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رَبِيعَةُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ الْأَسْلَمِيّ

رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami

Served the Prophet ﷺ by night · Offered anything · Asked for Paradise

may Allah be pleased with him

Aslam · Madinah, in the years after the Hijrah

A poor Companion who had no household of his own in Madinah, and attached himself to serving the Prophet ﷺ directly. Offered anything he wanted in return, he asked only to remain his companion in Paradise.

Learn his storyQuick quiz

Known for

  • He served the Prophet ﷺ at night, bringing him water for prayer and attending to his needs

  • Offered anything he wanted, he asked to remain the Prophet's ﷺ companion in Paradise

  • When asked if he wanted anything else, he said that request was enough

  • He was told he could help make that happen for himself by increasing his prostration in prayer

Story

His story in moments

Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.

  1. Ask, and I will give youMadinah, in the course of Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b's ordinary service to the Prophet ﷺ.The Madinan years1 min read

In full

Life & legacy

Serving the Prophet ﷺ

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b was of Aslam, and had no family or household of his own in Madinah. Along with a number of other Companions in a similar position, he stayed near the mosque without means of his own, and gave his days to serving the Prophet ﷺ and learning from him.

Part of that service was practical: he would bring water for the Prophet's ﷺ ablution and for the night prayer, and attend to whatever else was needed, without being asked to.

Afterwards

The exchange in which he was offered anything he wanted, and asked only for Paradise, is set out in the moment below. It is the episode he is remembered for.

The sources say comparatively little about the rest of his life, and do not settle when or where he died.

How the sources describe him

  • He asked for a single thing when he could have asked for anything at all

  • He served without being asked, before he was ever offered anything in return

Connect

People around him

Alongside

  • The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion

    He served him directly in Madinah, and was told to ask for anything he wanted — asking only for his companionship in Paradise.

Full timeline

  1. The Madinan years

    Attaches himself to serving the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah

  2. The Madinan years

    Offered anything he wants, he asks for companionship in Paradise

  3. Not settled in the sources approximate, reports differThe biographical sources give little detail about his later life and do not agree on when or where he died.

    Dies

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.

  • Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم

    Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj

  • 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

  • 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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