عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَر
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا
Abdullah ibn Umar
Exact in following · Son of Umar · Stayed out of the fighting
may Allah be pleased with them both
Quraysh — Banu Adi · Makkah and Madinah, up to about 73 AH
He followed what he had seen done with a literalness that struck even his contemporaries, and he refused to take a side when the community divided — including when the caliphate itself was offered to him.
Known for
He followed what he had seen done, exactly
The reports describe him retracing the same routes, stopping where he had seen the Prophet ﷺ stop, and praying where he had seen him pray.
He would not take a side when the community divided
He was turned away from Uhud as too young, and accepted at the Trench
Among the largest transmitters among the Companions
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
Madinah
Abdullah was Umar's son, a boy at the Hijrah. He presented himself for Uhud and was judged too young; he was accepted at the Trench two years later.
What he is remembered for is a particular relationship to the sunnah. He did not only transmit what the Prophet ﷺ had said — he reproduced what he had seen him do, down to the route taken and the spot stood in.
His contemporaries noticed it, and the scholars who came afterwards have discussed at length whether that degree of literal reproduction was required or was his own scrupulousness. This record does not settle that question.
The years of division
When the community divided, he did not join either side. He is reported to have been offered the caliphate itself, more than once, and to have refused.
He continued to teach in Madinah for decades and was one of the most consulted men of his generation.
He died around 73 AH.
How the sources describe him
He preferred copying to reasoning about it
He was slow to give an opinion he was not sure of
Connect
People around him
Family
His father.
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He reproduced what he had seen him do with unusual exactness.
Connected through his sister Hafsah: both she and Aishah were wives of the Prophet ﷺ.
Full timeline
- 5 AH
Turned away from Uhud as too young, accepted at the Trench
- The decades after the Prophet's ﷺ death
Teaches in Madinah, and is followed for his exactness
- The years of division, from 35 AH
Declines to take a side when the community divides
- Around 73 AH approximate, reports differReports give 73 and 74 AH.
Dies at Makkah
Part of
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Tarikh ar-Rusul wa'l-Mulukتاريخ الرسل والملوك
Classical history · Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
Where a reference names a work without a page or number, that is deliberate: SahabaMate does not publish a locator it cannot stand behind.
SahabaMate Pro
Want to remember what you learn about the Sahabah?
Pro will help you retain what you have read — personalised review, learning paths, and your own Sahaba Album.