Abdullah ibn Suhayl is an early companion of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

who emigrated to

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

using a clever tactic at the

Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Quran, Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan (calendar month), Ramadan, 2 Anno Hegirae, AH), near the ...

. He is also the son of the famous

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...

ite statesman,

Suhayl ibn Amr Suhayl ibn ʿAmr ( ar, سهيل إبن عمرو), also known as Abū Yazīd, was a contemporary of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a prominent leader among the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. Clever and articulate, he was known as the ''Khatib'' (orato ...

and brother of

Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl Al-ʿĀṣī ibn Suhayl (Arabic: العاصي ابن سهيل), better known as Abū Jandal (أبو جندل), was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was the first person returned to Mecca after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Abu Jand ...

Life

Abdullah ibn Suhayl was born in approximately 594 and was the son of

from

Banu Amir The Banū ʿĀmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa ( ar, بنو عامر بن صعصعة) was a large and ancient Arab tribe originating from central Arabia, that dominated Najd for centuries after the rise of Islam. The tribe is an Arab Adnanite tribe and its ...

branch. His mother is Fakhita bint Amir ibn Nawfal.

Biography

Abdullah had become a Muslim before the

, but did not have a way to join the Muslims in Medina. Leaving Mecca and being openly Muslim was difficult for Abdullah because of the powerful influence of his father and his esteemed place in Quraysh. Abdullah concocted a plan to switch sides and join forces with the Muslims at Badr. He rode to Badr with the rest of the pagan Quraysh and his father and waited until the two forces camped close enough to each other that they were both within eyesight of each other. With the Muslim camp so close, Abdullah escaped to the side of Muhammad and fought alongside them the next day. His relatively early conversion to Islam and his participation in the Battle of Badr as a Muslim places him in the esteemed position of the

Sahabah The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...

. He is said to have emigrated to Ethiopia in the first migration. Abdullah ibn Suhayl also participated in the

Battle of Uhud The Battle of Uhud ( ar, غَزْوَة أُحُد, ) was fought on Saturday, 23 March 625 AD (7 Shawwal, 3 AH), in the valley north of Mount Uhud.Watt (1974) p. 136. The Qurayshi Meccans, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, commanded an army of 3,000 m ...

, the

Battle of the Trench The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...

, and the

Battle of Yamama The Battle of Yamama was fought in December 632 as part of the Ridda Wars against a rebellion within the Rashidun Caliphate in the region of al-Yamama (in present-day Saudi Arabia) between the forces of Abu Bakr and Musaylima, a self-procla ...

Death

Abdullah was martyred at the

at 38 years old in 632 CE. His brother in law,

Abu Hudhayfa ibn 'Utba Abū Ḥudhayfa ibn ʿUtba (Arabic: أبو حذيفة بن عتبة; died 633), full name Abū Ḥudhayfa ibn ʿUtba ibn Rabīʿa was an early companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the son of Utba ibn Rabi'a, one of the Leaders of Ban ...

, foster nephew, Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfa, and second cousin,

Zayd ibn al-Khattab Zayd ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (Arabic: زيد بن الخطاب) (died 632) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad and a brother of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Islamic caliph. Biography He was the son of al-Khattab ibn Nufayl, a memb ...

were all killed seconds after him. After his death,

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...

said that he had fulfilled his duty and that God's messenger was pleased with him when he died, and prayed for him to go to the highest heaven. He was mourned deeply by his brother,

and his father,

. His father would sometimes pray to Allah to grant mercy and to bestow his grace to Abdullah.

References

{{Authority control Companions of the Prophet Year of birth unknown Quraysh 594 births 632 deaths