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The Companions (Ṣaḥāba)

The Ṣaḥāba are the people who met the Prophet ﷺ as believers and died as Muslims. It is through them that the Qurʾān and the Sunnah have reached us.

Why they are so important

The Companions learned Islam directly from the Prophet ﷺ, lived by it and faithfully passed it on to the following generations. They memorised and wrote down the Qurʾān and transmitted the words and deeds of the Prophet ﷺ.

Allah praised them in the Qurʾān, and the Prophet ﷺ called their generation the best.

رَّضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُ

… Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him …

at-Tawba 9:100 (excerpt)

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them."

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2652

Love and respect for all the Companions

We love and respect all the Companions, the women and men among them, the family of the Prophet ﷺ (Ahl al-Bayt) and his wives, the "Mothers of the Believers". We speak of them only with respect.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not abuse my Companions! If one of you spent gold equal to the mountain of Uḥud (for Allah), it would not equal a handful (mudd) given by one of them, nor even half of it."

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3673

العشرة المبشرون بالجنة

The ten who were given the glad tidings of Paradise

In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ named ten Companions and gave them the glad tidings of Paradise. They are called al-ʿAshara al-Mubashsharūn.

Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 3747 · Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4649

The four Rightly Guided Caliphs (al-Khulafāʾ ar-Rāshidūn)

أبو بكر الصديق

Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq

First caliph (632–634)

One of the first people to accept Islam and the closest friend of the Prophet ﷺ. He accompanied him on the migration to Medina and hid with him in the cave of Thawr. As caliph, he had the Qurʾān collected into one volume for the first time.

لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَا

… Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us …

at-Tawba 9:40 (excerpt)

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3653, 4986

عمر بن الخطاب

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb

Second caliph (634–644)

Known as al-Fārūq, "the one who distinguishes truth from falsehood". His acceptance of Islam gave great strength to the small community in Mecca. As caliph he was known for his justice and humility, and he introduced the Islamic calendar counted from the Hijra. The Prophet ﷺ said that if there were an inspired one (muḥaddath) in his community, it would be ʿUmar.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3689

عثمان بن عفان

ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān

Third caliph (644–656)

Called Dhū n-Nūrayn, "the one with two lights", because he married two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ, one after the other. He was known for his great generosity. As caliph, he had standardised copies of the Qurʾān made and sent to every region.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4987, 3674

علي بن أبي طالب

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib

Fourth caliph (656–661)

The cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, who accepted Islam as a boy. He married Fāṭima, the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ, and was known for his knowledge and courage. The Prophet ﷺ said that he was to him as Hārūn was to Mūsā, except that there is no prophet after him.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4416 · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2404

The other six

طلحة بن عبيد الله

Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbaydillāh

One of the earliest Muslims

He accepted Islam very early and was known for his generosity. At the Battle of Uḥud he shielded the Prophet ﷺ with his hand, which remained paralysed afterwards.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3724

الزبير بن العوام

az-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām

Cousin of the Prophet ﷺ

Son of Ṣafiyya, the aunt of the Prophet ﷺ, and one of the earliest Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Every prophet has a disciple (ḥawārī), and my disciple is az-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām."

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2847

عبد الرحمن بن عوف

ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf

Merchant and benefactor

One of the earliest Muslims. In Medina, his brother in faith Saʿd ibn ar-Rabīʿ offered him half of his wealth. ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān thanked him and only asked where the market was. Through honest trade he became wealthy and gave much to those in need.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2048

سعد بن أبي وقاص

Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ

One of the earliest Muslims

He accepted Islam as a young man and came from the Banū Zuhra, the family of the Prophet's ﷺ mother. He remained loyal to the Prophet ﷺ through every difficult time.

Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 3747

سعيد بن زيد

Saʿīd ibn Zayd

One of the earliest Muslims

He and his wife Fāṭima bint al-Khaṭṭāb, the sister of ʿUmar, accepted Islam very early. In their home ʿUmar heard verses of the Qurʾān that led him to Islam. Saʿīd himself narrated the hadith about the ten who were given the glad tidings of Paradise.

Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4649

أبو عبيدة بن الجراح

Abū ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ

The trustworthy one of this community

One of the earliest Muslims, known for his humility and honesty. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Every community has a trustworthy one (amīn), and the trustworthy one of this community is Abū ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ."

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3744