النُّعَيْمَانُ بْنُ عَمْرو
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
An-Nu'ayman ibn Amr
Ansari of Khazraj · Present at Badr · Remembered for his practical jokes among the Companions
may Allah be pleased with him
Khazraj, of Madinah · Madinah, from Badr onward, in the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime
An Ansari who fought at Badr and was remembered long afterward for the jokes he played on fellow Companions, including one so elaborate it left a friend briefly sold as a slave. He was also disciplined more than once for drinking, and the sources report an occasion when the Prophet ﷺ rebuked a man who cursed a repeat offender for it — though they do not agree it was Nu'ayman that report describes.
Known for
He once sold a travelling companion to a group of Bedouin as a joke, telling them in advance not to believe him if he protested he was free
Travelling with Suwaybit ibn Harmalah, and short of provisions, Nu'ayman is reported to have presented him to a group of Bedouin as a slave for sale, warning them that the 'slave' would falsely claim to be a free man. They bought him and led him away by a rope until the mistake was discovered.
The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have laughed about the episode for a long time afterward whenever it was mentioned
He was disciplined more than once for drinking wine
On one occasion when he was punished for it, a man cursed him, and the Prophet ﷺ told the man not to — saying that the one being cursed loved Allah and His Messenger
The report is preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari. Commentators do not agree that the repeat offender in that report was Nu'ayman ibn Amr specifically; some identify a different man, known by the nickname Himar, as the one described.
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Khazraj, and Badr
An-Nu'ayman ibn Amr was an Ansari of Khazraj in Madinah, and is named among those present at Badr, fighting alongside the Muhajirun in the Prophet's ﷺ first battle.
He is remembered afterward less for that than for the jokes he was known to play on his fellow Companions.
The jokes, and the discipline
The best known of his jokes is set out in the moment below: travelling with Suwaybit ibn Harmalah, he sold him to a group of Bedouin as a slave, warning them beforehand not to believe him if he protested he was free.
The sources also report that he was disciplined more than once for drinking wine. On one such occasion, preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari, a man cursed the repeat offender being punished, and the Prophet ﷺ told him not to, saying that the man loved Allah and His Messenger. Commentators do not agree that Nu'ayman ibn Amr was the man that report describes, and this record states the disagreement rather than settling it.
How the sources describe him
His jokes were elaborate enough to fool strangers, not just friends
He is remembered in the sources as someone the Prophet ﷺ found funny, not merely tolerated
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He is reported to have made the Prophet ﷺ laugh over the Suwaybit episode, and to have gone on laughing about it whenever it was mentioned.
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
Named by some commentators, though not all, as the repeat offender the Prophet ﷺ defended in Sahih al-Bukhari against a man who cursed him after a disciplinary punishment for drink.
- Suwaybit ibn HarmalahCompanion
His travelling companion, and the subject of Nu'ayman's best-known joke, briefly sold to a group of Bedouin as part of it.
Full timeline
- The Madinan years
Sells a travelling companion as a joke to a group of Bedouin
- The Madinan years
Remembered for how long the Prophet ﷺ went on laughing about it
- The Madinan years
Disciplined more than once for drinking wine
- The Madinan years
A report in Sahih al-Bukhari has the Prophet ﷺ rebuke a man who cursed a repeat offender for drink — some, not all, commentators attach it to Nu'ayman
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Companions of the Prophet
Modern biography · Abdul Wahid Hamid
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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