Diraar bin Al-Azwar | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | al-Azwar, The Warrior or The Champion |
| Born | Mecca Arabian Peninsula |
| Died | presumably 640 Jordan Valley, Rashidun Caliphate. |
| Allegiance | Rashidun Caliphate. |
| Service | Rashidun army |
| Years of service | ? - 639 (disputed) |
| Unit | Rashidun army Rashidun cavalry |
| Battles / wars | Ridda Wars Muslim conquest of Syria Muslim conquest of Persia Muslim conquest of Egypt |
| Relations | Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah branch of Mudar (clan) Adnanite (tribe) |
Dhirarr ibn al-Azwar Al-Asadi (Arabic: ضرار بن الأزور الأسدي) also spelled as Diraar or Dirarr (original name Diraar ibn Malik), was a skilled warrior since before the time of Islam who participated in the Early Muslim conquests and a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[1][2] Dhiraar was known to his tribe as al-Azwar.
Dhiraar was feared by the Byzantine army and was given the nickname The barechested Warrior or The barechested Champion for his tendency to fight without armor or upper garments. Diraar mostly known for killing three dozen enemy commanders and champions in the Battle of Ajnadayn, blocking the enemy retreat in the Battle of Yarmouk, and killing more than a hundred soldiers single handedly in the siege of Oxyrhynchus Bahnasa.
Diraar was a member of the elite Rashidun cavalry unit and also a dueling specialist of the Rashidun Army operating mostly under the famous general Khalid ibn al-Walid, who trusted him in various tasks during Ridda wars, Muslim conquest of the Levant, Persia, North Africa and Muslim conquest of Egypt. Historians agreed Dhiraar died due the Plague of Amwas during the later stage of the Levant campaign. Muslim scholars and chroniclers honored Dhiraar due to his status as Companion of Muhammad and during the modern era his descendants known as Dharri tribe were spread mostly in Iraq.