64/72. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4380 — Abu Ubaida and True Trust
The story of the people of Najran (Christians)
Hadith About Trustworthiness: Abu Ubaida, the Amin of This Ummah
Sahih Bukhari : 4380
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4380
حَدَّثَنِي عَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ صِلَةَ بْنِ زُفَرَ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ، قَالَ جَاءَ الْعَاقِبُ وَالسَّيِّدُ صَاحِبَا نَجْرَانَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُرِيدَانِ أَنْ يُلاَعِنَاهُ، قَالَ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ تَفْعَلْ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ كَانَ نَبِيًّا فَلاَعَنَّا، لاَ نُفْلِحُ نَحْنُ وَلاَ عَقِبُنَا مِنْ بَعْدِنَا. قَالاَ إِنَّا نُعْطِيكَ مَا سَأَلْتَنَا، وَابْعَثْ مَعَنَا رَجُلاً أَمِينًا، وَلاَ تَبْعَثْ مَعَنَا إِلاَّ أَمِينًا. فَقَالَ " لأَبْعَثَنَّ مَعَكُمْ رَجُلاً أَمِينًا حَقَّ أَمِينٍ ". فَاسْتَشْرَفَ لَهُ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " قُمْ يَا أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ الْجَرَّاحِ ". فَلَمَّا قَامَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " هَذَا أَمِينُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ ".
Hudhaifa Narrated from:
Al-`Aqib and Saiyid, the rulers of Najran, came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) with the intention of doing Lian one of them said to the other, "Do not do (this Lian) for, by Allah, if he is a Prophet and we do this Lian, neither we, nor our offspring after us will be successful." Then both of them said (to the Prophet (ﷺ)), "We will give what you should ask but you should send a trustworthy man with us, and do not send any person with us but an honest one."The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I will send an honest man who Is really trustworthy." Then every one of the companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) wished to be that one. Then the Prophet said, "Get up, O Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah." When he got up, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "This is the Trustworthy man of this (Muslim) nation."
[1] Two groups of people who have differences take their families in a far off place in order to invoke Allāh to send His Curse or Punishment on the one who is a liar. This event happened and the first eighty (80) Verses of Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān were revealed to the Prophet ﷺ in this connection. [See Fath Al-Bārī , for details].Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4380In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 403USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 663
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4380
This hadith about trustworthiness shows how much honesty matters in Islam. The rulers of Najran came with a serious matter, then asked the Prophet to send only a trustworthy man with them. The Prophet answered that he would send a man who was truly honest. Many Companions hoped to receive that honor, but the Prophet called Abu Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah. He then said, “This is the trustworthy man of this nation.” The core message is simple: trust is not just a good word. It is a quality seen by others and recognized in real dealings. The hadith also shows that leadership and responsibility should be given to people known for honesty, reliability, and safe conduct.
What we learn from this hadith
- Trustworthiness is a quality that makes a person fit for responsibility.
- The Prophet valued honesty when choosing someone for public duty.
- The Companions loved to be chosen for good work, but the Prophet chose the right person.
- A person’s good name is built through clear trust and reliable conduct.
