Ṣuhayb ibn Sinān (1) ibn Mālik, Abū Yaḥyā the Roman—by origin from the tribe of al-Namr ibn Qāsiṭ (2). His father (or his uncle) had served Kisrā as governor of al-Ubulla (3). The family resided on the Tigris near Mosul—some say on the Euphrates—when a Byzantine raid struck their lands and carried Ṣuhayb off while he was still a child. He stayed among them for a time until members of Banū Kalb bought him, transported him to Mecca, and sold him to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Judʿān, who then set him free. Ṣuhayb remained in Mecca for some years, and when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent, he believed in him. (He was among those who embraced Islam) early on—he and ʿAmmār [ibn Yāsir] accepted the faith the same day, after slightly more than thirty men had already done so. He belonged to the oppressed believers who were tortured for Allah’s sake—Exalted is He.
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ emigrated, Ṣuhayb left a few days later. A band of idolaters pursued him to stop his migration. Sensing their approach, he emptied his quiver (placing it before him) and declared, “By Allah, you know I am one of your finest archers. By Allah, you will not reach me until I have slain one of you with every arrow here, and then I shall fight you with my sword until I am killed. But if it is wealth you seek, I will guide you to it—my property is buried in such-and-such a place.” They turned back and took his money. When he arrived [before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ], the Prophet ﷺ said, “A profitable bargain, Abū Yaḥyā!” Thereupon Allah Most High revealed: “And among the people is he who sells his soul seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Kind to His servants” (al-Baqarah 2:207) (4).
Hammād ibn Salamah related this from ʿAlī ibn Zayd, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab. Ṣuhayb was present at Badr (and Uḥud) and every subsequent engagement. When ʿUmar formed the consultative council, Ṣuhayb led the people in prayer until ʿUthmān was confirmed, and he is the one who performed the funeral prayer over ʿUmar—he had been his companion [and close friend]. He was of a deep ruddy complexion, neither tall nor short, with joined eyebrows and abundant hair; his speech retained a pronounced foreign accent (5). Despite his virtue and piety he was cheerful, witty, and light-hearted.
It is related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once saw him eating fresh dates with cucumber while one of his eyes was inflamed. He asked, “Do you eat fresh dates while your eye is sore?” Ṣuhayb replied, “I am eating from the side of my sound eye,” and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed (6).
(He died in Madinah in 38 AH; some say in 39 AH, having surpassed the age of seventy.)
Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (7) was born during the Prophet’s ﷺ Farewell Pilgrimage, beneath the Tree within the Sacred Precinct, and his mother