The Companion Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr

Few of the Prophet Muḥammad’s companions combine the romance of an outlaw, the daring of a cavalry commander, and the quiet scholarship of a Qurʾan‑reciter as completely as Abu Maʿbad al‑Miqdad ibn Amr al‑Baḥrani, better known after his adoption as al‑Miqdad ibn al‑Aswad al‑Kindi.

Though his name is routinely recited in lists of the Badrian veterans, the details of his lineage, the turning points of his adventurous life, his unforgettable words on the eve of Badr, and the qualities for which the Prophet himself said he was loved, deserve to be gathered into a single, sustained narrative.

Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr Lineage and Family

Miqdad was born in Haḍramawt in South Arabia to Amr ibn Thaʿlaba of the little‑studied Baḥraʾ branch of the larger Kindah confederation, a link preserved in one of his nisbas, al‑Baḥrani. Fleeing a blood feud in his teens, he made his way to Mecca and entered the protection (walaʾ) of al‑Aswad ibn Abd Yaghuth al‑Kindi, who not only manumitted him but also legally adopted him. For years, he was therefore known as al‑Miqdad ibn al‑Aswad, until Qurʾanic legislation restored children to their biological fathers; thereafter, he reverted to ibn Amr, but the earlier style persisted in the sources.

His marriage cemented ties with the Prophetic clan: he wed Ḍubaʿa bint al‑Zubayr ibn Abd al‑Muṭṭalib, a first cousin of the Prophet. Their known children were Abd‑Allah and Karimah. The union placed Miqdad simultaneously within Qurayshite society and the Prophet’s own extended family, something that later allowed him to act as a trusted messenger between rival factions.

Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr Life (Sira)

Early Meccan years (before 622 CE)

Miqdad accepted Islam very early, he is usually counted among the first seven men to do so, and, like the rest of the small Meccan community, practised in secrecy until persecution made concealment impossible. His skill at arms was already noted; sources describe him as tall, broad‑shouldered, and “the first man to fight on horseback for Islam”.

Hijra and life in Medina

When the general emigration order was given, Miqdad travelled north but used a ruse: he and Utba ibn Ghazwan rode among the Qurayshite pursuers, then defected to the Muslim column en route. In Medina, he was paired in brotherhood (muʾakat) with Jabir ibn Abdillah, joined the Prophet’s household at Qubaʾ, and earned a reputation for reciting Surat al‑Anfal to the troops on campaign.

Continuous military service

From Badr (624) to the final battle of Tabuk (630) he missed no battle. After the Prophet’s death, he fought in Syria under Abu Ubayda, in Egypt under Amr ibn al‑As, Caliph Umar famously telling Amr that Miqdad was “equal to a thousand men”, and is credited with helping plan the first naval raid on Cyprus. His command assignments included leading the Bali contingent at the siege of Hims and serving as Qurʾan‑reciter for Khalid ibn al‑Walid at Yarmuk.

Defining Episodes of Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr

The night council at Badr

On the eve of Islam’s first major engagement, the Prophet consulted his followers. After Abu Bakr and Umar spoke, Miqdad stood, sword in hand:

“Messenger of God, go forward to what God has shown you.
By God, we shall never say as the Children of Israel said to Moses,
‘Go you and your Lord and fight, we sit here’ (Q 5:24).
Instead we say: ‘Go you and your Lord and fight; we fight with you!’
Were you to lead us to Bark al‑Ghimad we would follow, right and left, before you and behind you, until God grants you victory”.

The Prophet’s face “shone with joy”. Tradition remembers the speech as a watershed: the first unqualified pledge of military obedience from a Muhajir. It also fixed Miqdad in Muslim memory as the voice of collective courage.

Arbitration and justice

During the caliphate of Umar, a soldier demanded retaliation after being struck by a commander. The caliph ordered the officer to submit; the complainant forgave him. Miqdad wept with delight, crying, “I have seen Islam triumphant!”, a vignette illustrating his passion for principled justice.

Council of Succession (23 AH)

After Umar’s assassination, Miqdad physically gathered the famous six‑man shura inside a guarded house so they could choose the next caliph without outside pressure. Though not a voter himself, he facilitated the transition and later counselled Uthman on Syrian affairs.

Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr Virtues

The fadaʾil literature singles out Miqdad for four traits:

• Unwavering bravery. He rode one of only three horses at Badr and commanded the Muslim left wing.
• Straight speech. His declaration at Badr became a model for soldierly candour in the Prophet’s councils.
• Beloved to God and His Messenger. The Prophet is reported to have said: “Allah has ordered me to love four men, and He loves them: Ali, Miqdad, Abu Dharr and Salman”.
• Early and public Islam. Ibn Masʿud ranked him among the seven who first proclaimed faith openly in Mecca, absorbing bodily abuse for the truth.

Later scholars added his scrupulosity with hadith transmission and his disdain for flattery: when lavishly praised, he would throw dust in the flatterer’s face, invoking the Prophetic instruction to do so.

Al‑Miqdad ibn Amr: Death and Legacy

Miqdad died in 33 AH (c. 653 CE) during the early weeks of Uthman’s reign. Most reports place his final illness at al‑Jurf, an oasis a day’s ride west of Medina, where the caliph personally led the funeral prayer before the body was taken to al‑Baqiʿ cemetery. A minority Syrian tradition claims he died in Damascus; modern historians usually reconcile the two by suggesting he returned from a Levantine campaign already ill. He was about seventy years old, “a large‑stomached, broad man with a dyed beard,” an image that contrasts sharply with the lithe young rider of Badr.

In Muslim memory, his legacy crystallised around three images:

• The archetypal cavalryman, whose daring foreshadowed the sweeping conquests of the Rashidun.
• The loyal voice, whose pledge at Badr reassured the Prophet that his followers would never repeat Israel’s faithlessness toward Moses.
• The just witness, whose tears over Umar’s court scene showed how deeply he loved the religion’s moral core.