Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, may Allah be pleased with him:

His name is ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Quhaafah, may Allah be pleased with him, and the name of Abu Quhaafah (i.e., his father) is ‘Uthmaan ibn Ka’b At-Taymi Al-Qurashi. His mother is Salma bint Sakhr ibn ‘Aamir At-Taymi.

Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was among those who accompanied the Prophet  from the beginning of his Da’wah (call) to Islam, and is considered to be his nearest friend. He was the first Rightly-Guided Caliph, and one of the ten Companions who were given the glad tidings of entering Paradise. He supported the Prophet  and he was the first to accept Islam at his hands.

Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was the one who guarded the Prophet  in his bower on the day of Badr. After the death of the Prophet  he was recognized as his Caliph (successor), and this happened exactly on Tuesday, the second of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, in the year 11 A.H. His caliphate lasted for about two years and four months, and he died on Monday, the 22nd of Jumaadah Al-Oola, in 13 A.H.

Sa’d bin Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him:

The name of his father is Maalik ibn Uhayb ibn ‘Abd Manaaf ibn Zuhrah Az-Zuhri Al-Madani. He witnessed Badr and all the battles, was one of the ten Companions who were given the glad tidings of Paradise, and was the last one of them to die. He was the first to shoot an arrow in the cause of Allah, and he was the cavalier of Islam. He was also among the six councilors appointed by ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. He was the leader of the army of Islam in the conquest of Iraq. Moreover, the Prophet  praised him by saying: "Shoot, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! [this is a phrase used by the Arabs to express love and esteem].” [Al-Bukhari]

Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, was among the guards of the Prophet . ‘Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that, “the Prophet  got no sleep at one night and he said: "If only a righteous man from my Companions [would] come to guard me.” Then we heard the sound of [a] weapon; thereupon the Prophet  called: "Who is this?" and the man outside replied, "I am Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas, O Messenger of Allah. I came to guard you." ‘Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Prophet  then slept till I heard him snore." [Muslim]

Az-Zubayr ibn Al-‘Awwaam ibn Khuwaylid ibn Asad, may Allah be pleased with him:

His nickname is Abu ‘Abdullaah. He was fifteen years old when he embraced Islam, and was among the seven forerunners to Islam. His mother is Safiyyah bint ‘Abdul-Muttalib ibn ‘Abd Manaaf, the aunt of the Prophet . He was among those who emigrated to Al-Habashah (Abyssinia), and he also emigrated to Madeenah. He married Asmaa' bint Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her.

He, may Allah be pleased with him, witnessed Badr and all the battles with the Prophet . He guarded the Prophet  on the day of Al-Khandaq (the day of the Battle of the Trench). Furthermore, he was among those sent by ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, as reinforcement to ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, in the conquest of Egypt. When ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, died, Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, was among the six Companions who were appointed by him to choose the caliph from amongst them.

He, may Allah be pleased with him, was treacherously assassinated at the hands of a man called ‘Amr ibn Jurthoom in the Battle of the Camel, and he was buried in the outskirts of the city of Al-Basrah.

Sa’d ibn Mu‘aath, may Allah be pleased with him:

He is Sa’d ibn Mu‘aath ibn An-Nu’maan ibn Imru' Al-Qays Al-Ansaari Al-Awsi Al-Ash-hali, and his mother is Kabshah bint Raafi’. He was one of the Companions and came from the people of Madeenah. He was the head of the tribe of Al-Aws, and his nickname was Abu ‘Umar. He embraced Islam at the hands of Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, whom the Prophet  sent to Madeenah before the Hijrah (Emigration) to call its people to Islam. He witnessed Badr, and on that day he guarded the Prophet  in his bower. He also carried the flag of the tribe of Al-Aws in Badr and showed extreme courage. He witnessed Al-Khandaq, in which he was injured, and when he died he was thirty-seven years old.

