him from fighting
He insisted on going out to Uhud over his sons' objections, and asked the Prophet ﷺ directly for permission to fight
His sons tried to keep him back given his condition. He went to the Prophet ﷺ himself and asked to be allowed to fight, reported to have said, in substance, that he hoped to walk his lameness into Paradise.
He was killed at Uhud and buried in the same grave as Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, at the Prophet's ﷺ instruction
Jabir ibn Abdullah, whose father Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram was killed alongside him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ had the two placed together in one grave, saying they had been close to one another in this life.
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
The idol in his house
Amr ibn al-Jamuh was a chief of Banu Salamah, a clan of Khazraj in Madinah, and before Islam reached his people he kept a wooden idol in his home, as men of his standing did.
As Islam spread among Banu Salamah, young men of the clan began taking the idol at night and leaving it in a degrading state — thrown down, or left somewhere unclean. Each morning he found it, cleaned it, and set it back up. This happened more than once. Eventually the pattern wore the matter down on its own: he stopped restoring it and gave it up, renouncing it for good.
Uhud
Amr ibn al-Jamuh was lame in one leg, badly enough that he would have been excused from going out to fight. When the army mustered for Uhud in 3 AH, his sons tried to keep him at home because of it.
He would not accept the exemption on their say-so, and went to the Prophet ﷺ himself to ask for permission to fight, which is set out in the moment below.
He was killed in the battle, and was buried in the same grave as his close companion Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, on the Prophet's ﷺ instruction.
How the sources describe him
He kept restoring the idol rather than abandoning it outright, until the pattern itself became the argument
A recognised exemption did not settle the matter for him; he went and asked permission instead
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He asked the Prophet ﷺ directly for permission to fight at Uhud despite his lameness, and was granted it.
- Abdullah ibn Amr ibn HaramCompanion
They were killed together at Uhud and, on the Prophet's ﷺ instruction, buried together in one grave.
Full timeline
- Before the Hijrah
Gives up the household idol after his clan's young men repeatedly discredit it
- 3 AH
Asks the Prophet ﷺ for permission to fight at Uhud despite his lameness
- 3 AH
Killed at Uhud
- 3 AH
Buried in the same grave as Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, at the Prophet's ﷺ instruction
Part of
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
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