The Guards of the Prophet

By | September 4, 2024

Muhammad ibn Maslamah Al-Ansari :

His nickname is Abu ‘Abdullah. He was from the tribe of Bani Harithah, 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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) paired him and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah 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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) on the day of the Battle of Uhud. It is said that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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 :

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 Malik 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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) till he went with him to Al-Hudaybiyyah.

The Quraysh sent Al-Mugheerah’s uncle ‘Urwah ibn Mas‘ood to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) to negotiate with him about reconciliation. ‘Urwah kept talking to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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 Ridhwan pledge of allegiance and the battles following it. After the death of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) he witnessed the Battle of Al-Yamamah and the conquests of Ash-Sham (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.

Guards of the Prophet