مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَة
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Muhammad ibn Maslamah
Ansari of the Aws · Trusted with the hardest tasks · Stepped back when the community split
may Allah be pleased with him
Ansari, of the Aws · Madinah, across the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime and the early caliphates
An Ansari companion the Prophet ﷺ turned to repeatedly for delicate and difficult missions. When the Muslim community later divided, he made the deliberate choice to take no part in the fighting on any side.
Known for
He led the party sent against Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf
He was repeatedly given tasks that called for discretion and firmness, both by the Prophet ﷺ and later by Umar
Umar is reported to have sent him among those who checked on how provincial governors were treating the people under them.
When the Muslim community became divided in the first fitnah, he withdrew from the fighting entirely
He took no part on any side, in either the Battle of the Camel or Siffin.
He is reported to have broken his sword during this period rather than fight
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Trusted from early on
Muhammad ibn Maslamah was an Ansari of the Aws, and among those the Prophet ﷺ turned to when a task needed more than ordinary care.
The clearest example is Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, a poet who had turned openly against the Muslims and incited others against them. The Prophet ﷺ asked who would deal with him, and Muhammad ibn Maslamah led the small group who carried it out, drawing him out of his stronghold under cover of an approach he trusted.
Standing back
His reputation for trustworthy, undramatic competence carried into the caliphate of Umar, who is reported to have sent him among trusted men dispatched to check how provincial governors were conducting themselves.
When the Muslim community split apart in the years after Uthman's death, Muhammad ibn Maslamah made a deliberate decision to take no part in the fighting, on either side, at either the Battle of the Camel or Siffin — episodes this record names without narrating, since the accounts of what divided the community differ and are not adjudicated here.
He lived on in Madinah afterward. The sources do not agree closely enough on the year of his death for one to be given.
How the sources describe him
He was someone difficult things could be handed to without needing to be explained twice
He held to a decision even when it meant stepping back from public life at a moment of real pressure to choose a side
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He was repeatedly entrusted by him with missions that required discretion and firmness.
Full timeline
- The sources do not agree on the exact year approximate, reports differReports place this in either the second or the third year after the Hijrah.
Leads the mission against Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf
- The Madinan years and the early caliphates
Repeatedly entrusted with sensitive missions, under the Prophet ﷺ and then Umar
- The first fitnah
Withdraws from the fighting when the community divides
- The sources do not agree approximate, reports differReports of his death year range across the 40s AH without converging.
Dies in Madinah
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
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
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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