سُهَيْلُ بْنُ عَمْرو
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Suhayl ibn Amr
Orator of Quraysh · Negotiated at Hudaybiyyah · Steadied Makkah
may Allah be pleased with him
Quraysh — Banu Amir ibn Lu'ayy · Makkah, up to about 18 AH
The speaker Quraysh sent to negotiate against the Muslims at Hudaybiyyah. Years later, with Makkah wavering on the news that the Prophet ﷺ had died, he was the man who stood up and held the city.
Known for
He negotiated the treaty at Hudaybiyyah on behalf of Quraysh
He was taken prisoner at Badr, and his tongue was the thing at issue
Umar proposed disabling him so that he could not speak against the Muslims again. The Prophet ﷺ refused, and said he might one day take a position that would not displease him.
He was the orator Quraysh put forward when speaking mattered
He held Makkah steady when news came that the Prophet ﷺ had died
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Against them
Suhayl was of Banu Amir ibn Lu'ayy and the man Quraysh sent when a case had to be argued. He was captured at Badr and ransomed.
At Hudaybiyyah in 6 AH he was the negotiator on the Makkan side, and the terms he extracted looked to the Muslims like a defeat — including that they would turn back without entering, and that anyone leaving Makkah for Madinah would be returned while the reverse would not apply. His own son was among those affected.
He accepted Islam at the opening of Makkah in 8 AH.
Afterwards
When the news reached Makkah that the Prophet ﷺ had died, the city began to come apart — and the man who stood up in it was Suhayl. That episode is set out in the moment below.
He left Makkah afterwards for the campaigns in Syria and did not go back. The reports have him saying he had heard that those who stood in the ranks there had a standing he had not earned in Makkah.
He died in Syria, in the plague years or shortly after; the sources differ.
How the sources describe him
He could move a crowd, in either direction
He spent the rest of his life making up the years he had spent opposing it
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He negotiated against him at Hudaybiyyah, and refused to let him be disabled after Badr.
Proposed after Badr that Suhayl be prevented from speaking against the Muslims again.
Full timeline
- 2 AH
Taken prisoner at Badr and ransomed
- 6 AH
Negotiates the treaty at Hudaybiyyah for Quraysh
- 8 AH
Accepts Islam at the opening of Makkah
- 11 AH
Speaks in Makkah on the news of the Prophet's ﷺ death
- The sources differ approximate, reports differReports place it around 18 AH and also later.
Dies in Syria
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.
Notice an error?
If something looks wrong or missing, send a correction and we’ll check it against the listed sources.
Notice an errorWant to remember what you learn about the Sahabah?
Pro adds Smart Review, the full Sahaba Album, adaptive quizzes, learning paths, a Mistake Notebook and personalised daily sessions across both apps.