Abu Ubaidah ibn al - Jarrah Aamir ibn ` Abdullah ibn al - Jarrah ( 583 - 638 ) ( Arabic : أبو عبيدة عامر بن عبدالله بن الجراح " Abū ‘ Ubaydah ‘ Āmir bin ‘ Abd Allāh bin al - Jarāḥ " ) , more commonly known as Abu ' Ubaydah ibn al - Jarrah , was one of companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . He remained commander of a large section of Muslim armies during the time of Caliph Umar ( ' Umar ibn al - Khattab ) and was on the list of Umar ' s appointed successors to the Caliphate . Early life . Abu Ubaidah was born in the year 583 CE in the house of ' Abdullah ibn al - Jarrah , a merchant by profession . Abu Ubaidah belonged to the Qurayshi clan of Banu al - Harith ibn Fihr . Even before his conversion to Islam , he was considered to be one of the nobles of the Quraysh and was famous among the Quraysh of Mecca for his modesty and bravery Conversion to Islam . By 611 , Muhammad was preaching the oneness of God to the people of Mecca . He began by inviting his closest companions and relatives in secret to the way of Islam . He embraced Islam just a day after Abu Bakr in the year 611 . Migration to Abyssinia . Abu Ubaidah lived through the harsh experience that the Muslims went through in Mecca from beginning to end . With other early Muslims , he endured the insults and oppressions of the Quraysh . As the first migration to Abyssinia ( Ethiopia ) succeeded , this violence against the Muslims renewed itself with much conviction and became stronger in its force . Being the only person in his clan to have accepted Islam , Abu Ubaidah was foremost amongst them . Muhammad suggested that the remaining Muslims who were especially subject to the atrocities of the people of Mecca migrate as well . Consequently , Abu ' Ubaidah migrated to Abyssinia along with a delegation of 83 men and 20 women . Migration to Medina . In 622 CE , when Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina , Abu Ubaidah also migrated . When Muhammad arrived in Medina , he paired off each immigrant ( Muhajir ) with one of the residents of Medina ( Ansari ) , joining Muadh ibn Jabal with Abu Ubaidah making them brothers in faith . The Muslims remained in peace in Medina for about a year before the Quraysh raised an army to attack Medina . Military campaigns during Muhammad ' s era . Battle of Badr and Uhud . In the year 624 , Abu Ubaidah participated in the first major battle between the Muslims and the Quraysh of Mecca , at the Battle of Badr . In this battle , he was attacked by his father Abdullah ibn al - Jarrah , who was fighting alongside the army of Quraysh . Abu Ubaidah avoided fighting with him but eventually his father succeeded in blocking Abu Ubaidah ' s path . Abu Ubaidah then attacked him and killed him . The following verse of the Qur ' an was written about this display of character by Abu ' Ubaidah : In the year 625 , he participated in the Battle of Uhud . In the second phase of the battle , when Khalid ibn al - Walid ' s cavalry attacked the Muslims from the rear , changing an Islamic victory into defeat , the bulk of the Muslim soldiers were routed from the battlefield , and few remained steadfast . Abu Ubaidah was one of them and he guarded Muhammad from the attacks of the Qurayshi soldiers . On that day , Abu Ubaidah lost two of his front teeth while trying to extract two links of Muhammad ' s armour that had penetrated into his cheeks . Conflict with Jewish tribes . Later in the year 627 he took part in the Battle of the Trench and also in the Invasion of Banu Qurayza . He was also made commander of a small expedition that set out to attack and destroy the tribes of Tha ' libah and Anmar , who were plundering nearby villages . In the year 628 he participated in Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the witnesses over the pact . Later in the same year , he was a part of the Muslim campaign to Khaybar . Campaigns during end of Muhammad ' s era . In the year 630 , when the Muslim army conquered Mecca , Abu Ubaidah was commanding one of the four divisions that entered the city from four different routes . Later that year , he participated in the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta ' if . He was also part of the Tabuk campaign under the command of Muhammad himself . On their return from the Battle of Tabouk , a Christian delegation from Najran arrived in Medina and showed interest in Islam and asked Muhammad to send them a person to guide them in the matters of religion and in other tribal affairs according to Islamic laws , Abu Ubaidah was appointed by Muhammad to go with them . He was also sent as the tax collector ( ' aamil ) to Bahrain by Muhammad . He was present in Mecca when Muhammad died in 632 . Campaigns as commander . In the year 629 Muhammad sent ' Amr ibn al - ' As to Daat al - Salaasil from where