List of non-Arab Sahaba
Encyclopedia
The list of non-Arab Sahaba includes the non-Arabs among the original Sahaba
of Muhammad
. Muhammad had many followers from amongst the Arab
s, from many different tribes. However, he also had many non-Arab Sahaba, from many different ethnicities. Some of these non-Arabs were among the most beloved and loyal individuals to Muhammad. The inclusion of these non-Arabs among the original followers of Muhammad and Islam
represents the universality of the message of Islam.
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Muhammad had many followers from amongst the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s, from many different tribes. However, he also had many non-Arab Sahaba, from many different ethnicities. Some of these non-Arabs were among the most beloved and loyal individuals to Muhammad. The inclusion of these non-Arabs among the original followers of Muhammad and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
represents the universality of the message of Islam.
Habesha people (of Ethiopia and Eritrea)
- Bilal ibn RibahBilal ibn RibahBilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi was an Ethiopian born in Mecca in the late 6th century, sometime between 578 and 582.The Islamic prophet Muhammad chose a former African slave Bilal as his muezzin, effectively making him the first muezzin of the Islamic faith...
- while still a slave, he converted to Islam and defiantly resisted torture and persecution (for his conversion) from his pagan slave-master. He later became the first mu'adhdhinMuezzinA muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his...
(caller to prayer) in Islamic history. - Wahshy ibn HarbWahshy ibn HarbWahshy ibn Harb was the Ethiopian slave of Jubayr ibn Mut'im and a Sahaba . He is best known for killing a leading Muslim general, Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib Muhammad's uncle, prior to accepting Islam, and afterwards killing Musaylimah, the leader of an enemy apostate army who were waging war...
- he killed Hamza, Muhammad's beloved uncle and a leading Muslim general and formidable soldier, but redeemed himself when he converted to Islam. He later killed MusaylimahMusaylimahMusaylimah or Maslamah bin Ḥabīb was one of a series of men who claimed to be a prophet around the same time as Muhammad. He is viewed as a false prophet by traditional accounts, and frequently referred to by the epithet "the Liar" .-Biography:...
, the most formidable opponent of the Muslims during the Wars of ApostasyRidda warsThe Ridda wars , also known as the Wars of Apostasy, were a series of military campaigns against the rebellion of several Arabian tribes launched by the Caliph Abu Bakr during 632 and 633 AD, after prophet Muhammad died....
. - Usama ibn ZaydUsama ibn ZaydUsama bin Zayd was the son of Zayd ibn Harithah , the Islamic prophet, Muhammad's freed slave, adopted son and one of the first Muslims. Umm Ayman was his mother.-Early life:...
- loved by Muhammad almost as equal to a grandson. He was the youngest person ever to be appointed a general by Muhammad. - Umm Ayman (Barakah)Umm Ayman (Barakah)Barakah was an Ethiopian slave girl who initially served Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib . After Abdullah's death she would serve Muhammad, until he would free her after marrying Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. After this she married a man from Banu Khazraj named Ubayd ibn Zayd. This marriage produced a son...
- she was around Muhammad from his birth until his death and was the closest example of a mother to him (after his own mother’s death when he was a child). She was the mother of Usama ibn Zayd. - Al-NahdiahAl-NahdiahAl-Nahdiah was a female Sahaba .Other transliterations include Nadia, An-Nahdiyah or Al Nahdiah -Biography:She had a daughter named Umm Ubays , and both of them were the slaves of a lady of Banu Abd-al-dar ....
- she converted to Islam while she was a slave, but refused to abandon her new faith even after being tortured and persecuted by her slave-master. She was later freed from slavery. - LubaynahLubaynahLubaynah was a sahābia of Muhammad and among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr.Lubaynah was a slave girl of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Before Umar's conversion to Islam his harsh treatment of his convert slaves was well known. Zinnira was her companion in slavery....
- she converted to Islam while she was a slave, but refused to abandon her new faith even after being persecuted by her then pagan slave-master. She was later freed from slavery. - Umm UbaysUmm UbaysUmm Umais , Umm Ubais or Umm Ubays was among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr.Umm Ubays was the daughter of Al-Nahdiah.Umm Ubays had also a sister, Harithah bint al-Muammil, however it is not established if they shared the same mother in the sources this article uses.-External...
