The Companions and the Family of the Prophet ﷺ

1Who are the Sahabah?

A sahabi (Companion) or sahabiyyah (female Companion) is, according to the widely used definition found for example in the work of the scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, someone who met the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him and died as a Muslim. They include men and women, old people and children, merchants and shepherds, members of powerful families and people who had once been enslaved. Bilal came from Abyssinia, Salman from Persia, and Suhayb was called "the Roman" because he had grown up among the Byzantines. In this circle you can already see what the Quran says: before Allah what counts is not origin but God-consciousness 49:13.

The Quran speaks of them several times with great appreciation. "The forerunners, the first of the Emigrants (Muhajirun) and the Helpers (Ansar), and those who followed them in excellence: Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him" 9:100. Of the believers who pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ under the tree at Hudaybiyyah it says: "Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree" 48:18. And the Quran describes the community around the Prophet ﷺ as people who are "merciful to one another", seeking Allah's favour in bowing and prostration 48:29. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them" (al-Bukhari, Muslim).

What we owe the Companions can hardly be overstated. They memorised the Quran, wrote it down and gathered it into a single mushaf. They passed on the words and deeds of the Prophet ﷺ from which the hadith collections grew. And they carried Islam into the world, from Madinah to the Indus and the Atlantic.

2The brotherhood of Madinah

When the Prophet ﷺ emigrated to Madinah in 622, many Makkans arrived with nothing. The Ansar, the Muslims of Madinah, took them in. The Quran praises them: "They love those who have emigrated to them … and give them preference over themselves, even though they are in need" 59:9. The Prophet ﷺ paired each Emigrant with a Helper as brothers. So Sa'd ibn ar-Rabi' offered his new brother Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf half of everything he owned. Abd ar-Rahman thanked him, prayed for blessing upon him and said only: "Show me the way to the market" (al-Bukhari). He later became one of the wealthiest and most generous of the Companions. This story holds both: generosity that wants to share everything, and dignity that wants to take nothing for free.

3The first believers

The first person to believe in the message was Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. Among the young it was his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, who grew up in the Prophet's ﷺ household; among free men his friend Abu Bakr; and among freed slaves Zayd ibn Harithah. This is how many scholars summarise it. Shia tradition, and some Sunni historians, especially emphasise that Ali was the first man to accept Islam. All agree that Islam began in a small circle of people who were closest to the Prophet ﷺ and knew him best.

4The four rightly guided caliphs

After the Prophet ﷺ passed away in the year 11 AH (632), four of his closest Companions led the community one after another. Sunni Muslims call them al-Khulafa' ar-Rashidun, the rightly guided caliphs, and cite the Prophet's ﷺ words: "Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me" (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi). Shia Muslims see Ali as the first Imam, appointed by the Prophet ﷺ himself; the chapter Sunnis and Shia explains these different views. Here we tell what these four men are remembered for.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (632–634)

Abu Bakr was the Prophet's ﷺ closest friend. According to tradition he received the title as-Siddiq, "the truthful one who confirms without hesitation", because he immediately believed the Prophet's ﷺ account of the Night Journey. He accompanied him on the Hijra, and the Quran recalls the night in the cave: "the second of the two, when they were both in the cave and he said to his companion: Do not grieve, Allah is with us" 9:40. With his wealth he bought the freedom of enslaved people who were being tortured for their faith, among them Bilal; Umar later said: "Abu Bakr is our master, and he freed our master" (al-Bukhari). During the Prophet's ﷺ final illness he led the prayer at the Prophet's ﷺ instruction (al-Bukhari, Muslim).

When the Prophet ﷺ died, the people were overwhelmed. Abu Bakr stood before them and said: "Whoever worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad has died. Whoever worships Allah, Allah is alive and does not die", and he recited: "Muhammad is only a messenger; messengers have passed away before him" 3:144; al-Bukhari. In his short time in office he held the community together, and at Umar's suggestion he had Zayd ibn Thabit gather the Quran into a single volume for the first time (al-Bukhari). He died in the year 13 AH (634) and rests beside the Prophet ﷺ.

Umar ibn al-Khattab (634–644)

Umar was at first a determined opponent of Islam, and became one of its strongest pillars. Ibn Mas'ud said: "We have been strong ever since Umar accepted Islam" (al-Bukhari). He is called al-Faruq, the one who distinguishes right from wrong. Under his leadership Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Jerusalem came under Muslim rule. According to the historians, he travelled to Jerusalem himself and granted the city's Christians security for their lives, their property and their churches.