Muhammad ibn Maslamah Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him:

His nickname is Abu ‘Abdullaah. He was from the tribe of Bani Haarithah, and an ally to the tribe of Bani ‘Abdil-Ash-hal. He was born twenty-two years before the Prophetic mission, and he had ten sons and six daughters. He accepted Islam at the hands of Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, when Mus‘ab was in Madeenah. Moreover, the Prophet  paired him and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarraah as brothers –


may Allah be pleased with both of them.

He, may Allah be pleased with him, witnessed Badr and the battles afterwards, and he guarded the Prophet  on the day of the Battle of Uhud. It is said that the Prophet  appointed him over Madeenah during some of his battles, and that entitled him to lead about fifty-one platoons. He died seventy-seven years old, in forty-three A.H.

Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah, may Allah be pleased with him:

He is Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah ibn Abi ‘Aamir ibn Mas‘ood Ath-Thaqafi. He was among the most shrewd and wise Arabs. He was born and grew up in Thaqeef in At-Taa'if. He accepted Islam in the year of the Battle of the Trench, after he killed thirteen men from the tribe of Bani Maalik and took their money after they went with him to Al-Muqawqis in Egypt. His uncle ‘Urwah ibn Mas‘ood was the one who paid their blood money. Then he stayed in Madeenah with the Prophet  till he went with him to Al-Hudaybiyyah.

The Quraysh sent Al-Mugheerah’s uncle ‘Urwah ibn Mas‘ood to the Prophet  to negotiate with him about reconciliation. ‘Urwah kept talking to the Prophet  holding the Prophet's beard as he talked, and Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah, may Allah be pleased with him, was standing near the head of the Prophet, holding a sword and wearing a helmet. Every time ‘Urwah stretched his hand towards the beard of the Prophet, Al-Mugheerah, may Allah be pleased with him, would hit his hand with the handle of the sword and say (to Urwah), "Remove your hand from the beard of the Messenger of Allah, or it will not return to you again!" ‘Urwah raised his head and asked, "O Muhammad, who is that? How rough he is!" The Prophet  replied: "He is your nephew, Al-Mugheerah." Urwah said, "O treacherous one! Am I not doing my best to prevent the evil consequences of your treachery?" referring to what Al-Mugheerah did before accepting Islam. [Al-Bukhari]

Al-Mugheerah, may Allah be pleased with him, witnessed the Ridhwaan pledge of allegiance and the battles following it. After the death of the Prophet  he witnessed the Battle of Al-Yamaamah and the conquests of Ash-Shaam (the Levant), and his eye was gouged out in the Battle of Al-Yarmook. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, appointed Al-Mugheerah over Bahrain, then Al-Basrah, then Al-Koofah, where he stayed as governor till the assassination of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.

He, may Allah be pleased with him, died in Al-Koofah in 50 A.H., may Allah be pleased with him.

Bilaal ibn Rabaah Al-Habashi (the Abyssinian), may Allah be pleased with him:

His nickname is Abu ‘Abdullaah, and he is one of the great Companions of the Prophet . He was among the slaves of the Quraysh who embraced Islam, which led his master Umayyah ibn Khalaf to torture him cruelly. However, Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, may Allah be pleased with him, bought him and set him free. He, may Allah be pleased with him, was known for his endurance of torture, as he kept saying, "One, One", meaning Allah.

Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, had a beautiful voice, which was why the Prophet  assigned to him the task of performing the Athaan (call to prayer). He guarded the Prophet  during the Battle of Waadi Al-Qura. In addition to that, he, may Allah be pleased with him, was present in all the military expeditions with the Prophet . He died in Ash-Shaam, while fighting in the cause of Allah, and he was buried in Damascus in the year 20 A.H.

It is narrated that when he, may Allah be pleased with him, was dying, his wife said, "Oh, my sorrow!" Thereupon, he said to her, "Do not say ‘Oh, my sorrow’; rather, say ‘Oh, my joy!’" Then he, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Tomorrow we will meet the loved ones, Muhammad and his Companions."