he called for reinforcements , this was known as the Expedition of Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah . Muhammad sent Abu Ubaidah in command of an army that included Abu Bakr and Umar . They attacked and defeated the enemy . Later in the same year , another expedition was sent under his command to locate the routes of Qurayshi caravans . During Abu Bakr ' s era . When Muhammad died in 632 the matter of his succession took place at the Saqifah of Banu Sa ' ida , Abu Ubaidah was there along with Abu Bakr and Umar . Umar said to Abu Ubaidah to stretch forth his hand for the caliphate , but he refused and said to Abu Bakr to stretch forth his hand to take the pledge of alliance . After the Ridda wars when Abu Bakr sent Khalid ibn al - Walid to Iraq to conquer it , he sent four Muslim armies into the Levant , making Abu Ubaidah commander of one of them . His target was selected to be Emessa and he was ordered to move through the Tabuk region after the army of Sharjeel ibn Hassana . He remained commander in chief of the Muslim army until Khalid ibn al - Walid arrived from Iraq to Syria in 634 . Abu Ubaidah was ordered by Khalid ibn al - Walid to remain where he was until Khalid ibn al - Walid reached the Ghassanid city of Bosra , where they met . The castle surrendered the city after the Battle of Bosra in mid July 634 and 130 Muslims died in the battle . Soon the Muslims heard of a gathering of 90 , 000 Byzantine army ( Eastern Roman army ) at Ajnadayn , about southwest of Jerusalem . All the divisions of the Muslim army , about 32 , 000 in number , joined Khalid at Ajnadayn on 24 July 634 . Under the command of Khalid ibn al - Walid the Muslims defeated the Byzantine army there on 30 July 634 at the Battle of Ajnadayn . After one week , Abu Ubaidah , along with Khalid , moved towards Damascus . On their way to Damascus , they defeated another Byzantine army at the Battle of Yakusa in mid - August 634 . Caloiis and Azrail , the governor of Damascus , led another army to stop Khalid ' s corps but they were also defeated in the battle of Maraj - al - Safar on 19 August 634 . The next day the Muslims reached Damascus and besieged the city , which continued for 30 days . After defeating the Byzantine reinforcements sent by Emperor Heraclius at the Battle of Sanita - al - Uqab , from Damascus , Khalid ' s forces attacked and entered the city . With Khalid ' s divisions investing the city from the northeast , Thomas , the purported son - in - law of the Emperor Heraclius , surrendered the city to Ubaidah , who was besieging the Bab al - Jabiya ( Jabiya Gate ) , on 19 September 634 . Abu Ubaidah was appointed by Khalid ibn al - Walid to siege the Jabiya Gate of Damascus . It was Abu Ubaidah who gave peace to Damascus after Khalid ibn al - Walid attacked the city and conquered it by force . Abu Ubaidah , Sharjeel ibn Hassana and ' Amr ibn al - ' As , unaware of Khalid ' s attack from the Eastern Gate , gave peace to them , which was reluctantly endorsed by Khalid . The Byzantine army was given a cease fire of three days and allowed to go as far as they could with their families and treasure . Others simply agreed to stay at Damascus and pay tribute . The Muslims controlled the road to Emessa , so the Byzantines went west and then north up the Beqaa Valley . After the three day truce was over , the Muslim cavalry , under Khalid ' s command , pursued the Byzantine column via the shorter Emessa road and caught them in the northwest Beqaa Valley , just before they entered the mountains en route to Antioch at the Battle of Maraj - al - Debaj . During Umar ' s era . Appointment as Supreme Commander . On 22 August 634 , Caliph Abu Bakr died making Umar his successor . As Umar became caliph he relieved Khalid ibn al - Walid from the command of the Islamic army and appointed Abu Ubaidah as the new commander . This was done to dispel the impression that the victories were due to Khalid . Moreover Khalid was an overtly generous person , who according to some would often waste his money in giving gifts to his soldiers as a reward for their bravery in the battles . Due to different style of commands , there was a slowdown in the pace of operations , as Abu Ubaida moved slowly and steadily , in contrast to Khalid who is said to rush ' like a tornado from battle to battle ' ; using surprise , audacity and brute force to win his battles . The conquest of Syria continued under the new commander . Abu Ubaida used to rely heavily on the advice of Khalid , whom he kept with him as much as possible . Conquest of central Levant . Soon after the appointment of Abu - Ubaidah as commander in chief , he sent a small detachment to the annual fair held at Abu - al - Quds , modern day Abla , near Zahlé ; east of Beirut . There was a Byzantine and Christian Arab