the Plague of 'Amwas (18 AH)

The plague of Amwas in Syria in 18 AH took the flower of the conquest's commanders: Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him), the commander of the people; Mu'adh ibn Jabal; Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan; al-Harith ibn Hisham; and Suhayl ibn Amr. Umar wrote to Abu Ubayda summoning him on an urgent matter, intending to bring him out of the epidemic. Abu Ubayda understood Umar's purpose and wrote back: "I am among the soldiers of the Muslims, and I have no desire to be apart from them, so release me from your order." When Umar read the letter he wept. He was asked, "Has Abu Ubayda died?" He said, "No, but it is as if it had already happened." Abu Musa al-Ash'ari's advice to the people was that they should move out of the villages into the open country and its fresh air until the plague lifted. ¹.