From Where Iqbal Took the Idea of “Khudi Ko Kar Buland Itna”

Background of Abdullah ibn Haram and his Family

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām al-Anṣārī (RA) was a distinguished Companion from the Khazraj tribe (Banu Salama). He was among the twelve Anṣār who pledged their allegiance at the Second Pledge of ʿAqaba, where the Prophet ﷺ appointed him as one of the leaders of his people.

The historian adh-Dhahabī records that he “witnessed Badr and was martyred on the day of Uhud”, underscoring his bravery at Islam’s first great victory. After returning to Madinah from ʿAqaba, ʿAbdullāh dedicated his life, family, and wealth to Islam. He fought valiantly at Badr, and the Prophet ﷺ later prayed for him, saying:

“May Allah reward the Ansar … especially ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām.”

ʿAbdullāh was the father of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh (RA), the eldest of his children, along with several daughters. He was also the son-in-law of his close comrade ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ (RA), another noble martyr of Uhud. Abdullāh’s mother was Umm Ḥarām bint Milḥān, the well-known Anṣārī woman and maternal aunt of Anas ibn Mālik.

After his martyrdom at Uhud, the legacy of service continued through his son, Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh (RA). One of the most memorable events occurred years later during the Battle of Khandaq (the Trench). The Muslims were enduring extreme hunger while digging the trench. Jābir saw the Prophet ﷺ tying stones to his stomach out of starvation. He rushed home and told his wife, who suggested slaughtering their small goat and preparing some barley bread.

Jābir quietly invited the Prophet ﷺ, intending only a few guests, but the Prophet instead gathered the entire army of Companions (around a thousand men). By the blessing of the Prophet ﷺ, the small pot of meat and the bread did not diminish until every single Companion had eaten to their fill.

This miracle — preserved in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Hadith 4101), Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Hadith 2039), and Ibn Hishām’s Sīrah (Vol. 3) — became one of the most famous examples of divine barakah. It showed not only the generosity of the Prophet ﷺ but also the closeness of Jābir and his family to him, continuing the legacy of sacrifice that began with his father’s martyrdom at Uhud.

Events Leading to the Battle of Uhud and His Preparations

The Battle of Uhud (15 Shawwal, 3 AH / March 625 CE) came about when the Quraysh of Mecca, smarting from their defeat at Badr, marshaled an army to avenge themselves. Quraysh allied with nearby tribes and marched on Medina, intent on “settling the score” with the Muslims. In response, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ took counsel with the Companions. Abdullah ibn Haram, sensing that his fate was to fall in this fight, felt an overwhelming joy at the prospect of martyrdom. Biographers report that when news of Uhud’s imminence reached him, “his heart almost flew with joy,” certain that he would not return alive. He immediately prepared himself and encouraged the Muslims to stand firm, fully convinced he would sacrifice his life in God’s path.

His Final Conversation with His Son Jabir ibn Abdullah

On the night before Uhud, Abdullah called his young son Jabir to his side and gave him a heartfelt farewell. In Sahih al-Bukhari Jabir recounts:

“When the time of the Battle of Uhud approached, my father called me at night and said: ‘I do not see myself but being killed among the first of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) to be killed. I will not leave behind anyone more precious to me than you, except the soul of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I have a debt, so pay it off, and care for your sisters kindly.”

This illustrates Abdullah’s awareness of his impending death and his love for Jabir. As he had predicted, Abdullah ibn Haram was indeed the first Muslim martyred at Uhud the next morning. (After his death he was initially buried in a grave shared with another martyr; later, Jabir exhumed him and noted his body was unchanged except for a small wound by the ear.)

His Martyrdom During the Battle

At the outset of Uhud, Abdullah ibn Haram fought bravely and was among the very first to fall. His body was brought back mutilated to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ commanded that a cloth cover be lifted and asked why a woman was weeping; when he learned it was Abdullah’s kin, he replied “Why should she weep?” and noted that angels were already honoring Abdullah. As narrated by Jabir, “the angels continued to shade him with their wings until he was raised”. In other words, Abdullah’s corpse was enveloped in an extraordinary honor. Indeed, Jabir found that after six months Abdullah’s body remained almost intact from the day of burial. Because of this divine favor, the Prophet ﷺ gave him the title “Shade of the Angels” – angels literally shaded him after death. By the Prophet’s order, Abdullah was finally buried in a single grave together with his friend ʿAmr ibn al-Jamuh (ra), as the Prophet remarked they had been closely attached in life.

Jabir ibn Abdullah’s Personal Narrations and Hadiths About the Event

Jabir ibn Abdullah (ra), witnessing all this, narrated multiple key incidents. After hearing of his father’s martyrdom, Jabir was deeply distressed. The Prophet ﷺ noticed his grief and consoled him. Jabir reported that the Prophet ﷺ told him:

“Shall I not give you the good news of what Allah has granted your father? Allah never spoke to any human except from behind a veil, but He spoke to your father directly. He said, ‘O My servant (ʿAbdi), ask of Me and I will give you.’ He (Abdullah) said, ‘O Lord! Let me return to life so that I may be killed again in Your cause.’ Allah replied, ‘It is already decreed by Me that they will not return to this life.”