garrison guarding that fair , the size of the garrison was miscalculated by the Muslim informants and it quickly encircled the small Muslim detachment . Before it would have been completely destroyed , Abu Ubaidah , having received new intelligence , sent Khalid to rescue the Muslim army . Khalid reached there and defeated them in the Battle of Abu - al - Quds on 15 October 634 and returned with tons of looted booty from the fair and hundreds of Byzantine prisoners . With central Syria captured , the Muslims has given a decisive blow to the Byzantines . The communication between northern Syria and Palestine was now cut off . Abu Ubaidah decided to march to Fahl ( Pella ) , which is about below sea level , and where a strong Byzantine garrison and survivors of Battle of Ajnadayn were present . The region was crucial because from here the Byzantine army could strike eastwards and cut the communications line with Arabia . Moreover with this large garrison at the rear , Palestine could not be invaded . Thus the Muslim army moved to Fahl . The Byzantine army was eventually defeated at the Battle of Fahl on the 23 January 635 A . D . Battles for Emesa and the second battle of Damascus . After the battle , which would prove to be a key to Palestine and Jordan , the Muslim armies split up . Sharjeel and Amr ' s corps moved south to capture Palestine . Meanwhile , Abu Ubaidah and Khalid with a relatively larger corps moved north through Lebanon to conquer Lebanon and northern Syria . While the Muslims were occupied at Fahl , Heraclius , sensing the opportunity , quickly sent an army under General Theodore Trithyrius to recapture Damascus , where a small Muslim garrison had been left . Shortly after Heraclius dispatched this new army , the Muslims having finished the business at Fahl , were on their way to Emesa . The Byzantine army met the Muslims half way to Emesa , at Maraj - al - Rome . During the night Theodras sent half of his army towards Damascus to launch a surprise attack on the Muslim garrison Khalid ' s spy informed him about the move , Khalid having received permission from Abu Ubaidah , galloped towards Damascus with his mobile guard . While Abu Ubaidah fought and defeated the Byzantine army in the Battle of Maraj - al - Rome , Khalid moved to Damascus with his cavalry and attacked and defeated Theodras in the second battle of Damascus . A week later , Abu Ubaida himself moved towards Baalbek ( Heliopolis ) , where the great Temple of Jupiter stood . Baalbek surrendered to Muslim rule after little resistance and agreed to pay tribute . Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid straight towards Emesa . Emesa and Chalcis sued for peace for a year . Abu Ubaidah , accepted the offer and rather than invading the districts of Emesa and Chalcis , he consolidated his rule in conquered land and captured Hama , Maarrat al - Nu ' man . The peace treaties were , however , on Heraclius ' s instructions , to lure the Muslims and to secure time for preparation of defenses of northern Syria ( present day Lebanon , Syria and southern Turkey ) . Having mustered sizeable armies at Antioch , Heraclius sent them to reinforce strategically important areas of northern Syria , like Emesa and Chalcis . With the arrival of Byzantine army in the city , the peace treaty was violated , Abu Ubadiah and Khalid thus marched to Emesa , and a Byzantine army that halted Khalid ' s advance guard was defeated . The Muslims besieged Emesa which was finally conquered in March 636 after six months of siege . Battle of Yarmouk . After capturing Emesa , the Muslims moved north to capture whole of the northern Syria . Khalid , acting as an advance guard took his mobile guard to raid northern Syria . At Shaizer , Khalid intercepted a convoy taking provisions for Chalcis . The prisoners were interrogated and informed him about Emperor Heraclius ' ambitious plan to take back Syria . They told him that an army , possibly 200 , 000 strong , would soon emerge to recapture their territory . Khalid stopped there . After his past experiences , Heraclius , now had been avoiding pitch battles with the Muslims . He planned to send massive reinforcements to all the major cities and isolate the Muslim corps from each other , and thus separately encircle and destroy the Muslim armies . Five massive armies were launched in June 636 to roll back Syria . Khalid , sensing Heraclius ' s plan , feared that the Muslim armies would be isolated and destroyed . In a council of war he suggested that Abu Ubaidah draw all the Muslim armies to one place so as to fight a decisive battle with the Byzantines . As per Khalid ' s suggestion , Abu Ubaidah ordered all the Muslim armies in Syria to evacuate the conquered land and concentrate at Jabiya . This maneuver gave a decisive blow to the Heraclius ' s plan , as he did not wish engage his troops in an open battle with the Muslims , where the light cavalry could be effectively used . From Jabiya , on Khalid ' s suggestion , Abu Ubaidah ordered the Muslim army to withdraw on the plain of the Yarmouk River , where cavalry could be used . While the Muslim armies were gathering at Yarmouk , Khalid intercepted and routed the Byzantine advance guard . This was to ensure the safe retreat of the Muslims from conquered land . The Muslim armies reached there in July 636 . A week or two later , around mid July , the Byzantine army arrived . The Byzantine commander in chief , Vahan , sent Christian Arab troops of the Ghassanid king , Jabalah ibn al - Aiham , to check the strength of the Muslims . Khalid ' s mobile guard defeated and routed the Christian Arabs ; this was the last action before the battle started . For the next month negotiations continued between the two armies , and Khalid went to meet Vahan in person at Byzantine camp . Meanwhile the Muslims received reinforcements sent by Caliph Umar . Abu Ubaidah in a council of war transferred the command of Muslim army to Khalid , who acted as a field commander in the battle and was the mastermind behind the annihilation of Byzantine army . Finally on 15 August , the Battle of Yarmouk was fought , it lasted for 6 days and ended in a devastating defeat for the Byzantines . The Battle of Yarmouk is considered to be one of the most decisive battles of history . It was the historic defeat that sealed the fate of Byzantines , the magnitude of defeat was so intense that Byzantine could never recover from it . It left whole of the Byzantine Empire vulnerable to the Muslim invaders . The battle was the greatest battle ever fought on Syrian soil till then and was a tactical marvel of Khalid . Capturing Jerusalem . With the Byzantine army shattered and routed , the Muslims quickly recaptured the territory that they conquered prior to Yarmouk . Abu Ubaida held a meeting with his high command , including Khalid , to decide on future conquests . They decided to conquer Jerusalem . The Siege of Jerusalem lasted four months after which the city agreed to surrender , but only to caliph Umar in person . ' Amr ibn al - ' As suggested that Khalid should be sent as caliph , because of his very strong resemblance to Umar . Khalid was recognized and eventually , Umar came and the Jerusalem surrendered on April 637 . After Jerusalem , the Muslim armies broke up once again . Yazid ' s corps went to Damascus and captured Beirut . Amr and Sharjeel ' s corps went on to conquer the rest of Palestine , while Abu Ubaidah and Khalid , at the head of a 17 , 000 strong army moved north to conquer whole of the northern Syria . Abu Ubaida sent the commanders ' Amr ibn al - ' As , Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan , and Sharjeel ibn Hassana back to their areas to reconquer them . Most of the areas submitted without a fight . Abu Ubaida himself , along with Khalid , moved to northern Syria once again to conquer them with a 17 , 000 strong army . Khalid along with his cavalry was sent to Hazir and Abu Ubaidah moved to Chalcis . Conquest of northern Syria . With Emesa already in hand , Abu Ubaidah and Khalid moved towards Chalcis , which was strategically the most significant Byzantine fort . Though Chalcis , the Byzantines would guard Anatolia , Heraclius ' s homeland Armenia and there the Asian zone ' s capital Antioch . Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid , with his elite cavalry , the mobile guard , towards Chalcis . The fort was guarded by the Greek troops under their commander , Menas , who was reported to be of high prestige , second only to the emperor himself . Menas , diverting from conventional Byzantine tactics , decided to face Khalid and destroy the leading elements of the Muslim army before the main body could join them at Hazir , east of Chalcis . This is known as the Battle of Hazir , which even forced Umar to praise Khalid ' s military genius . Umar is reported to have said : Abu Ubaidah soon joined Khalid at the virtually impregnable fort of Chalcis , which surrendered in June 637 . With this strategic victory , the territory north of Chalcis lay open to the Muslims . Khalid and Abu Ubaidah continued their march northward and laid siege to Aleppo , which was captured after fierce resistance from desperate Byzantine troops in October 637 . The next objective was the splendid city of Antioch , the capital of the Asian zone of the Byzantine Empire . Before marching towards Antioch , Khalid and Abu Ubaidah decided to isolate the city from Anatolia . Accordingly , they sent detachments north to eliminate all possible Byzantine forces and captured a garrison town , Azaz from Aleppo ; from there the Muslims attacked Antioch on the eastern side . In order to save the empire from annihilation , a desperate battle was fought between the Muslim army and that of the defenders of Antioch , popularly known as Battle of Iron Bridge . The Byzantine army was composed of the survivors of Yarmouk and other Syrian campaigns . After being defeated , the Byzantines retreated to Antioch and the Muslims besieged the city . Having little hope of help from Emperor Herakleios , Antioch surrendered on 30 October 637 , with the terms that all Byzantine troops would be given safe passage to Constantinople . Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid northwards , while he marched south and captured Lazkia , Jabla , Tartus and the coastal areas west of Anti - Lebanon mountains . Khalid moved north and raided territory up to the Kızıl River ( Kızılırmak ) in Anatolia . Emperor Heraclius had already left Antioch for Edessa before the arrival of the Muslims . He arranged for the necessary defenses in Al - Jazira and Armenia and left for his capital Constantinople . On his way to Constantinople he had a narrow escape when Khalid , after the capturing Marash , was heading south towards Munbij . Heraclius hastily took the mountainous path and , passing though the Cilician Gates , is reported to have said : With the devastating defeat at Yarmouk his empire was extremely vulnerable to Muslim invasion . With few military resources left he was no longer in a position to attempt a military come back in Syria . To gain time for the preparations of the defense of the rest of his empire , Heraclius needed the Muslims occupied in Syria . He sought help of the Christian Arabs of Al - Jazira who mustered up a large army and marched against Emesa , Abu Ubaidah ' s headquarters . Abu Ubaidah withdrew all his forces from northern Syria to Emesa , and the Christian Arabs laid siege to the city . Khalid was in favour of an open battle outside the fort , but Abu Ubaidah rather sent the matter to Umar , who handled it brilliantly . Umar sent detachments of the Muslim army from Iraq to invade Al - Jazira , homeland of the invading Christian Arabs , from three different routes . Moreover , another detachment was sent to Emesa from Iraq under Qa ’ qa ibn Amr , a veteran of Yarmouk who was sent to Iraq for the Battle of al - Qādisiyyah . Umar himself marched from Medina at the head of 1 , 000 men . The Christian Arabs , when they received the news of the Muslim invasion of their homeland , abandoned the siege and hastily withdrew to Al - Jazira . At this point Khalid and his mobile guard came out of the fort and devastated the army , attacking them from the rear . Campaigns in Armenia and Anatolia . After the battle Umar ordered the conquest of Al - Jazira , which was completed by late summer 638 A . D . Following the victory , Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid and Ayaz ibn Ghanam ( conqueror of Al - Jazira ) to invade the Byzantine territory north of Al - Jazira . They marched independently and captured Edessa , Amida ( Diyarbakır ) , Malatya and whole of Armenia up to Ararat and raided northern and central Anatolia . Heraclius has already abandoned all the forts between Antioch and Tartus to create a buffer zone or no man ' s land between Muslim controlled areas and mainland Anatolia . Umar for the time being stopped his armies from further invasion deeper into Anatolia but rather ordered Abu Ubaidah , now the governor of Syria , to consolidate his rule in Syria . At this point , Umar is reported to have said : Due to the dismissal of Khalid from the army and a famine and plague the next year , the Muslim armies were kept from invading Anatolia . The expedition to Anatolia and Armenia marked the end of the military career of Khalid . The great famine . Later that year Arabia fell into a severe drought , and large sums of people began to perish from hunger and epidemic diseases alike , both resulting from the drought and its complications . Therefore , countless numbers of people ( in the hundreds of thousands ) , from throughout Arabia , gathered at Medina as food was being rationed . Soon , Medina ' s food reserves declined to alarming levels ; by this time , Caliph Umar had already wrote to the governors of his provinces requesting any relevant aid they might assist with . One such letter was rushed to Abu Ubaidah , who responded promptly : True to his assurance , Abu Ubaidah ' s caravans of food supplies were the first to reach Medina , with 4 , 000 camels arriving full of food . To handle the overwhelming amount , Umar appointed Abu Ubaidah to distribute this among the thousands of people living in the outskirts of Medina . Following Abu Ubaidah ' s generous aid and efforts , Umar provided 4 , 000 dinar s as a modest stipend or token of appreciation which , he refused on the grounds