Personalities

Those present at Badr are known as Ahl-ul-Badr. Reports indicate a special status for them.

Hassan bin Thabit defended the Prophet through poetry against the Quraysh poets. He is titled the poet of the Prophet.

Al-Kindi is titled the philosopher of the Arabs. He worked on philosophy, mathematics and music.

Surah Al-Mujadilah opens with reference to the woman who pleaded regarding her husband. The surah takes its name from this.

The Faraizi Movement emphasised the performance of obligatory duties. It gained support among Bengali peasants.

Zainab bint Jahsh worked with her hands and gave the proceeds in charity. Hazrat Aisha praised her generosity.

Ibn Masud recited the Quran openly before the Quraysh and was beaten for it. He became a leading authority on recitation.

Ibrahim was born to Maria the Copt in Madinah and died in infancy. The Prophet’s sons did not survive to adulthood.

Saad is described as the first to shoot an arrow in defence of Islam. He later commanded at Qadisiyyah.

Khabbab was among the early converts subjected to torture. He was a blacksmith by trade.

Hasan abdicated in favour of Muawiyah, ending years of internal strife. The year is called Aam-ul-Jamaah.

When asked about the Prophet’s character, Aisha replied that it was the Quran. The statement is widely cited.

Ahmad Sirhindi is titled the Reviver of the Second Millennium. He is associated with the Naqshbandi order.

Umm Habibah was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, then a leading opponent of Islam. She had migrated to Abyssinia.

Abu Ubaidah died in the plague that struck Syria during Umar’s caliphate. He was the commander in Syria at the time.

Hamza accepted Islam during the Makkan period, strengthening the Muslims. He was martyred at Uhud.

Abu Musa was praised for his recitation and served as a judge and governor. Umar’s celebrated letter on adjudication was addressed to him.

Saad bin Muadh was a chief of the Aws. His acceptance of Islam brought much of his tribe with him.

Tafhim-ul-Quran is Maududi’s Urdu commentary on the Quran. It has been translated into several languages.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq is the eponym of the Jafari school. He also taught scholars associated with the Sunni tradition.

Maulana Abul Ala Maududi founded Jamaat-e-Islami in 1941. He wrote extensively on Islamic political thought.

Following the marriage the companions freed captives of Banu Mustaliq out of respect. The episode illustrates the social effect of the marriage.

Umm Salamah advised the Prophet at Hudaybiyyah when the companions hesitated to end their ihram. Her counsel resolved the situation.

Maria was sent by Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, in response to the Prophet’s letter. Her son Ibrahim died in infancy.

Surah Al-Ahzab addresses the Ahl-ul-Bayt, the people of the household. Scholars have discussed the scope of the term.

Nusaybah bint Kaab fought in defence of the Prophet at Uhud and was wounded. She is among the notable women of the period.

Khalid accepted Islam in the period between Hudaybiyyah and the conquest of Makkah. He had earlier fought against the Muslims at Uhud.

Zainab bint Khuzaymah was called the mother of the poor for her charity. She died shortly after her marriage to the Prophet.

Al-Farabi is called the Second Teacher after Aristotle. He wrote on logic, politics and metaphysics.

Asma carried provisions to the Prophet and her father in the cave of Thawr. She is titled Dhat an-Nitaqayn.

Amr bin al-As led the conquest of Egypt and founded Fustat. He had accepted Islam shortly before the conquest of Makkah.

Ibn Umar was known for precise adherence to the Prophet’s example. His narrations are numerous.

Safiyyah was the daughter of a chief of Banu Nadir. She accepted Islam and was married to the Prophet.

Halima Sadia of Banu Sa’d nursed the Prophet in infancy. It was customary to send Makkan children to the desert.

Ahmad Sirhindi opposed the syncretic religious policies associated with Akbar’s court. He emphasised adherence to the Shariah.

The Abbasid dynasty traced its descent from al-Abbas. This claim underpinned its legitimacy.

Khalid died at Homs rather than on the battlefield. He is reported to have remarked on this with regret.

Umar Khayyam contributed to algebra and calendar reform alongside his poetry. His quatrains are widely known.

Fatimah was the youngest daughter and the one through whom the Prophet’s lineage continued. She married Ali bin Abi Talib.

Mus’ab bin Umair was sent to teach Islam in Yathrib after the first pledge of Aqabah. He was martyred at Uhud.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti settled at Ajmer and established the Chishti order in India. His shrine remains a major centre of pilgrimage.

The shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is at Ajmer in India. He is known as Gharib Nawaz.

Rufaydah tended the wounded and is regarded as an early figure in Muslim nursing. She had a tent for treating the injured.

Rumi settled and taught in Konya in Anatolia. The Mevlevi order developed from his teaching.

Shah Abdul Aziz continued the scholarly and reformist work of his father. His teaching influenced later movements.

Hujjatullah al-Balighah examines the wisdom underlying Islamic rulings. It is his most celebrated work.

At-Tabari authored a monumental commentary on the Quran and a universal history. Both remain principal reference works.

Sawdah was married after Khadija’s death during the Makkan period. She had earlier migrated to Abyssinia.

Fatimah died a few months after her father. She was the first of his household to follow him.