Umar built the administration of the young state: registers for supporting those in need, new cities such as Kufa and Basra, and he introduced the Islamic calendar, which begins with the Hijra. He is famous for his justice and humility; many stories tell how he walked through Madinah at night to see who was going hungry. In the year 23 AH (644) he was stabbed while leading the dawn prayer and died of his wounds. Before his death he appointed a council of six Companions to choose his successor. He rests beside the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr.

Uthman ibn Affan (644–656)

Uthman was among the first Muslims. He was married to Ruqayyah, a daughter of the Prophet ﷺ, and emigrated with her to Abyssinia; after her death he married her sister Umm Kulthum. That is why he is called Dhu n-Nurayn, "the one with the two lights". He was wealthy and generous: he bought the well of Rumah in Madinah and made it available to all Muslims (al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi), and he equipped a large part of the army for the hard expedition to Tabuk (at-Tirmidhi). He was known for his modesty; the Prophet ﷺ said of him: "Should I not feel shy before a man before whom even the angels feel shy?" (Muslim).

His greatest legacy is the standard mushaf: because differences in recitation had appeared in the new provinces, he had copies made from the pages gathered under Abu Bakr, which were kept with Hafsah, and sent them to the great cities (al-Bukhari). Every mushaf you hold in your hands today goes back to this work. In the year 35 AH (656) Uthman was killed by rebels in his house in Madinah, according to the reports while he was reading the Quran.

Ali ibn Abi Talib (656–661)

Ali was the Prophet's ﷺ cousin, grew up in his household and became the husband of his daughter Fatimah. On the night of the Hijra he lay down in the Prophet's ﷺ bed so that the Prophet ﷺ could leave unnoticed. Before Khaybar the Prophet ﷺ said: "Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and whom Allah and His Messenger love", and he gave it to Ali (al-Bukhari, Muslim). When he left him behind in Madinah during the expedition to Tabuk, he said: "Are you not content to be to me what Harun was to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me?" (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Ali himself reported that the Prophet ﷺ had assured him that only a believer would love him and only a hypocrite would hate him (Muslim).

At Ghadir Khumm, on the way back from the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever I am the mawla of, Ali is his mawla" (at-Tirmidhi). Sunni scholars understand these words as an expression of love, closeness and support; Shia scholars understand them as Ali's appointment as successor. Ali was famous for his knowledge, his eloquence and his justice; his sermons and letters, collected in the Nahj al-Balaghah, are still read today for their language and wisdom. As caliph he ruled from Kufa, at a time of grave internal conflict. In Ramadan of the year 40 AH (661) he was struck with a sword by a Kharijite in the mosque of Kufa and died a few days later. His shrine stands in Najaf; more in the chapter on the cities of Islam.

Al-Hasan and the peace of the community

After Ali's death many Muslims pledged allegiance to his son al-Hasan. After a few months he gave up rule in favour of Mu'awiyah to prevent further bloodshed; the year 41 AH (661) was therefore called 'Am al-Jama'ah, "the Year of Unity". This fulfilled words the Prophet ﷺ had spoken about him: "This son of mine is a leader, and perhaps Allah will make peace through him between two great groups of Muslims" (al-Bukhari). Many Sunni scholars count his months as part of the time of the rightly guided caliphs; for Shia Muslims he is the second Imam.

5The family of the Prophet ﷺ – the Ahl al-Bayt

Love for the Prophet's ﷺ family unites all Muslims. In every prayer Sunni and Shia Muslims send blessings "upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad", just as he taught his Companions (al-Bukhari). A verse attributed to Imam ash-Shafi'i says: "O family of the Messenger of Allah, love for you is a duty from Allah, revealed in the Quran."

Who belongs to it?

The Quran says: "Allah only wishes to remove impurity from you, O people of the House, and to purify you completely" 33:33. Aishah reports that one morning the Prophet ﷺ went out wearing a patterned cloak; then al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Fatimah and Ali came, and he took them under his cloak and recited this verse (Muslim). According to a report in at-Tirmidhi, this took place in the house of Umm Salamah. These five are therefore called the People of the Cloak (Ahl al-Kisa'). When the verse of mutual invocation 3:61 was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ called Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn and said: "O Allah, these are my family" (Muslim).