that the deed was done for the sake of God . The great plague . Nine months had passed since the drought and a new problem had started brewing . The plague epidemic broke in Syria and western Iraq ; it was most severe in Syria . When the news of plague broke Umar had been on his way for a tour of Syria but , he returned from the Syrian border as advised by his companions . Abu Ubaidah met him there and said : Umar was shocked by this and said in sorrow : " if only some one else would have said this other than you Abu Ubaidah " and then said : Umar returned from Syria because Muhammad once instructed that one should not enter the place where an epidemic is unless it is absolutely safe . So Abu Ubaidah returned to his army at Emesa . It was then that a plague hit the land of Syria , the like of which people had never experienced before . It devastated the population . As Caliph Umar wanted to make Abu Ubaidah his successor he didn ' t want him to remain there in the epidemic region . Umar dispatched a messenger to Abu Ubaidah with a letter saying : When Abu Ubaydah received Umar ' s letter , he said , ' " I know why Umar needs me . He wants to secure the survival of someone who , however , is not eternal . " So he wrote to Umar : When Caliph Umar read this letter tears filled his eyes and those who were with him asked , " Has Abu Ubaidah died ? " he replied " No , but death is near to him . " . Caliph Umar sent another messenger to him saying that if you are not coming back at least move to any highland with a less humid environment and Abu Ubaidah moved to Jabyia . Another reason why Abu Ubaydah did not leave Syria is because Muhammad once ordered that if a state is being hit by a plague , none from the state should escape and none from outside the state shall enter it ( quarantine ) . Death . As soon as Abu Ubaidah moved to Jabyia he became afflicted with the plague . As death hung over him , he spoke to his army : He then appointed Muadh ibn Jabal as his successor and ordered him to lead people in prayers ; after the prayers Muadh went to him and , at that moment , his soul departed . Muadh got up and said to the people : He died in 639 C . E . and was buried at Jabiya . It has been narrated that his janaza was led by Muadh bin Jabal . Legacy . His appearance was striking , slim and tall and his face was bright and he had a sparse beard . It was pleasing to look at him and refreshing to meet him . He was extremely courteous and humble and quite shy . Yet in a tough situation he would become strikingly serious and alert . He was given the title " Amin " or Custodian of Muhammad ' s community ( Ummah ) . ` Abd Allah ibn ` Umar once said about him : He chose to live a simple way of life , opting for the most modest of garments when compared to some of the other " sahaba " ( companions of Muhammad ) . When , during the conquest of Jerusalem , Caliph Umar had come to Syria , he was met by Khalid ibn al - Walid and Yazid bin abu Sufyan ; Caliph Umar dismounted from his camel and threw sand at them while admonishing them that " it has not been even a year since you have come out of the hunger and hard life of Arabia and you have forgotten all the simplicity when you saw the glamour of Syria ' s Emperors ? " Both men were incidentally wearing better garments then they were previously accustomed ; Khalid ibn al - Walid noted that beneath their clothes they were still sufficiently armed , indicating they were still accustomed to the practical ways of hard desert life , bringing some relief to the Caliph . Comparatively , Abu Ubaidah was also present , but had always maintained his humble dressing and way of life ; Umar was pleased to see him , and that very evening , when Umar arrived at his home , he saw that Abu Ubaidah , a man made successful in the art of battle ( earning him rights to much booty ) , had no possessions at home except one bed , a sword and a shield . Umar said to him : Christians of the Levant accepted Islam and were greatly inspired by Abu Ubaidah ; all members of the two Christian tribes , Banu Tanookh and Banu Saleej , had accepted Islam after the conquest of the city of Qasreen . Moreover , there was much relief given by Abu Ubaidah to the non - Muslims living as his subjects in Syria . He is regarded by Muslims to be one of the ten companions of Muhammad who were promised paradise by God during their lifetime . Family . Little is known about Abu Ubaidah ' s family . He had two wives . From his wife Hind bint Jabar he had his son Yazid and Ubaidah . From his wife Warja he had his son Umair , but all of them died in childhood . It is unknown if he had any daughters , but his male line of descendants is reported to be ended . However , the Al - Jarrah family in present day Jordan and Lebanon claim their descendant from Abu Ubaidah .