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Mus'ab ibn Umayr

Moment 2 of 2

The cloak that was too short

Uhud, 3 AH, after the fighting had ended.

Uhud, near Madinah3 AH1 min read

Mus'ab carried the banner at Uhud and was killed there.

When the Muslims came to bury their dead, they found that he had left almost nothing behind. What he had was a single cloak.

It was not long enough. When they covered his head with it, his feet were left bare; when they covered his feet, his head was uncovered. They were told to cover his head with the cloak and to place grass over his feet.

The reports pair this with a memory of him from before: the young man in Makkah whose clothes and perfume were the finest in the city, whose mother had dressed him better than anyone.

That is why this scene is remembered. Not for how he died, but for the two images placed side by side — and for the fact that he had chosen it.

Quick recall

What is remembered about Mus'ab's burial after Uhud?

Sources & review

Draft content — undergoing review

This 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم

    Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj

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