Saf ibn Sayyad (), later known as Abdullah ibn Sa'id (), was an alleged claimant of prophethood during the time of

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and his companions who later disappeared after the

Ridda wars The Ridda Wars were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophet claimants. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in ...

Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...

, a senior companion of Muhammad, and even some Islamic scholars today, speculate that he might be the

Dajjal Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (), otherwise referred to simply as the Dajjal, is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology who will pretend to be the promised Messiah and later claim to be God, appearing before the Day of Judgment according to the Islamic esch ...

, who, according to Islamic beliefs, is the false Messiah and a major sign of the end of the world.

Early life

He was born to an Arab Jewish family near

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

Alleged claims of prophethood in childhood

Ibn Sayyad allegedly claimed he was a prophet when he was on the threshold of adolescence, and was initially believed to be the False Messiah (

), as his characteristics were the same as those of the False Messiah: It was narrated that Muhammad met Ibn Sayyad, at that time Ibn Sayyad was just at the threshold of adolescence. Muhammad said: "Don't you bear testimony to the fact that I am the Messenger of Allah?" Ibn Sayyad said: "I bear testimony that you are the Messenger of the illiterate." After Ibn Sayyad jests about being a prophet, `Umar ibn Khattab decided that the child deserved death and asked Muhammad for permission to execute him. Thereupon Muhammad said: "If he is that person he Dajjalwho is in your mind, you will not be able to kill him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good."

Adulthood

Nafi' reported that Ibn `Umar met Ibn Sayyad (now known as Abdullah ibn Sa'id) and said to some of his friends: "You state that it was he (the Dajjal)." Ibn Sa'id said: "By Allah, it is not so". Ibn `Umar said: "You have not told me the truth; by Allah some of you informed me that he would not die until he would have the largest number of offspring and huge wealth and it is he about whom it is thought so." However,

Abu Sa`id al-Khudri Abu or ABU may refer to: Aviation * Airman Battle Uniform, a utility uniform of the United States Air Force * IATA airport code for A. A. Bere Tallo Airport in Atambua, Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia People * Abu (Arabic term), a kun ...

reported: "Ibn Sayyad said to me something for which I felt ashamed. He said: I can excuse others; but what has gone wrong with you, O Companions of Muhammad, that you take me as Dajjal? Has Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) not said that he would be a Jew whereas I am a Muslim and he also said that he would not have children, whereas I have children, and he also said: verily, Allah has prohibited him to enter Mecca whereas I have performed Pilgrimage". Due to these constant claims against him, Ibn Sa'id became depressed, stating: "I think I should take a rope and tie it to the tree and commit suicide because of the talks of the people." (Sahih Muslim 54:114)

Disappearance

Saf ibn Sayyad was last seen during the

Battle of al-Harra The Battle of al-Harra () was fought between the Umayyad army of the caliph Yazid I () led by Muslim ibn Uqba and the defenders of Medina from the Ansar and Muhajirun factions, who had rebelled against the caliph. The battle took place at the ...

, where the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

Caliph

Yazid I Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (; 11 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from April 680 until his death in November 683. His appointment by his father Mu'awiya I () was the first ...

had sent a force to subjugate the city of Medina. He reportedly disappeared during the battle and was never seen again.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayyad, Saf ibn 7th-century Arab people 7th-century Islam Arab prophets Missing person cases in Saudi Arabia Self-declared messiahs

Early life

Alleged claims of prophethood in childhood

Adulthood

Disappearance

See also

References