Who exactly belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt is understood more or less broadly by the different traditions. Many Sunni scholars include the Prophet's ﷺ wives, partly because of the context of verses 33:28–34, as well as Ali, Fatimah, their children and descendants, and other members of the Banu Hashim. Shia scholars relate the verse of purification to the five People of the Cloak and understand the Ahl al-Bayt above all as them and the Imams descended from al-Husayn.

In Sahih Muslim, Zayd ibn Arqam reports that the Prophet ﷺ gave an address at a watering place called Khumm and said: "I am leaving among you two weighty things: the Book of Allah, in which there is guidance and light … and my family. I remind you of Allah regarding my family", three times (Muslim). This report, known as the hadith of the two weighty things (ath-thaqalayn), is also found in another form in at-Tirmidhi and is dear to Sunni and Shia Muslims alike. Many commentators of both traditions also understand the verse "Say: I ask of you no reward for this except love for those near of kin" 42:23 as a call to love the Prophet's ﷺ family.

Khadijah – the first believer

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was a respected merchant in Makkah. When the Prophet ﷺ came home trembling after the first revelation, she comforted him with words that still move people today: "By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep the ties of kinship, you carry the burden of the weak, you give to the destitute, you honour the guest and you stand by people in their hardships" (al-Bukhari, Muslim). She was the first to believe in him and supported him with her wealth. He said of her: "The best of its women was Maryam, daughter of Imran, and the best of its women is Khadijah" (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Jibril brought her greetings of peace from her Lord and the glad tidings of a house in Paradise (al-Bukhari, Muslim). She died a few years before the Hijra, in the "Year of Sorrow", and the Prophet ﷺ remembered her all his life: "She believed in me when people denied me" (Ahmad).

Fatimah az-Zahra

Fatimah, the youngest daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah, bears the titles az-Zahra, "the Radiant", and al-Batul. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fatimah is a part of me; whoever angers her angers me" (al-Bukhari, Muslim), and he told her that she would be the leader of the women of the believers (al-Bukhari, Muslim). When she came to him, he would stand up, kiss her and seat her in his own place (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi).

When Fatimah asked her father for a servant because the housework exhausted her, he taught her and Ali something "better than a servant": before sleeping, to say "Allahu akbar" thirty-four times and "Subhanallah" and "Alhamdulillah" thirty-three times each (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Muslims still say this tasbih of Fatimah today, many before sleeping; Shia Muslims say it after every obligatory prayer. Fatimah died a few months after her father. Her children were al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum.

Al-Hasan and al-Husayn

The two grandsons were infinitely dear to the Prophet ﷺ. He called them "my two sprigs of sweet basil in this world" (al-Bukhari) and said: "Al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the leaders of the youth of Paradise" (at-Tirmidhi). Of al-Husayn he said: "Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn" (at-Tirmidhi).

In the year 61 AH (680) al-Husayn was killed at Karbala together with members of his family and companions. For all Muslims this is a painful event; for Shia Muslims, for whom he is the third Imam, it stands at the centre of their remembrance. His sister Zaynab survived Karbala and, through her steadfastness and her words, became a model in her own right. You can read more about Ashura in the chapter Sunnis and Shia.

The Mothers of the Believers

The Quran calls the wives of the Prophet ﷺ "mothers of the believers" 33:6. Besides Khadijah they include Sawdah, Aishah, Hafsah, Umm Salamah and Zaynab bint Jahsh, among others. Each has her own story:

• Aishah bint Abi Bakr is one of the great scholars among the Companions. In the hadith collections she is among those who narrated the most, and even older Companions consulted her: Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said that whenever a hadith was unclear to them, they found knowledge about it with Aishah (at-Tirmidhi). The Prophet ﷺ passed away in her room, his head resting on her chest (al-Bukhari).
• Umm Salamah was known for her wisdom. When the Companions hesitated to sacrifice their animals after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, she advised the Prophet ﷺ to go ahead himself without a word, and everyone followed him (al-Bukhari).
• Hafsah bint Umar kept the pages of the Quran gathered under Abu Bakr, from which Uthman had the copies made (al-Bukhari).