‘Abbaad ibn Bishr ibn Waqish ibn Zaghbah ibn Zu‘awraa' ibn ‘Abd Al-Ashhal, may Allah be pleased with him:

He was one of those who witnessed the Battle of Badr, and he was among the leaders of the tribe of Al-Aws. He is the one whose stick had lit up for him at night when he was returning to his home after accompanying the Prophet . He embraced Islam at the hands of Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, and he was among those who killed the leader of the Jews, Ka’b ibn Al-Ashraf. The Prophet  nominated him to collect the obligatory charity and alms from the tribes of Muznah and Bani Saleem. He also assigned to him to lead the guard during the Battle of Tabook. ‘Abbaad, may Allah be pleased with him, showed extreme courage in the Battle of Al-Yamaamah, and he had a lofty status. He lived to be forty-five years, may Allah be pleased with him and make him pleased.

Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him:

He is Khaalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb ibn Tha‘labah Abd Amr ibn Aw fibn Ghanam ibn Maalik ibn An-Najjaar ibn Tha‘labah ibn ‘Amr Al-Ansaari Al-Khazraji. He, may Allah be pleased with him, witnessed the second Al-‘Aqabah Pledge of Allegiance, as he went out with the delegation of Madeenah to give the Prophet  their pledge of allegiance in Makkah.

When the Prophet  reached Madeenah, emigrating from Makkah, he stayed at the house of Abu Ayyoob, may Allah be pleased with him, and he also paired him and Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, as brothers. He witnessed all the military expeditions with the Prophet .

It is narrated that when the Prophet  married Safiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, in Khaybar, he passed the night with her in a tent belonging to Abu Ayyoob, may Allah be pleased with him, who passed the night carrying his sword to guard the Prophet . He remained going around the tent until the morning, and when the Prophet  got up and saw him in his place, he asked him: "What is up with you, O Abu Ayyoob?" He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I was afraid of this woman (i.e., Safiyyah) on you, for you have just killed her father, her husband and her people, and until recently, she was in unbelief. So I was afraid of her on you." Whereupon, the Prophet  said: "O Allah! Preserve Abu Ayyoob as he spent the night preserving me."

He, may Allah be pleased with him died in the year 52 A.H.

‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood ibn Ghaafil Al-Huthali, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Prophet  nicknamed him Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmaan. His father died in the Jaahiliyyah (Period of Ignorance), but his mother embraced Islam and accompanied the Prophet  so he was often called by the name of his mother, ‘Ibn Umm ‘Abd’. He, may Allah be pleased with him, was among the first forerunners to Islam, being the sixth among the first six to enter into this religion. He emigrated to Al-Habashah and to Madeenah as well, and he witnessed the Battle of Badr and all the other battles with the Prophet . He was the one who delivered the deathblow to Abu Jahl, and the Prophet  granted him the sword of Abu Jahl when he brought his head to him. He also guarded the Prophet  on the day of the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyah. Moreover, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, put him in charge of the state treasury in Al-Koofah during his Caliphate.

Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, died in the year 32 A.H., at the end of the Caliphate of ‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him.

Abu Qataadah Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him:

He was the horseman of the Prophet . There is a difference of opinion among historians about his name, yet the most well-known opinion is that his name is Al-Haarith ibn Rab‘iyy ibn Dawmah ibn Khinaas. He was also among the guards of the Prophet . He narrated about one-hundred and seventy Hadeeths (narrations) from the Prophet  and from these Al-Bukhari and Muslim  have agreed upon eleven. Al-Bukhari has exclusively related two Hadeeths, and Muslim related eight.

Anas ibn Abi Marthad Al-Ghanawi, may Allah be pleased with him:

His nickname is Abu Yazeed, and the name of his father is Kinaaz ibn Al-Haseen. Both Anas and his father, may Allah be pleased with them, accompanied the Prophet  the father being twenty years older than his son.

On the day of the Battle of Hunayn, the Prophet  asked his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them: "Who will be on guard tonight?" Anas ibn Abi Marthad Al-Ghanawi, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I shall, O Messenger of Allah." [Abu Daawood]