Amir ibn Fuhayrah

ProfileAmir ibn Fuhayrah

Amir ibn Fuhayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was a slave in Makkah. Aishah told that he was the slave of Abdullah ibn at-Tufayl ibn Sakhbarah, her brother on her mother's side. According to the early biographies, he accepted Islam early, before the Prophet ﷺ entered the house of al-Arqam, and was tortured to make him give it up, until Abu Bakr bought him and freed him. According to the early biographies, he remained loyal to Abu Bakr, and tended his flock.

Aishah told that when the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr hid in the cave on the mountain of Thawr, Amir ibn Fuhayrah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, would bring his milch sheep to them a little after nightfall, so that they had fresh milk at night, and the milk they warmed by throwing heated stones into it. He would call the herd away while it was still dark, before daybreak, and did the same on each of the three nights. When the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr set out, he went with them and the guide, and they took turns to let him ride behind them until they reached Madinah (Sahih al-Bukhari). According to the early biographies, he drove the flock over the tracks of Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr, who came to them by night with news from Makkah, so that the tracks would be covered.

Suraqah ibn Malik told that when he caught up with the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr and saw how his horse had been held back, he asked the Prophet ﷺ to write for him a statement of security and peace. The Prophet ﷺ ordered Amir ibn Fuhayrah, who wrote it for him on a parchment, and then the Prophet ﷺ went on his way (Sahih al-Bukhari).

According to the early biographies, he took part in Badr and Uhud, and was about forty years old when he was killed.

Urwa told that when the Muslims at Bi'r Ma'unah were killed and Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Damri was taken prisoner, Amir ibn at-Tufayl pointed to one of the slain and asked him who he was. Amr said that he was Amir ibn Fuhayrah. Amir ibn at-Tufayl said that he had seen him lifted up to the sky after he was killed, until he saw the sky between him and the earth, and then he was brought down. When the news reached the Prophet ﷺ, he told the Companions that their brothers had been killed and had asked their Lord to let their brothers know that they were pleased with Him and He was pleased with them, and Allah informed them (Sahih al-Bukhari). According to the early biographies, the man who struck him down, Jabbar ibn Sulma, was moved by how he died, and later accepted Islam.

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