The ṣaḥābah were the first generation — those who knew the Prophet ﷺ personally. Here are 10 figures who shaped the history of Islam, from the 4 Rāshidūn to Bilāl al-Ḥabashī, Salmān al-Fārisī and the Mothers of the Believers.
The First Khalīfah
The first adult man to accept Islam. He freed Bilāl from slavery. He accompanied the Prophet ﷺ during the Hijrah in the cave of Thawr (Qurʾān 9:40). He became the first khalīfah after the passing of the Prophet ﷺ. "Aṣ-Ṣiddīq" = the Truthful.
The Second Khalīfah · al-Fārūq
Previously one of the fiercest Quraysh opponents. He embraced Islam after hearing Sūrah Ṭā Hā. Under his 10-year khilāfah Islam expanded from Morocco to Persia. Renowned for his justice — he once had a governor flogged for wronging an Egyptian boy.
The Third Khalīfah · Dhū-n-Nūrayn
A wealthy merchant who financed the Tabūk expedition with a third of his wealth. He married two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ (Ruqayyah, and after her death Umm Kulthūm) — hence "Dhū-n-Nūrayn." He standardised the Qurʾān muṣḥaf during his khilāfah. He was martyred in his own home while reciting the Qurʾān.
The Fourth Khalīfah
The first child to accept Islam. He slept in the bed of the Prophet ﷺ on the night of the Hijrah to deceive would-be attackers. He married Fāṭimah (rh), the mother of Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. Renowned for his courage (battle of Khaybar) and his legal knowledge: "I am the city of knowledge, and ʿAlī is its gate." (Tirmidhī)
Mother of the Believers · first woman to believe
The very first person ever to accept Islam. A successful merchant before her marriage. She was married to the Prophet ﷺ for 25 years — during her lifetime he took no other wife. She supported him morally and financially when he was persecuted. She died in the "year of sorrow." Allāh greeted her personally through Jibrīl (Bukhārī 3820).
Mother of the Believers · Aṣ-Ṣiddīqah
She married the Prophet ﷺ after the passing of Khadījah. One of the greatest fuqahāʾ of the early ummah — four khalīfahs consulted her. Around 2,210 ahādīth are narrated from her. She taught from her home after the passing of the Prophet ﷺ. She died at the age of 64 in Madīnah.
Sayyidah of the women of Jannah
The youngest daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadījah. She married ʿAlī. Mother of Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fāṭimah is a part of me — whoever angers her angers me" (Bukhārī 3767). She died six months after her father.
Asad Allāh — The Lion of Allāh
Uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, only ~2 years older. He embraced Islam out of anger when he heard that Abū Jahl had insulted the Prophet ﷺ. His acceptance was a turning point for the Muslim community in Makkah. He fell at Uḥud — his body was mutilated by Hind, wife of Abū Sufyān. The Prophet ﷺ grieved deeply at his death.
First muʾadhdhin
An Abyssinian slave of Umayyah ibn Khalaf. When he accepted Islam he was laid in the Makkan sun on a rock with a stone on his chest — he kept saying "Aḥad, Aḥad" (One, One). Abū Bakr purchased his freedom. The first muʾadhdhin of the mosque in Madīnah. He settled in Damascus after the Prophet ﷺ — he could not bear Madīnah without him.
Salmān of the Prophet's household
Born a Zoroastrian in Persia. He became a Christian in Syria, then travelled to Arabia in search of the foretold Prophet. He was betrayed along the way and sold into slavery. The Prophet ﷺ purchased his freedom in Madīnah. He proposed the trench tactic at the Battle of Khandaq. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Salmān is of us, of Ahl al-Bayt." (Ibn Isḥāq)
