Nine Companions of the Prophet ﷺ

Born in Madinah around 605 CE into the Khazraj tribe (Banu Salimah). He embraced Islam at the age of eighteen during the Second Pledge of Aqabah, before the Hijrah; placing him among the earliest of the Ansar.

Took part in Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and the major expeditions that followed. The Prophet ﷺ singled him out for his mastery of lawful and unlawful matters.

«أَعْلَمُ أُمَّتِي بِالْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ»

Specific incident: When the Prophet ﷺ sent him as judge and teacher to Yemen, he asked, “By what will you judge?” Muadh replied: by the Book of Allah; then the Sunnah of His Messenger; then by his own ijtihad. The Prophet ﷺ struck his chest with delight and praised Allah. This exchange is one of the foundational texts of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh).

Completed his mission in Yemen, then moved to Sham (greater Syria) where he served under Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. After Abu Ubaidah’s death in the plague, Umar (رضي الله عنه) appointed Muadh as governor of Sham; a post he held only briefly before he too was struck by the same epidemic.

Died in 18 AH (639 CE) in the Plague of Amwas in the Jordan Valley, aged roughly 33 to 38. His grave is in the Jordan Valley; visited to this day.

Born in Makkah around 584 CE into the Quraysh clan of Banu Adi. He embraced Islam in the sixth year of Prophethood at roughly twenty seven. His conversion is among the most famous in Islamic history: he set out armed to kill the Prophet ﷺ; was diverted to his sister Fatimah’s house, heard verses of Surah Taha being recited, and his heart was overturned. He went straight to the Prophet ﷺ and declared his faith.

Titled al-Faruq (the one who distinguishes truth from falsehood). His Islam allowed the Muslims to pray openly at the Kabah for the first time. He migrated publicly and defiantly. Participated in Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaybar, Hudaybiyyah, the Conquest of Makkah, Hunayn and Tabuk. His daughter Hafsah became Mother of the Believers.

Second Caliph (13 to 23 AH). Under his rule the Muslims conquered the Sasanid Persian Empire, much of Sham, Egypt, Palestine and Jerusalem. He instituted the Hijri calendar, organised the Diwan (state register), formalised the Bait al-Mal, gathered the believers to pray Tarawih in congregation, and was famous for patrolling the streets of Madinah at night to inspect the welfare of his people.

Stabbed at Fajr in the Prophet’s Mosque by Abu Lu’lu’ah, a Persian slave, while leading the prayer. He lingered a few days, appointed a council of six to choose his successor, and died in 23 AH (644 CE) aged about sixty. He was buried beside the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr inside Aishah’s chamber.

From the noble Yemeni tribe of Kindah; exact birth year not preserved. He came to Madinah with the Kindah delegation late in the Prophet’s life and gave him the pledge of Islam directly.

He narrated relatively few hadith, but one carries enormous weight: the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever among us is appointed to a task and conceals from it even a needle or anything smaller, that is ghulul (embezzlement) and he will come bearing it on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim)

Settled first in Kufa, later moved to the Jazirah region (upper Mesopotamia) and finally to Hims in Sham. Most historians count him among those who took part in the conquests of Sham.

Died during the caliphate of Mu’awiyah (رضي الله عنه), commonly placed around 40 AH; buried in Hims or the Jazirah region.

His real name is Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb, of Banu Najjar (Khazraj). He embraced Islam at the Second Pledge of Aqabah, before the Hijrah.

The most celebrated incident of his life: when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, the Muhajirun and Ansar competed for the honour of hosting him. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Let the camel choose; she is commanded.” The camel knelt at Abu Ayyub’s home; the Prophet ﷺ stayed with him for nearly seven months, until his own quarters and the mosque were built.

He fought at Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaybar, Hunayn, Tabuk and every major expedition that followed.

Joined the conquests of Sham under Abu Bakr and Umar. In old age, he insisted on joining the Muslim expedition to Constantinople sent by Mu’awiyah, citing the hadith that the first army to attack the city would be forgiven.

Died in 52 AH (672 CE) during the siege of Constantinople, at advanced age. His final wish was to be buried as deep inside Byzantine territory as the army could carry him. His tomb stands at the Eyüp Sultan mosque in modern Istanbul; a major site for centuries.

His given name (the strongest opinion): Abdurrahman ibn Sakhr of the Daws tribe in Yemen. The Prophet ﷺ named him Abu Hurairah (“father of the kitten”) for the kitten he carried as a boy. He embraced Islam at the hand of the Prophet’s envoy Tufayl ibn Amr ad-Dawsi, and travelled to Madinah in 7 AH, the year of Khaybar, aged about thirty.

