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BIOGRAPHY Early Life (573?-610) Assuming he was over ninety years old when he died, he was born before 573. His mother was Layla Bint Harmalah Al-`Anaziyyah . He belonged to the Banu Sahm clan of the Quraish , and like the other Quraish chiefs, he opposed Islam in the early days. He commanded a Quraish contingent at the Battle Of Uhud . In 630 in the company of Khalid Bin Waleed , he rode from Mecca to Medina where both of them were converted to Islam. Thereafter he took part in all the campaigns fought my the Muslims. ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs was married to Umm Kulthum Bint Ukba ibn Abī-Mayyath but he divorced her when she embraced Islam . She then re-married Umar Ibn Al-Khattab . He had a son, Abdullah Ibn Amr . Muhammad's era (610-632) Abu Bakr , Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and Abu Ubayda Ibn Al-Jarrah served under ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs in the campaign of Dhat As-Salasil and had offered their prayers behind him for many weeks. At that time, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs was their boss not only in the army but also as a leader in religious services ( ref ). ˤAmr was dispatched by Muhammad to Oman and played a key role in the Conversion of the leaders of that nation, Jayfar and 'Abbād ibn Julanda. He was then made governor of the region until shortly after Muhammad's death. Abu Bakr's era (632 – 634) ˤAmr was sent by the Caliph Abū-Bakr with the Arab armies into Palestine following Muhammad's death. It is believed that he played an important role in the Arab conquest of that region, and he is known to have been at the battles of Ajnadayn and Yarmuk as well as the fall of Damascus . Umar's era (634-644) Following the successed over the Byzantines in Syria, Amr's suggested to Umar that he march on Egypt, to which Umar agree. The actual invasion began towards the end of ). After some skirmishes south of the area, Amr marched north towards Heliopolis , with reinforcements reaching him from Syira, against the Byzantine forces in Egypt, under Theodore . The resulting Arab victory at the Battle Of Heliopolis braught about the fall of the much of the country. After difficult and long seiges, skirmishes, and negotiations, the Byzantine capital of Alexandria surrendered following a treaty signed in late 641 . Despite a brief re-conquest by Byzantine forces in 645 which was beaten at the Battle Of Nikiou , the country was firmly in Arab hands. Shortly afterwards, Amr would settle his army in the newly-established stronghold of Fustat or Misr Al-Fustat ("The tented city") from which "Misr," the Arabic name for Egypt, is derived, towards the end of 641 . The first Mosque in Egypt was named for ˤAmr and still exists in the southern part of Cairo. Fustāt was eventually absorbed into Cairo by the 12th century CE. Amr was recalled to the capital (which had, by then, moved from Mecca to Damascus ) where he became Muˤāwiyya 's close advisor. Uthman's era (644–656) Ali's era (656–661) In 657 , he participiated in the Battle Of Siffin , and was Muawiya's representative in the following arbitration. In 658 (38 A.H.), the Governor in Egypt was Malik Ibn Ashter , when assigned by ˤAlī . At that time, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs had 6000 soldiers who were on their way, sent by the governor of Damascus , Muˤāwiyya . ˤAlī was asked to send help. His best general and childhood friend, Malik Ibn Ashter , were sent to defend his other childhood friend, the former governor of Egypt, Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr, since ˤAlī believed only Malik could best Muˤāwiyya and ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs. Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr was instructed to return to ˤAlī's capital city, Kufa . Malik left Kufa to take charge of Egypt. At the frontier Malik, was greeted by innkeepers, not knowing they were disguised agents of Muˤāwiyya. They poisoned his drink, killing Muˤāwiyya's long-time nemesis. As soon as Muˤāwiyya got the news of Malik's demise, he exclaimed in an ecstasy of delight, "Today ˤAlī has lost his second arm!" hardly believing his good fortune. By killing Ammar ibn Yasir in the Battle Of Siffīn , Muˤāwiyya had cut ˤAlī's first arm; and now by killing Malik, he had cut ˤAlī's other arm, this time with poison. Without any opposition, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs entered Egypt and encountered Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr and easily defeated him. Having no army, he tried to fight with a handful of soldiers. He was captured and tortured to death, put into a dead ass skin, and burned to death. This enraged Aisha . The newly-occupied Egypt became a part of Muˤāwiyya's dominions. ˤAlī loved Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr as his own son and his death was felt as another terrible shock. ˤAlī prayed for him, and invoked God's blessings and mercy upon his soul. ( ref ) Muˤāwiyya's era (661–680) ˤAmr died in 663 and was believed to be over ninety years old at the time of his death. MUSLIM VIEW Muslims have a mixed view of him Sunni view We learn in ''Rawdah al-Manazir fi al-Awail wa l-'Awakhir'' vol. 11, p. 133 that: :Imām Shafi'i said that the testimony of four companions will not be accepted and those four are Muˤāwiyya , ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs, Mughīra Ibn Šuba and Ziyād Ibn Abī-Sufyān . This view of Imam Shafi'i has also been attributed to him by his student Hadhrath Rabi in ''Tareekh Abul Fidah'' vol. 1 under the chapter addressing the events of 45 Hijri . (ref 1 , 2 ) Shi'a view Shias have a very dim view of him. In Nahj Al-Balagha , ˤAlī is quoted as: :I have taught you the Qur'an, clarified to you arguments, apprised you of what you were ignorant and made you swallow what you were spitting out. Even a blind man would have been able to see, and he who was sleeping would have been awakened. How ignorant of God is their leader Muˤāwiyya and their instructor ''Ibn an-Nabighah''. "An-Nabighah" is the nickname of the mother of ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs. He is called "son of his mother" because of his mother's reputation: once Arwa Bint Al-Harith ibn Abd ul-Muttalib went to Muawiyah and during their conversation ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs intervened. Arwa said to ˤAmr: :"O son of an-Nabighah, you too dare speak, although your mother was known publicly and was a singer of Mecca? That is why five persons claimed you (as a son), and when she was asked she admitted that five people had visited her and that you should be regarded as the son of him you resembled most. You must have resembled ˤĀs ibn Wa'il and therefore you came to be known as his son." These five persons were: # Al-As Ibn Wa'il # Abu Lahab # Umayah Ibn Khalaf # Hisham Ibn Al-Mughirah # Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb ( Ibn Abd Rabbih , Al-lqd Al-farid , vol. 2, p. 120; Ibn Tayfur , Balaghat An-nisa , p. 27; Ibn Hijjah , Thamarat Al-awraq , vol. 1, p. 132; Safwat , Jamharat Khutab Al-Arab , vol. 2, p.363; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid , vol. 6, pp. 283-285, 291; Al-Halabi , As-Sirah vol. 1, p. 46). ( ref ) See also Combined Marriage FURTHER READING
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