Miqdad ibn Aswad

Abu Ma'bad
Miqdad ibn Amr al-Bahrani
المقداد بن عمرو ٱلْبَهْرَانِيّ
al-Badri
Born
Died33 AH
Damascus, Syria / al-Jurf, west of Medina
Burial placeDamascus[1]/al Jufr, Medina[2]
Other namesMiqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi (Arabic: المقداد بن الأسود ٱلْكِنْدِيّ)
Employer(s)Muhammad, Abu Bakar, Umar
OrganizationRashidun caliphate
Known for
SpouseDuba'a bint al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib
ChildrenAbdullah ibn Miqdad[3]
Karimah bint Miqdad[3]

Al-Miqdad ibn Amr al-Bahrani (Arabic: المقداد بن عمرو ٱلْبَهْرَانِيّ, romanizedal-Miqdād ibn ʿAmr al-Bahrānī), better known as al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi (Arabic: المقداد بن الأسود ٱلْكِنْدِيّ, romanizedal-Miqdād ibn al-Aswad al-Kindī) or simply Miqdad, was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His kunya was Abu Ma'bad (Arabic: أبو معبد). Miqdad was born in Eastern Arabia. He became fugitive in his hometown and ran to Mecca, where he served Aswad al-Kindi. Miqdad managed to gain favor of his master, who in turn adopted him as his son.

Miqdad later embraced Islam and became one of the early converts of Islam before he migrated to Medina due to persecution by the Meccan polytheists. Miqdad stopped using 'Ibn Aswad' as his name and used his real bloodline nisba from his father, 'Ibn Amr', after Qur'anic verse was revealed to forbid one to abolish his own bloodline. In Medina, Miqdad was known in history as the first Muslim horsemen, Miqdad participated in all military operations under Muhammad.

After the death of Muhammad, Miqdad continued to serve Islam under the Rashidun, where he was involved heavily in the Muslim conquest of the Levant and later Muslim conquest of Egypt. Miqdad's funeral prayer was led by the caliph.

Miqdad was recorded as dark and hairy, with a dyed beard, wide eyes and a hooked nose.[2][4]He was known as an excellent archer.[4][5] Miqdad was known to have had a very large stomach, to the point that once he sat nearby a huge golden chest, and people remarked that the build of Miqdad was larger than the goldensmith chest.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Miqdad biography was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b The History of al-Tabari Vol. 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors: al-Tabari's Supplement to His History, Muhammad (January 1998). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions. Suny press. ISBN 0791428192. Retrieved 28 January 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "248 - Duba'a bint Az-Zubair". Muslim Scholars (in Arabic). 16 April 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mahmud Shakir was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ ibn Qulayj ibn Abdullah al-Bakjari al-Hanafi al-Hakari, Maghlati (2001). "11". In ibn Muhammad Abd ar-Rahman, Adil; ibn Ibrahim, Usama (eds.). عنوان الكتاب: إكمال تهذيب الكمال فى أسماء الرجال (in Arabic). Waqfeya. p. 345. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khalifatul Masih sermon quotation 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).