بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Noble Companion Salama ibn al-Akwa’ (ra)
(Translated)
https://www.al-waie.org/archives/article/20258
Rayan Issa - Iraq
Al Waie Magazine Issue No. 477
Fortieth Year, Shawwal 1447 AH corresponding to April 2026 CE
From the biographies of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) we learn lessons of courage and bravery. These pure Companions (ra) changed the face of the world with their thought, their Aqeedah (creed), and their courage. If we wish to reach what they reached, we must follow their example and sacrifice for the sake of our Deen and our Aqeedah. In this article, we will discuss one of the bravest of the Companions, the noble Companion Salama ibn al-Akwa’ (ra).
Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Salama (ra), who said, “I pledged allegiance to the Prophet (saw), then I went to the shade of a tree. When the crowd thinned out, he said, «يا ابن الأكوع ألا تبايع؟» ‘O Ibn al-Akwa’, will you not pledge allegiance?’ I said, ‘I have already pledged allegiance, O Messenger of Allah.’ He (ra) said, «وأيضاً» ‘So, again.’ So I pledged allegiance to him a second time. I said to him, ‘O Abu Muslim, what were you pledging allegiance for that day?’ He said, ‘Until death.’” This narration was also recorded by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’I, as mentioned in al-‘Ayni, al-Bayhaqi, and Ibn Sa’d.
Al-Bukhari also narrated on the authority of Abdullah ibn Zayd (ra), who said: During the time of the Battle of al-Harrah, someone came to him and said: Ibn Hanzalah is taking people's pledge of allegiance unto death. He replied: I will not pledge allegiance to anyone on this basis after the Messenger of Allah (saw). This was also narrated by Muslim, as mentioned in al-Ayni, and by al-Bayhaqi.
He is Salamah ibn Amr ibn al-Akwa’ al-Aslami, known as Abu Muslim. He was considered one of the leaders and brave men of the Aslam tribe. A noble and distinguished Companion (ra) of the Prophet (saw), he was renowned as the “hero of the foot soldiers” and a skilled marksman. He pledged allegiance to the Prophet (saw), under the tree, the Pledge of Ridwan. He was known for his exceptional speed, which surpassed that of horses, and he participated in numerous battles, most notably the Battle of Dhi Qarad, in which he displayed unparalleled bravery.
He died in al-Rabadhah in Medina in the year 74 AH. Al-Attaf ibn Khalid narrated from Abd al-Rahman ibn Razin: “We came to Salama ibn al-Akwa’ in al-Rabadha, and he showed us a large hand, as big as a camel’s hoof, and said, ‘With this hand, I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah.’
So, we took his hand and kissed it.” His freed slave, Yazid, said, “I saw Salama dyeing his beard yellow, and I heard him say, ‘I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (saw) unto death, and I fought alongside him in seven battles.’”
He displayed great courage and unparalleled bravery in the Battle of Dhi Qarad, one of his most famous exploits. There, he single-handedly pursued forty horsemen from Ghatafan who had stolen the Prophet’s camels, fighting them on foot until reinforcements arrived. The Prophet (saw) said of him,
«خير رجالتنا سلمة بن الأكوع» “The best of our men is Salama ibn al-Akwa’.”
He narrated several hadiths from the Prophet (saw) and his son, Iyas, and his freed slave, Yazid ibn Abi Ubayd, narrated from him. He resided in Al-Rabadha, an area near Al-Madinah and died there in 74 AH, towards the end of the Khilafah (Caliphate) of Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, or it is said, before that. May Allah have mercy on him and grant him a place in the highest Paradise, by the Permission of Allah (swt), near His beloved and our beloved, the Chosen One, Muhammad (saw).