A’mr Ibn Jamuh, an inhabitant of Madinah and from the tribe of Khazraj, was a generous and magnanimous person. The first time the people of Khazraj arrived in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), he sought to know who the leader of their tribe was. They informed him that he was a person by the name of Jadd Ibn Qais, a miser by nature. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said:
“Your chief should be A’mr Ibn Jamuh, the white-complexioned, curly haired person.”
A’mr was lame in one foot and as per Islamic laws, exempted from jihad. He had four sons and when the time for the battle of Uhud came, all of them prepared themselves to fight.
“I must come too and attain martyrdom,” said Amr eagerly.
However, his sons stopped him and said, “Father, we are going for battle. You stay in the house for it is not obligatory for you to fight.”
The old man refused to budge and insisted on participating in the battle. The sons gathered their relatives in an effort to get him to change his mind, but to no avail.
Amr approached the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and complained to him, “I yearn to attain martyrdom. Why do my children prevent me from going for jihad and getting martyred in the way of Allah?”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said to the sons:
“This man seeks martyrdom and although it is not obligatory for him to fight, it is not forbidden for him to do so.”
Overjoyed, Amr armed himself and set off for battle. During the battle, his sons kept an eye on him as he valiantly thrust himself into the heart of the enemy ranks, fighting heroically, till he was eventually martyred.
Before leaving for the battlefield, he had prayed: O’ God! Grant me martyrdom and do not return me to my house. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) stated that his prayer had been answered.Amr was finally laid to rest in the cemetery of the martyrs of the battle of Uhud. ( Daastaan-ha-e-Ustaad, vol. 1, pg. 48. )