This hadith (recorded in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibbān) shows that Allah addressed Abdullah directly after his martyrdom. Allah asked, in effect, “O My servant, what do you wish? Ask of Me, and I will give it to you.” Abdullah’s answer was to desire return to life for another martyrdom, but Allah informed him that by decree the martyrs would not return. Finally, this episode was followed by the revelation of Qur’an 3:169 (see below) to comfort the Muslims. Jabir’s narration thus provides both the intimate farewell and the extraordinary post-mortem encounter with Allah.

The Quranic Verse Revealed in This Context (3:169) and Its Significance

In direct response to the events at Uhud, Allah revealed Sura 3, verse 169:

“And think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, receiving provision from their Lord.”.

Classical commentators affirm that this verse was revealed concerning the martyrs of Uhud, including Abdullah ibn Haram. It reassures the believers that martyrs continue to live spiritually with Allah. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly cited this verse to Jabir after telling him what had happened, saying “Allah revealed: ‘And never think those who have been killed in the cause of Allah are dead’”. Thus the verse highlights the honor bestowed on martyrs: they are not dead but alive with their Lord, shaded by angels, and enjoying Paradise’s provisions.

Uhud and the Martyrs

After the Battle of Uhud (3 AH / 625 CE), the Prophet ﷺ returned to Medina with many wounded and dead. Among the martyrs was ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām al-Anṣārī (“Abū Jābir”), whose wife Hind bint ʿAmr (his paternal aunt) carried his and others’ bodies toward Medina. ‘A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her) met Hind on the road and inquired about the fallen. When Hind explained she was taking them home for burial, the Prophet ﷺ intervened and ordered they be buried where they fell. He then remained until the graves were dug. Addressing Hind, he said, “O Hind, you and they (the martyrs) are together in Paradise.” When Hind asked for Allah’s favor to be with them, the Prophet ﷺ replied, “Angel Gabriel says: ‘They (the martyrs) will always shade your brother [ʿAbdullāh] with their wings from the time he was killed until the hour he is raised’”islamweb.net. Ibn Hishām (via Ibn Isḥāq) reports the Prophet’s words:

“O Hind, the angels have been shading your brother with their wings ever since he was killed until the hour [of burial].”islamweb.net

This early seerah source thus conveys the Prophet’s reassurance about angels protecting ʿAbdullāh’s body. (Hind bint ʿAmr was his sister, and Hind’s account is preserved in Ibn Isḥāq’s Sīrah via later scholars.)

Classical Islamic Source References

The story of Abdullah ibn Haram’s martyrdom is documented in the earliest Islamic literature. The farewell dialogue appears in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith No. 1351) . The account of Allah speaking to Abdullah is found in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and Musnad Ibn Hibbān (narrated via Jabir) . Biographical works also mention him: e.g. Ibn Hisham’s Sirah and Ibn Saʿd’s Tabaqāt list him among the martyrs of Uhud. Moreover, major historians note his rank – adh-Dhahabi in Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ and Ibn Hajar in Al-Isābah both describe him as an Aqaba pledge-taker who died at Uhud. Tafsirs of Quran 3:169 explicitly connect the verse to Uhud’s martyrs. In sum, Sahih Bukhari, Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi, and early Sirah/Tabaqāt compilations (Ibn Hisham, Ibn Saʿd, etc.) are primary sources for his life and martyrdom.

Linking to Allama Iqbal’s Philosophy of Khudi

Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938) later drew on this prophetic motif in his Urdu poetry. In his collection Bang-e-Dra, Iqbal wrote:

“Khudi ko kar buland itna, ke har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai.”

Translated, this means: “Elevate your selfhood (‘Khudi’) to such a height that before every destiny is ordained, God Himself will ask His servant, ‘Tell Me, what is your will?’”. This couplet clearly alludes to the same idea found in the hadith: Allah asks His servant what he wishes. In the hadith of Abdullah ibn Haram, Allah said “O My servant, ask Me and I will give”. Iqbal expands this moment to a universal principle: by strengthening one’s Khudi (inner self), a believer attains a station of partnership with God’s decree. The phrase “Khuda bande se khud pooche” (“God Himself asks His servant”) is a direct echo of the hadith scenario. Thus, Iqbal took this prophetic episode as poetic inspiration for his philosophy of Khudi, symbolizing the ultimate aim of self-realization under divine guidance.

References: Classical sources and modern scholarship used above include Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 1351) sunnah.com, Sunan al-Tirmidhi (narration on Allah speaking to Abdullah) hizb-ut-tahrir.info, biographical works by Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa‘d (on the martyrs of Uhud), adh-Dhahabi’s Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ and Ibn Hajar’s Al-Isabah hizb-ut-tahrir.info, and Qur’an commentaries (e.g. Ibn Kathir on 3:169 quran.com). Modern accounts such as Al-Waie magazine’s “Shaded by the Angels”hizb-ut-tahrir.info, Rahiq Academy’s Uhud summary rahiqacademy.com, and Iqbal studies medium.com were also consulted. The translation of Bukhari’s hadith is from sunnah.com. All scripture and hadith texts are cited by verse or hadith number as indicated.