From his arrival until the Prophet’s death (only three to four years), he attached himself completely to him; living in as-Suffah, the shaded portico of the mosque, often hungry, and never leaving the Prophet’s company. Because of this constant nearness, he heard more than any other companion.

Appointed governor of Bahrain by Umar (رضي الله عنه), and later acted as governor of Madinah on several occasions under Marwan ibn al-Hakam. He devoted himself to teaching hadith; thousands learned directly from him.

Died in 57 AH (678 CE) in Madinah, aged about seventy eight; buried in al-Baqi. (Some scholars give 58 or 59 AH.)

Born in Makkah around 614 CE, daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه) and Umm Ruman. She was raised in a household that had been Muslim from the very first day; she never knew her parents as anything but believers. Married to the Prophet ﷺ in Makkah; the marriage was consummated in Madinah after the Hijrah.

Mother of the Believers and the most beloved of his wives. The Prophet ﷺ was once asked who he loved most among people; he answered: “Aishah.” Verses were revealed concerning her: the obligation of tayammum came after she lost a necklace on a journey, and ten verses of Surah an-Nur were revealed clearing her name in the Incident of the Slander (al-Ifk).

She became one of the greatest jurists of the Ummah. The senior Companions consulted her on points of fiqh, hadith, poetry, history and medicine. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari said: “We never faced a difficulty as Companions of the Prophet ﷺ except that we asked Aishah and found knowledge with her.”

Specific event: She took part in the Battle of the Camel in 36 AH, seeking retribution for the killing of Uthman; later she expressed deep regret for having marched out and used to weep when she recited the verse “And remain in your houses…”

Died on the night of 17th Ramadan, 58 AH (678 CE), aged about sixty six. Buried in al-Baqi, by her own request, that she not be buried with the Prophet ﷺ out of humility.

Son of the famous commander Amr ibn al-As (conqueror of Egypt). He embraced Islam before his father; only twelve or so years younger than him. He was learned in Hebrew and Syriac, and had read the previous scriptures.

Among the very few Companions who wrote down hadith in his own lifetime; his collection was called as-Sahifah as-Sadiqah (“the Truthful Page”). When some objected, the Prophet ﷺ pointed to his mouth and said, “Write, for by Him in whose hand is my soul, only truth comes forth from it.”

Took part in the conquests of Sham and Egypt under his father’s command. He was reluctantly present at the Battle of Siffin (37 AH) on Mu’awiyah’s side, obeying his father, though he later said he wished he had died twenty years before that day. He spent his later years in worship, often regretting that he had not held to Prophet’s earlier counsel of moderation in his old age, when his strength failed.

Died around 65 AH (685 CE); the place is disputed between Sham, Makkah and Egypt. (Some sources give 63 or 68 AH.)

Son of Umar al-Faruq, born in Makkah three years after his father’s Islam. He grew up Muslim from the start, migrated to Madinah as a child, and is counted among the small companions of the Prophet ﷺ.

He presented himself for Uhud at thirteen and was sent back as too young; first allowed at Khandaq at fifteen. His most defining trait: strict imitation of the Sunnah. He would stop his camel at exactly the spots where the Prophet ﷺ stopped, drink from the very vessels he drank from, and pray at the same places, even when no one else did so.

He refused to take any side in the great fitnah between Ali and Mu’awiyah, withdrawing from both armies. He was offered the caliphate after Mu’awiyah’s death and after the killing of Husain, and refused it both times, fearing the responsibility. He became the foremost mufti of Madinah for nearly sixty years; people travelled to ask him about the Sunnah.

Died in 73 AH (693 CE) in Makkah, aged about eighty four, after being struck (some say poisoned) during the siege of Makkah by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. He had said earlier: “Nothing remains in this world for me to wish for, except prostration in prayer.” Buried in Makkah (the place is debated; Fakhkh or the well of Tuwa).

Born in Madinah about ten years before the Hijrah, of the Banu Najjar (Khazraj). His mother Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها) was among the early Ansar women.

When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, Umm Sulaym brought her ten year old son and offered him as a personal servant. For ten years, Anas served the Prophet ﷺ in his household; he later said, “By Allah, he never said ‘uff’ to me, nor ‘why did you do this?’ or ‘why did you not do that?'”

Too young for Badr, but accompanied the Prophet ﷺ in Khaybar, Hunayn, the Conquest of Makkah and Tabuk.

Sent by Abu Bakr to Bahrain on official duty; later by Umar as well. He eventually settled in Basra, where he became the chief reference point for hadith for an entire generation of Iraqi scholars (al-Hasan al-Basri, Muhammad ibn Sirin and Qatadah all narrated from him).

Died in 93 AH (712 CE) in Basra, aged about 103; the last of the Companions to die in Basra. Buried there; his grave was a known site for centuries.