حَبِيبُ بْنُ زَيْد
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Habib ibn Zayd al-Ansari
Ansari of Khazraj · Son of Umm Ammarah · Sent as an envoy to Musaylimah, and killed for refusing him
may Allah be pleased with him
Khazraj — Banu an-Najjar, of Madinah · Madinah and Yamamah, into Abu Bakr's caliphate
A young Ansari sent to answer Musaylimah's claim to prophethood in Yamamah. Asked to testify to it, he refused, having already testified to the Prophet ﷺ, and was killed for that refusal. He was a son of Umm Ammarah, Nusaybah bint Ka'b.
Known for
He was sent as an envoy to Musaylimah, in Yamamah, carrying a call to Islam
Asked to testify that Musaylimah was a messenger of Allah, he refused, having already testified that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was
Musaylimah is reported to have put the same two questions to him: whether he testified that Muhammad ﷺ was the messenger of Allah, which he affirmed, and whether he testified the same of Musaylimah, which he refused.
He was killed by Musaylimah's men for that refusal
The historians describe him being killed for declining to affirm Musaylimah. They do not agree on every detail of how the killing was carried out, and none of it is stated here beyond that fact.
He was a son of Umm Ammarah, Nusaybah bint Ka'b
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Family
Habib ibn Zayd was of Banu an-Najjar, a clan of Khazraj in Madinah, and a son of Zayd ibn Asim and of Umm Ammarah — Nusaybah bint Ka'b, who is remembered in her own right for the pledge at Aqabah and for fighting at Uhud.
Yamamah
After the Prophet ﷺ died, Musaylimah — who had already claimed prophethood for himself before that — pressed his claim further among his people in Yamamah. Habib ibn Zayd was among those sent to answer him, in the early part of Abu Bakr's caliphate, a period this record names but does not narrate.
What happened when he reached Musaylimah is set out in the moment below. He was killed there for refusing to affirm him, having already affirmed the Prophet ﷺ.
His mother, Umm Ammarah, went out to Yamamah herself around the same time; her own record notes that a son of hers was killed there.
How the sources describe him
His family answered Yamamah in more than one way — his mother among the fighters, he among the envoys
He held to the same answer under the pressure that killed him
Connect
People around him
Family
His mother. She went out to Yamamah herself around the same time, and her own record notes that a son of hers was killed there.
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He affirmed the Prophet ﷺ as the messenger of Allah under questioning by Musaylimah, and was killed rather than say the same of Musaylimah.
Full timeline
- Early in Abu Bakr's caliphate
Sent as an envoy to Musaylimah in Yamamah
- Early in Abu Bakr's caliphate
Refuses to affirm Musaylimah, having already affirmed the Prophet ﷺ
- Early in Abu Bakr's caliphate
Killed by Musaylimah's men for his refusal
- Early in Abu Bakr's caliphate
His mother, Umm Ammarah, goes out to Yamamah around the same time
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Tarikh ar-Rusul wa'l-Mulukتاريخ الرسل والملوك
Classical history · Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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