- she converted to Islam while she was a slave, but refused to abandon her new faith even after being tortured and persecuted by her pagan slave-master. She was later freed from slavery. She was the daughter of Al-Nahdiah. - Harithah bint al-MuammilHarithah bint al-MuammilHarithah bint Al-Muammil was among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr.Harithah bint Al-Muammil, the sister of Umm Ubays who was known as Zunairah 'Al-Romiyah, was a slave girl of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Lubaynah was her fellow slave....
- she converted to Islam while she was a slave, but refused to abandon her new faith even after being persecuted to such a severe extent that she lost her eyesight. She was later freed from slavery. Umm Ubays was her sister.
Comorian
- Fey Bedja Mwamba- He was (according to local Comorian legend) a Comorian noble who originally brought Islam to the Comoros Islands (during Muhammad’s lifetime) after having visited Mecca during Muhammad’s lifetime and there converted to Islam.
- Mtswa Mwandze- He was (according to local Comorian legend) a Comorian noble who originally brought Islam to the Comoros Islands (during Muhammad’s lifetime) after having visited Mecca during Muhammad’s lifetime and there converted to Islam.
Copt (Native Egyptian)
- Maria al-QibtiyyaMaria al-QibtiyyaMaria al-Qibtiyya , or Maria the Copt, was an Egyptian Coptic Christian slave who was sent as a gift from Muqawqis, a Byzantine official, to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 628. Some sources say she became his wife, taking the title "Mother of the Believers"...
- she was one of the Ummahat-al-Mu'mineen (Mother of the Believers) and was the mother of Muhammad's third son Ibrahim. - SirinSirin (Islamic history)Sîrîn bint Sham'ûn was an Egyptian Coptic Christian who became one of Muhammad's slaves. She and her sister Maria al-Qibtiyya were sent to Muhammad as gifts from the Sassanid official Muqawqis in 628. Muhammad married Maria and Sirin was married to his follower, the poet Hassan ibn Thabit. Hassan...
- she was the wife of Hassan ibn Thabit, who was one of the best Arab poets of the time. Maria al-Qibtiyya was her sister.
Hellenized Arab
- Suhayb ar-RumiSuhayb ar-RumiSuhayb ar-Rumi , also known as Suhayb ibn Sinan, was a former slave in the Byzantine Empire who went on to become an esteemed companion of Muhammad and revered member of the early Muslim community.-Early life:...
(Suhayb the Roman) - He was an Arab who was taken prisoner while still a little boy by Byzantine Empire soldiers, when they attacked a village he was in. Thereafter, for about twenty years he passed from one Byzantine slave-master to another and grew up speaking Greek and practically forgot Arabic. He later escaped from slavery and headed for Mecca- which was considered a place of asylum. There people called him Suhayb ar-Rumi because of his peculiarly heavy speech and blond hair. Later in Mecca, after meeting with Muhammad, he converted to Islam. When Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina, Suhayb gave up his vast wealth in order to be alongside him in Medina. His standing among the Muslims was so high that he was nominated by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab to lead the Muslims (both in prayers and as head of the Muslim community) in the period between his (Umar’s) death and the election of his successor.
Jewish
- Abdullah ibn Salam- he was a rabbi before his conversion to Islam and was the first Muslim that was explicitly promised JannahJannahJannah , is the Islamic conception of paradise. The Arabic word Jannah is a shortened version meaning simply "Garden". According to Islamic eschatology, after death, one will reside in the grave until the appointed resurrection on . Muslims believe that the treatment of the individual in the life...
(paradise) by Muhammad while he was still alive. - Safiyya bint HuyayySafiyya bint HuyayySafiyya bint Huyayy was a Jewish woman captured from the Banu Nadir tribe at age 17, who became Muhammad's wife. She was, along with all other wives of Muhammad, titled Umm-ul-Mo'mineen or the "Mother of Believers"....
