Back to the seerah
The people of the seerah
Who each person was, and what they did chapter by chapter.
The Prophet's ﷺ household
His family — the people who carried the weight of the message closest to him ﷺ.
- Khadījah bint Khuwaylid رضي الله عنهاHis ﷺ first wife, a merchant of Makkah who employed him before she married him, and the first human being to believe in him.The Cave of Ḥirāʾ — the first revelation · Going public — and the persecution · The boycott and the Year of Sorrow
- Abū Ṭālib ibn ʿAbd al-MuṭṭalibHis ﷺ uncle and guardian after the death of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. He protected him for ten years of the call without accepting it himself.Going public — and the persecution · The boycott and the Year of Sorrow · The journey to Ṭāʾif and the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ)
- ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr رضي الله عنهاDaughter of Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه and his ﷺ wife in Madinah; one of the greatest narrators and jurists of the ummah.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad رضي الله عنها ﷺ رضي الله عنهاHis youngest daughter, married to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه.Going public — and the persecution · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib رضي الله عنهHis ﷺ uncle and foster-brother, called the Lion of Allah.Going public — and the persecution · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Zaynab bint Muḥammad ﷺ رضي الله عنهاHis eldest daughter, married to Abū al-ʿĀṣ ibn ar-Rabīʿ before the revelation.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Zayd ibn Ḥārithah رضي الله عنهFreed by the Prophet ﷺ and raised in his house; the only companion named by name in the Qur'an.The Cave of Ḥirāʾ — the first revelation · The journey to Ṭāʾif and the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) · Conquest, completion and farewell
The companions رضي الله عنهم
Those who believed and stood with him, at cost to themselves.
- Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه aṣ-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنهA merchant of Makkah, the first free man to believe, and the closest companion of the Prophet ﷺ.The Cave of Ḥirāʾ — the first revelation · Going public — and the persecution · The journey to Ṭāʾif and the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنهOne of the strongest men of Quraysh, an enemy of the call until he read Sūrah Ṭā Hā in his sister's house.Going public — and the persecution · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنهHis ﷺ cousin, raised in his household, the first child to believe.The Cave of Ḥirāʾ — the first revelation · Going public — and the persecution · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Bilāl رضي الله عنه ibn Rabāḥ رضي الله عنهAn Abyssinian slave of Umayyah ibn Khalaf, tortured on the burning sand of Makkah for saying 'Aḥad, Aḥad' — One, One.Going public — and the persecution · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Sumayyah رضي الله عنها bint Khayyāṭ رضي الله عنهاMother of ʿAmmār رضي الله عنه ibn Yāsir رضي الله عنه, from the weakest households of Makkah with no clan to protect them.Going public — and the persecution
- Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr رضي الله عنهThe best-dressed young man in Makkah, who gave it all up for the call.The journey to Ṭāʾif and the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Salmān رضي الله عنه al-Fārisī رضي الله عنهA Persian who left his father's religion searching for the truth, was sold into slavery, and found the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Saʿd ibn Muʿādh رضي الله عنهChief of the Aws in Madinah, whose acceptance brought his whole clan with him in a single day.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Khālid ibn al-Walīd رضي الله عنهThe cavalry commander of Quraysh who turned the day against the Muslims at Uḥud, and later accepted Islam.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنهHis ﷺ cousin, brother of ʿAlī رضي الله عنه, spokesman of the believers before the Negus.Going public — and the persecution · Conquest, completion and farewell
The opponents
Those who fought the message. Some died on that; some ended as believers.
- Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb رضي الله عنهA leader of Quraysh who commanded them against the Muslims at Uḥud and the Trench.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah · Conquest, completion and farewell
- Abū Jahl (ʿAmr ibn Hishām)The most violent of the Prophet's ﷺ opponents in Makkah, called by the Muslims 'the father of ignorance'.Going public — and the persecution · The journey to Ṭāʾif and the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) · The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Abū Lahab (ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā)His ﷺ own uncle, who answered the first public call at Ṣafā with 'May you perish — is this why you gathered us?'Going public — and the persecution · The boycott and the Year of Sorrow
- Umayyah ibn KhalafA Makkan chief who owned Bilāl رضي الله عنه and tortured him in the sun.Going public — and the persecution
- ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn SalūlThe chief of the hypocrites in Madinah — a man who was to be crowned king of Yathrib before the Prophet ﷺ arrived.The Hijrah — migration to Madinah
- Suhayl ibn ʿAmrThe Quraysh negotiator at al-Ḥudaybiyah who struck out 'Muḥammad the Messenger of Allah' from the treaty.Conquest, completion and farewell
Others in the story
People who shaped events without belonging to either camp.
- Waraqah ibn NawfalKhadījah's رضي الله عنها elderly cousin, a Christian who wrote scripture in Hebrew.The Cave of Ḥirāʾ — the first revelation
- an-Najāshī (the Negus of Abyssinia)The Christian king of Abyssinia who gave the migrating believers refuge and refused to hand them back.Going public — and the persecution