Zaid bin Thabit learned these languages at the Prophet’s instruction for correspondence. He also served as a scribe of revelation.

Bahauddin Zakariya established the Suhrawardi order at Multan. Multan became a major Sufi centre.

Anas bin Malik served the Prophet throughout the Madinan period. His long service produced extensive narrations.

Fatimah is described in hadith as the foremost of the women of the worlds. She is also titled az-Zahra.

Said bin Zayd was married to Fatimah, the sister of Umar. Their household was connected to Umar’s acceptance of Islam.

Salman travelled through Persia, Syria and other lands seeking the awaited prophet. He eventually reached Madinah.

Jalaluddin Rumi’s Mathnawi is a major work of Sufi poetry. He is associated with Konya in Anatolia.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi led a movement in the frontier region in the early nineteenth century. He was killed at Balakot in 1831.

Bahishti Zewar is a widely read work on religious instruction. Thanvi was a leading Deobandi scholar.

Khadija was the first believer and the mother of most of the Prophet’s children. Her support was decisive in the early years.

Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi was among the founders of Darul Uloom Deoband. The seminary emphasised traditional religious learning.

Usmani supported the Muslim League’s demand and founded Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam. He hoisted the Pakistani flag at Karachi in 1947.

Reports describe Bilal being overcome by grief when calling the adhan afterwards. He settled in Syria.

Ibn al-Haytham’s work on optics established experimental method in the field. He is known in Europe as Alhazen.

Attab bin Asid was appointed over Makkah after its conquest. He was notably young at the time of appointment.

Ammar was the son of Yasir and Sumayyah, the first martyr of Islam. The family endured severe persecution in Makkah.

Hafsa was the daughter of Umar bin al-Khattab. She was known for memorising the Quran.

Aisha narrated a large body of hadith and was consulted on legal questions. Senior companions sought her opinion.

Aisha was the daughter of Abu Bakr. The marriage strengthened the bond between the two families.

Ali Hujwiri, known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, wrote Kashf al-Mahjub in Persian. It is among the earliest Persian treatises on Sufism.

Ibn Kathir’s tafsir is among the most widely used commentaries. He also wrote a well-known historical work.

Shah Waliullah revived hadith studies in the subcontinent and translated the Quran into Persian. His son later translated it into Urdu.

Abdullah bin Rawahah was the third commander appointed at Mutah and was martyred there. He was also known as a poet.

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah was Ibn Taymiyyah’s foremost student. He authored works on spirituality, law and ethics.

The Prophet appointed Usama to command the Syrian expedition despite his youth. Abu Bakr dispatched the force after the Prophet’s passing.

Ubayy bin Kaab was among the foremost reciters of the Quran. The Prophet praised his recitation.

Jabir bin Hayyan is regarded as a founder of chemistry as an experimental discipline. He is known in Europe as Geber.

Jafar led the migrants in Abyssinia and addressed the Negus. He was martyred at Mutah.

Talha shielded the Prophet at Uhud and sustained severe wounds to his hand. He is counted among the Ashara Mubashara.

Umm Ayman cared for the Prophet from childhood and remained close to the family. She migrated to Madinah.

Abdur Rahman bin Awf rebuilt his fortune in Madinah and gave extensively in charity. He was among the Ashara Mubashara.

The title means possessor of two waistbands, referring to her tearing her belt to secure provisions. It was given by the Prophet.

Nawawi compiled Riyad as-Salihin and the Forty Hadith and wrote on Shafi law. He also authored the standard commentary on Sahih Muslim.

The marriage lasted about twenty-five years until her death. The Prophet took no other wife during her lifetime.

Abu Sufyan accepted Islam on the eve of the conquest of Makkah. His house was declared a place of safety.

The people of Suffah lived on a platform in the mosque and devoted themselves to study. Abu Hurairah was among them.

Zubair was the son of the Prophet’s aunt Safiyyah. He was among the earliest converts and one of the Ashara Mubashara.

The marriage took place around the compensatory Umrah in the seventh year. She was the last wife the Prophet married.

Sumayyah bint Khayyat was killed under torture in Makkah. She was the first person martyred for the faith.

A well-known report describes Hasan and Husayn in these terms. They were the Prophet’s grandsons through Fatimah.

The well-known hadith of Jibril is narrated on the authority of Umar. It sets out the framework of faith and practice.

Hasan al-Basri was a leading scholar and preacher among the successors. He is associated with early ascetic teaching in Basra.

The Qadiriyyah order traces its origin to Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad. It became widespread across the Muslim world.

The Prophet supplicated that Ibn Abbas be granted understanding of the religion. He became the foremost early exegete.

Abu Dharr was known for austerity and criticism of luxury. He was among the earliest converts to Islam.

The codex compiled under Abu Bakr passed to Hafsa. It later served as the basis for the Uthmani standardisation.

Husayn and his companions were killed at Karbala in 61 AH. The events are commemorated in Muharram.

Nizamuddin Auliya was a principal Chishti master in Delhi. His shrine remains a major centre.

Al-Idrisi produced a celebrated world map and geographical work. He served at the court of Sicily.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi and his companions were killed at Balakot in 1831. The site is in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ibn Taymiyyah was a Hanbali jurist and theologian. His writings have influenced several later movements.