6Well-known Companions

Bilal ibn Rabah

Bilal was an enslaved Abyssinian in Makkah. When he accepted Islam, his master made him lie in the burning sun with a rock on his chest; the biographies report that he only said again and again: "Ahad, Ahad", "One, One". Abu Bakr bought his freedom. The Prophet ﷺ made him the first mu'adhdhin of Islam; "Bilal, give us rest through the prayer", he would say to him (Abu Dawud). He told Bilal that he had heard his footsteps ahead of him in Paradise (al-Bukhari, Muslim). At the return to Makkah, Bilal climbed onto the Kaaba and called the adhan. A man who had once been enslaved, on the roof of the House of Allah: a picture of what Islam makes of people.

Sumayyah and Ammar ibn Yasir

Sumayyah bint Khayyat and her husband Yasir were among the weakest in Makkah and were cruelly tortured for their faith. Sumayyah died under this torture and is regarded as the first martyr of Islam. According to a well-known report, the Prophet ﷺ said as he passed them: "Patience, family of Yasir, your meeting place is Paradise." Their son Ammar survived; many commentators relate the verse about the one who is forced "while his heart is at peace in faith" 16:106 to him. Ammar helped build the mosque in Madinah and fell in old age at Siffin, at the side of Ali.

Mus'ab ibn Umayr

Mus'ab was a pampered young man from a wealthy Makkan family, known for his fine clothes and his fragrance. For Islam he lost everything. The Prophet ﷺ sent him to Madinah even before the Hijra to teach the people there the Quran; the people of Madinah later recalled that he was the first to come to them (al-Bukhari). At Uhud he carried the banner and fell. When he was buried, his cloak was so short that it covered either his head or his feet; the Prophet ﷺ had his head covered and his feet covered with grass (al-Bukhari, Muslim).

Abu Hurayrah

Abu Hurayrah came from the tribe of Daws in the south of Arabia and arrived in Madinah around the time of Khaybar. He owed his nickname, "father of the kitten", to his fondness for a little cat. He lived among the Ahl as-Suffah, the poor who lodged in the mosque, and stayed constantly near the Prophet ﷺ. When he complained that he forgot much, the Prophet ﷺ asked him to spread out his garment, and after that, he reported, he forgot nothing (al-Bukhari, Muslim). In the Sunni hadith collections he is the Companion with the most narrations.

Abdullah ibn Abbas

Ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, was still a boy when the Prophet ﷺ passed away. The Prophet ﷺ had prayed for him: "O Allah, teach him the Book" (al-Bukhari), and asked that he be given understanding of the religion (al-Bukhari). He became the Turjuman al-Qur'an, the "interpreter of the Quran". He sought out the older Companions, waited patiently at their doors and learned. He was close to Ali and served under him as governor of Basra; later he taught in Makkah, and his students, such as Mujahid, Ikrimah and Sa'id ibn Jubayr, shaped the science of Quranic interpretation.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Ibn Mas'ud was a simple shepherd and one of the first Muslims. According to the biographies he was one of the first to recite the Quran publicly at the Kaaba, and was beaten for it. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Learn the Quran from four men", and named him first (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Once he asked him to recite to him; Ibn Mas'ud recited from Surah an-Nisa' until he reached the verse: "How will it be when We bring from every community a witness, and bring you as a witness over these?" 4:41. Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "Enough", and Ibn Mas'ud saw that tears were running down his face (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Umar sent him to Kufa as a teacher, and his school became one of the roots of the Hanafi school of law.

Salman al-Farisi

Salman came from Persia. The biographies tell of his long search for truth: he left the religion of his family, studied with Christian scholars in Syria and Iraq, was taken captive and came to Madinah enslaved, and there he found the Prophet ﷺ whom his last teacher had described to him. The Prophet ﷺ and the Companions helped him buy his freedom. Before the Battle of the Trench he is said to have advised digging a trench around Madinah. When Surah al-Jumu'ah was revealed with its mention of "others of them who have not yet joined them" 62:3, the Prophet ﷺ placed his hand on Salman and said that even if faith were at the Pleiades, men from his people would reach it (al-Bukhari, Muslim). A saying transmitted in both Sunni and Shia sources even counts him as one of the people of the House. He died as governor of al-Mada'in in Iraq, living simply to the end.

