He was one of the first eight persons to accept Islam. He was one of the ten persons (al-asharatu-l mubashshirin) who were  assured of entering Paradise. He was one of the six persons chosen by Umar to form the council of shura to choose the  Khalifah after his death. His name in Jahiliyyah days was [...]

When he was still a youth, not yet past the age of puberty, he used to roam the mountain trails of  Makkah far away from people, tending the flocks of a Quraysh chieftain, Uqbah ibn Muayt. People  called him “Ibn Umm Abd”–the son of the mother of a slave. His real name was Abdullah and [...]

Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum was a cousin of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Mother of the Believers, may  God be pleased with her. His father was Qays ibn Said and his mother was Aatikah bint Abdullah.  She was called Umm Maktum (Mother of the Concealed One) because she gave birth to a blind  child. Abdullah witnessed the [...]

At Shaykhan, halfway between Madinah and Uhud, the thousand strong Muslim army led by the Prophet stopped. The sun  had begun to sink beneath the horizon. The Prophet dismounted from his horse Sakb. He was fully dressed for battle. A  turban was wound about his helmet. He wore a breastplate beneath which was a coat [...]

Al-Husayn ibn Sailam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib who was widely respected and honoured by the people of the city even  by those who were not Jewish. He was known for his piety and goodness, his upright conduct and his truthfulness. Al-Husayn lived a peaceful and gentle life but he was serious, purposeful and [...]

Abdullah ibn Jahsh was a cousin of the Prophet and his sister, Zaynab bint Jahsh, was a wife of the Prophet. He was the first  to head a group of Muslims on an expedition and so was the first to be called “Amir al-Mumineen”– Commander of the  Believers. Abdullah ibn Jahsh became a Muslim before [...]

History would have by-passed this man as it had bypassed thousands of Arabs before him. He, like them, would have had no  claim to attention or fame. The greatness of Islam, however, gave to Abdullah ibn Hudhafah the opportunity to meet two  world potentates of his time–Khusraw Parvez the King of Persia and Heraclius, the [...]

Abdullah was the son of Abbas, an uncle of the noble Prophet. He was born just three years before the Hijrah. When the  Prophet died, Abdullah was thus only thirteen years old. When he was born, his mother took him to the blessed Prophet who put some of his saliva on the babe’s tongue even  [...]

It was the fourth year after the Hijrah. The city of the Prophet was still under threat from within and without. From within.  the influential Jewish tribe. the Banu anNadir. broke their agreement with the Prophet and made plans to kill him. For this,  they were banished from the city. This was in the month [...]

The life of Aishah is proof that a woman can be far more learned than men and that she can be the teacher of scholars and  experts. Her life is also proof that a woman can exert influence over men and women and provide them with inspiration and  leadership. Her life is also proof that [...]