al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
الزبير بن العوام
c. 594 CE – December 656 CE · 36 AH
One of the earliest converts and a cousin of the Prophet through his mother Safiyya; at Badr he was one of the army's two horsemen, commanded the right wing, and joined the patrol that captured Quraysh's water-bearers.
At a glance
- Roles
- Companion · Commander
- Tradition
- Sunni
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
BattlesConverts and those who leave
Place in the story
- CompanionTradition
- Convert to IslamTradition
- Commander · 624 CE · 2 AH†Tradition
Sunni (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi, of the forerunners to Islam; his mother Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's aunt 1.
His role at Badr
He was one of the Muslim army's two horsemen — the Muslims had only two horses — and command of the right wing was assigned to him 2. He went out on the scouting patrol with Ali and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, which captured two lads of Quraysh's water-carriers, and the Prophet reckoned from the slaughtered camels an army of nine hundred to a thousand 3.
After Badr
One of the ten promised Paradise in the Sunni account; he was killed in 36 AH after withdrawing from the battle of the Camel 4.
Connections
- Child of
- Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib
- Spouse of
- Umm Kulthum bint Uqba
- Member of
- QurayshThe MuhajirunThe early Muslim community
- Participated in
- The Battle of BadrThe three years of the secret callThe Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)The HijraBattle over the Quraysh standard at UhudMuslim deployment at Uhud and the archers' post
People and things also explored
The Battle of UhudAbu Ubayda ibn al-JarrahMeccaThe early Muslim communityBilal ibn RabahMuhammadal-Miqdad ibn AmrHamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 205
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, pp. 210-211
- al-Tabaqat al-Kubra — Ibn Sa'd
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/zubayr-ibn-al-awwam/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.