Abu Dharr al-Ghifari

Abu Dharr came from the tribe of Ghifar and accepted Islam while still in Makkah. He proclaimed his faith aloud at the Kaaba and was beaten for it until al-Abbas protected him (al-Bukhari). The Prophet ﷺ said of him that there was no one more truthful in speech than Abu Dharr (at-Tirmidhi). He lived an ascetic life and stood up passionately for the poor. When he asked for an office, the Prophet ﷺ said lovingly and honestly: "Abu Dharr, you are weak, and it is a trust" (Muslim). He died at ar-Rabadhah, a lonely place in the desert.

Khalid ibn al-Walid

Khalid was a brilliant Makkan commander before he accepted Islam in the year 8 AH. At the Battle of Mu'tah he took command after three leaders had fallen, and the Prophet ﷺ called him "a sword from the swords of Allah" (al-Bukhari). Under Abu Bakr and Umar he led armies in Iraq and Syria, for example at Yarmuk (636). When Umar removed him from supreme command, he continued to serve, according to the reports, without resentment. He died in Homs in Syria in his bed, he who had survived so many battles.

And many more

The list could go on for a long time:

• Hamzah, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, "the lion of Allah", who fell at Uhud.
• Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, who spoke so movingly about Islam before the Negus in Abyssinia; the Prophet ﷺ said to him: "You resemble me in appearance and in character" (al-Bukhari).
• Mu'adh ibn Jabal, whom the Prophet ﷺ sent to Yemen as a teacher and to whom he said: "By Allah, I love you" (Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i).
• Zayd ibn Thabit, the scribe of the revelation.
• Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, "the trustworthy one of this community" (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
• Asma' bint Abi Bakr, who during the Hijra split her waistband to tie up the provisions and is therefore called "the one with the two waistbands" (al-Bukhari).
• Nusaybah bint Ka'b (Umm Umarah), who according to the biographies defended the Prophet ﷺ at Uhud.
• Suhayb, who left all his wealth behind in order to be allowed to emigrate.

7Sunni and Shia views – with respect

Sunni and Shia Muslims love the Prophet ﷺ and his family and honour the Companions who stood by him faithfully. At the same time they see parts of early history differently. We place both views side by side without passing judgement:

• In Sunni tradition all the Companions are regarded as trustworthy in passing on the religion. One does not speak ill of them, citing the words of the Prophet ﷺ: "Do not revile my Companions" (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Most Sunni scholars see an order of merit in the sequence Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.
• In Shia tradition the Companions are honoured according to their faith and their deeds. Especially loved are those who stood faithfully by Ali, such as Salman, Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad and Ammar. For the transmission of the religion, Shia scholars rely above all on the Imams of the Prophet's ﷺ family.
• The internal conflicts after Uthman's death, such as the Battle of the Camel and Siffin, are mourned by both sides. Many Sunni scholars hold that Ali was in the right while refraining from judging the others involved; Shia scholars judge more clearly here. It is one of the points where the views diverge.

Leading scholars of both traditions have declared it forbidden to revile what the other side holds sacred, including the wives of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions, and the family of the Prophet ﷺ is honoured by all. The Amman Message of 2004/2005 set down the mutual recognition of the schools of law; more in the chapter The Schools of Law in Islam. And sometimes a family tree alone shows how close everything is: Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, a great-grandson of al-Husayn, was through his mother Umm Farwah also a descendant of Abu Bakr (see the Ja'fari school).

The Quran teaches a prayer that suits this chapter like no other: "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and put no resentment in our hearts towards those who believe. Our Lord, You are Most Kind, Most Merciful" 59:10.

8What we learn from them

The Companions and the family of the Prophet ﷺ were not icons but human beings with families, work, worries and strengths. That is exactly why they are models for us:

• Faithfulness in hard times – like Khadijah, Bilal and Sumayyah.
• Generosity – like Abu Bakr, Uthman and the Ansar of Madinah.
• Justice and humility – like Umar and Ali.
• Love of knowledge – like Aishah, Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud.
• The courage to make peace – like al-Hasan.
• Steadfastness for what is right – like al-Husayn and Zaynab.

All over the world parents name their children after them: Ali and Umar, Fatimah and Aishah, Hasan and Husayn, Khadijah and Bilal. In the Emirates, too, mosques bear their names, such as the Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. If you would like to find their stories in the Quran, start with Surah at-Tawbah and Surah al-Fath, and read about the one around whom they gathered in the chapter The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.