Jabalah ibn al-Aiham

Jabalah ibn al-Aiham was the last ruler of the Ghassanid state in Syria and Jordan in the seventh century AD. He commanded a Christian Arab army in the Battle of Yarmouk in 636. After Muslim's conquest of Levant he converted to Islam in around 638. He went back to Christianity later on and lived in Anatolia until he died in around 645

Jabalah Ibn-Al-Aiham ordeal with Islam

There are different opinions why Jabalah and his followers didn't convert to Islam. All the opinions go along the general idea that the Ghassanids were not interested yet in giving up their status as the lords and nobility of Syria below the famous story of Jabalah return to the Byzantines land.

"Jabalah Ibn-Al-Aiham sided with the Ansar (Azdi muslims from Medina) saying, "You are our brethren and the sons of our fathers" and professed Islam. After the arrival of 'Umar ibn-al-Khattab in Syria, year 17 (638AD), Jabalah was performing a pilgrimage in Meccah. During his tawaf around the kaaba a poor man mistakenly stepped on his robe, making Jabalah almost trip over. This angered Jabalah and he hit the man in the eye, upon which the man went to the Caliphate 'Umar bin Khattab who requested that Jabala be summoned to trial. After displaying the facts of the case, 'Umar ordered that Jabala be hit by the poor man on the eye in the same manner by which the man himself was hit, but Jabala resisted this saying "Is his eye like mine?" upon which the Caliphate 'Umar responded "Islam has made you both equal." Jabala requested that the Caliphate carry out the sentence the next morning, and fled back to his village during the night. He then apostatized and went to the land of the Greeks (the Byzantines). This Jabalah was the king of Ghassan and the successor of al-Harith ibn-abi-Shimr."