عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاص
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Amr ibn al-As
He asked to be forgiven first · Commander in Egypt · Of Banu Sahm
may Allah be pleased with him
Quraysh — Banu Sahm · Makkah, Madinah and Egypt, up to about 43 AH
He was sent to Abyssinia to have the Muslim emigrants handed back, and spent years working against them. When he came to accept Islam he tried to make a condition of it — and was told the condition was already met.
Known for
He tried to make forgiveness a condition of accepting Islam
He withheld his hand from the pledge until he had asked for it, and was told that Islam demolishes what came before it. The report is in Sahih Muslim, in his own words.
Quraysh sent him to Abyssinia to have the Muslim emigrants handed back
He led the campaign into Egypt and governed it afterwards
He was one of the two arbitrators after Siffin
The accounts of what happened at the arbitration differ sharply between the classical sources. SahabaMate states that he was appointed to it and does not narrate it.
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
Against them
Amr was of Banu Sahm, and among the men Quraysh used when something needed negotiating rather than fighting. When the Muslims took refuge in Abyssinia, he was sent there with gifts to persuade the Negus to hand them back. The attempt failed.
He remained on the Makkan side through the years that followed.
He accepted Islam in the period before the opening of Makkah, travelling to Madinah to do so. How he did it is set out in the moment below.
Command, and after
He was given command soon after accepting Islam, including of a force that contained men who had been Muslim far longer than he had.
Under Umar he led the campaign into Egypt and governed the province afterwards. The garrison town he laid out became the nucleus of what is now Cairo.
When the community divided he was one of the two men appointed to arbitrate after Siffin. The classical accounts of what took place there differ materially from one another, and this record does not narrate it. The reason is set out in the review dossier.
He died in Egypt. The sources differ on the year, generally in the low 40s AH.
How the sources describe him
He was sent when a situation needed handling rather than fighting
He said what he wanted out loud, including when it was awkward
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He worked against him for years, then accepted Islam and was given command.
Both commanded against the Muslims before accepting Islam in the same period, and both were given command soon after.
The other of the two men appointed to arbitrate after Siffin. Neither record narrates the arbitration.
Full timeline
- The Makkan years, before the Hijrah
Sent to Abyssinia to have the Muslim emigrants handed back
- Before the opening of Makkah
Comes to Madinah and accepts Islam
- During Umar's caliphate
Leads the campaign into Egypt and governs the province
- Around 37 AH approximate, reports differThe accounts of the arbitration differ materially; SahabaMate does not narrate it.
Appointed one of the two arbitrators after Siffin
- The sources differ approximate, reports differReports give years across the low 40s AH.
Dies in Egypt
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 Muslimصحيح مسلم
Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
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
Companions of the Prophet
Modern biography · Abdul Wahid Hamid
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.
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