- she was one of the Ummahat-al-Mu'mineen (Mother of the Believers). - RayhanaRayhanaRayhāna bint Zayd ibn ʿAmr was a Jewish woman from the Banu Qurayza tribe. Her relationship with Muhammad is disputed.Rayhana was originally a member of the Banu Nadir tribe who married a man from the Banu Qurayza...
- she was one of the Ummahat-al-Mu'mineen (Mother of the Believers).
Pashtun
- Qais Abdur RashidQais Abdur RashidQais Abdur Rashid Khan , also known as Kesh, Kish, Qesh and Imraul Qais is a legendary ancestor of the Pashtun race, claimed to be the first ethnic Pashtun who travelled to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia during the early days of Islam.) He is believed to be the 37th descendent of King Saul .He...
(also known as Imraul Qais Khan)- he was a legendary ancestor of the Pashtuns, who traveled from ZhobZhob-Roads:Zhob is 333 kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometers from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part fair nowadays track passing through water streams and almost complete road is metalloid....
, present day Baluchistan, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to Arabia to meet Muhammad and there embraced Islam, before returning to his people and introducing them to the faith.
Persian
- Salman the PersianSalman the PersianSalman the Persian or Salman al Farisi was one of Muhammad's companions.During some of his later meetings with the other Sahaba, he was referred to as Abu Abdullah .-Birth place:...
- he was born in Persia but embarked on a long and continuous journey (away from his homeland) in search of the truth. He ultimately reached his destination in Arabia, when he met Muhammad and converted to Islam. It was his suggestion to build a trench in the Battle of the Trench that ultimately resulted in a defeat for the forces of the enemies of the Muslims. - Fayruz al-DaylamiFayruz al-DaylamiFayruz al-Daylami was a Companion of Muhammad.He was sent out by Muhammad to assassinate Aswad Ansi, who claimed prophethood in Yemen.-External links:* from USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts....
- Companion (SahabahSahabahIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
) of Muhammad. - Munabbih ibn KamilMunabbih ibn KamilMunabbih ibn Kamil ibn Sirajud-Din Dhee Kibaar Abu-Abdullah al-Yamani al-San'ani was a companion of Muhammad.He been converted to Islam in the lifetime of Muhammad.He was a Persian knight, and was married to a Himyarite ....
- he was a Persian knight. He had two sons, who were both Islamic scholars. - Salim Mawla Abu-Hudhayfah- he was a highly respected and valued Muslim (among his fellow Muslims), who died while fighting against the forces of Musaylimah during the Wars of Apostasy. Umar ibn al-Khattāb suggested he would have designated Salim as his successor to the Caliphate had he still been alive.
Malayali/malabari
- Cheraman Perumal- he was a king of the Chera Dynasty who gave up his kingdom to personally go and meet Muhammad after witnessing a miracle. He embraced Islam in the presence of Muhammad and later died in Arabia during his journey back to his homeland in India.
Unknown Ethnicity
- AddasAddasAddas was a young Christian slave boy who lived in Taif, a mountainous area south of Mecca, during the times of Muhammad. He was the first person from the western province of Taif to convert to the new religion of Islam. He was originally from Nineveh....
- he was a young Christian slave boy (originally from NinevehNinevehNineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
) who was the first person from Taif to convert to Islam.
See also
- Al-Najashi- he was the king of Abyssinia who allowed a number of Muslims (who were being persecuted by the pagans of Arabia) to live safely under his protection in his kingdom. He later converted to Islam and when he died, Muhammad observed prayer in absentia for him.
- Badhan (Persian Governor)Badhan (Persian Governor)Bādhān was the Persian Governor of Yemen, during the reign of Khosrau II. He ruled from Sana'a. During his rule, he was ordered by Khosrau II to send some men to Medina to bring Muhammad to Khosrau II himself. Badhan sent two men for this task. When these two men met Muhammad and demanded he come...
- he was the Sassanid Persian Governor of Yemen who converted to Islam after one of Muhammad’s prophecies was proven to be correct. As a result, every Persian in Yemen followed his example and also converted to Islam.