Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam

The Disciple of the Prophet ﷺ

Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, of the Quraysh clan of Banu Asad, was among the very earliest to accept Islam and one of the ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ honoured him with a title given to no other — his Hawari, his disciple and devoted helper (see Virtues in the Hadith). He was a renowned warrior who stood with the Prophet ﷺ at Badr and Uhud.

Steadfast Faith and Valor

Az-Zubayr accepted Islam as a youth, and his faith was tested at once: his own uncle wrapped him in a sack and choked him with smoke to force him back to unbelief, yet he would only answer that he would never return to kufr. 1 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 1 · pp. 96 — Idris Kandhlawi — az-Zubayr's uncle subjects him to smoke to make him recant; his refusal ever to return to kufr. His courage was as firm as his faith. At Badr he faced the fully-armoured disbeliever Ubaydah ibn Sa’id, of whom nothing showed but his eyes, and drove his spear clean through the gap with such force that he had to plant his foot and pull to free it; the Prophet ﷺ asked him for that spear as a keepsake. He came away from Badr with deep wounds — one in his shoulder so wide that his little son Urwah would later slip his fingers into its healed folds. 2 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 1 · pp. 252 — Idris Kandhlawi — az-Zubayr slays the armoured Ubaydah ibn Sa'id at Badr; the Prophet asks for his spear; his shoulder wound.

The Battle of the Camel and his Death

In the strife that followed Uthman’s murder, az-Zubayr was among those who faced Ali at the Battle of the Camel near Basra in 36 AH — but he withdrew from the fighting, and was slain as he turned away. 3 The Life of Caliph Ali · pp. 141–156 — Nadwi — the Battle of the Camel; az-Zubayr withdraws from the field and is killed.

Virtues in the Hadith

The Prophet ﷺ gave az-Zubayr the unique title of his disciple:

إِنَّ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ حَوَارِيًّا، وَإِنَّ حَوَارِيَّ الزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ الْعَوَّامِ

”Every prophet has a disciple (hawari), and my disciple is az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 3719 · Book 62 (Virtues of the Companions), Hadith 67 · USC-MSA: Vol. 5, Book 57, Hadith 65 · narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

And he was named among the ten promised Paradise in the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime:

Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3747 · Book of Manaqib · In-book: Book 49, Hadith 144 · narrated by Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf · graded Sahih (Darussalam)