Salaf (, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression of al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ (, "the pious predecessors"), are often taken to be the first three generations of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. This comprises companions of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

(the ), their followers (the ), and the followers of the followers (the ). Their religious significance lay in the statement attributed to Muhammad: "The best of my community are my generation, the ones who follow them and the ones who follow them", a period believed to exemplify the purest form of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. The generations of Muslims after the third are referred to as the Khalaf.

Second generation

The

Tabi‘un The tābiʿūn (, also accusative or genitive tābiʿīn , singular ''tābiʿ'' ), "followers" or "successors", are the generation of Muslims who followed the Companions of the Prophet, companions (''ṣaḥāba'') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ...

, the successors of

Sahabah The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

. *

Amir al-Sha'bi Abū ʿAmr ʿĀmir ibn Sharāḥīl ibn ʿAbd al-Kūfī al-Shaʿbī (), 641–723, commonly known as Imam al-Sha'bi or al-Sha'bi, was an Arab historian and jurist of the ''tabi'un'', born during the rule of Umar ibn al-Khattab. As a prominent ...

Abu Muslim Al-Khawlani Abu Muslim Al-Khawlani () (died 684) was a well-known ''tabi'i'' (plural: taba'een) and a prominent religious figure in Damascus, Syria. He was one of the 'Eight Ascetics,' who also included Amir ibn Abd al-Qays, Uways al-Qarani, Al-Rabi ibn Khut ...

* Abu Suhail an-Nafi' ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman *

Al-Ahnaf Abu Bahr Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays () was a Muslim commander who lived during the time of Islamic prophet Muhammad. He hailed from the Arab tribe of Banu Tamim and was born of noble parents. Initially, his father named him ad-Dhahhak, but people called h ...

Malik Ibn Anas Malik ibn Anas (; –795) also known as Imam Malik was an Arab Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.Schacht, J., "Mālik b. Anas", in: ''E ...

Abu Hanifa Abu Hanifa (; September 699 CE – 767 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, ascetic,Pakatchi, Ahmad and Umar, Suheyl, "Abū Ḥanīfa", in: ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'', Editors-in-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary. and epony ...

Ja'far al-Sadiq Ja'far al-Sadiq (; –765) was a Muslim hadith transmitter and the last agreed-upon Shia Imam between the Twelvers and Isma'ilis. Known by the title al-Sadiq ("The Truthful"), Ja'far was the eponymous founder of the Ja'fari school of Isla ...

Al-Rabi Ibn Khuthaym Al-Rabi ibn Khuthaym al-Thawri (d.ca 682) was a pupil of Abdullah ibn Masud and a famous '' tabi'i'' ascetic of Kufa. Constantly ill with a form of palsy, in later generations he became a symbol of endurance in the face of suffering. He emphasiz ...

* Ali Akbar * Ali ibn Husayn (Zain-ul-'Abidin) * Alqama ibn Qays al-Nakha'i *

Ata Ibn Abi Rabah Ata ibn Abi Rabah (; ) was a prominent early Muslim jurist and hadith transmitter of Nubian origin who served as the ''mufti'' of Mecca in the late seventh and early eighth centuries. He is considered a leading figure of the early Meccan school ...

* Atiyya bin Saad *

Hasan al-Basri Abi Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Yasar al-Basri, often referred to as al-Hasan al-Basri, was an ancient Muslim preacher, ascetic, theologian, exegete, scholar, and judge. Born in Medina in 642,Mourad, Suleiman A., “al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī”, in: ''Encyc ...

Iyas Ibn Muawiyah Al-Muzani Iyas ibn Mu'awiya al-Muzani () (full name, Abu Wathila Iyas ibn Mu'awiya ibn Qurra) was a ''tabi'i'' ''Qadi'' (judge) in the 2nd century AH who lived in Basra (modern day Iraq). He was renowned for possessing immense cleverness which became a fav ...

Masruq ibn al-Ajda' Masruq ibn al-Ajda' (Arabic , died 682) was a well-known and respected ''tabi'i'' (from '' taba'een''), jurist and ''muĥaddith'' (transmitter of Prophetic traditions or ''hadith''). Chiefly a resident of Kufa (Iraq) he was among the many studen ...

Muhammad al-Baqir Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (; ) was a descendant of the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and the fifth of the Twelve Imams, twelve Shia imams, succeeding his father, Ali al-Sajjad, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sad ...

Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (, , 15–81 AH) was a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was the fourth caliph in Sunni Islam () and the first imam in Shia Islam. Ibn al-Hanafiyya was an effective lieutenant for his father Ali during his caliphate. After ...

Muhammad Ibn Wasi' Al-Azdi Muhammad Ibn Wasi' Al-Azdi (d.ca.744 or 751) was a ''tabi'i'' Islamic scholar of ''hadith'', judge, and soldier who was noted for his asceticism (''zuhd''). His statement, 'I never saw anything without seeing Allah therein' was much discussed by lat ...

* Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri * Muhammad ibn Munkadir *

Nafi Mawla Ibn Umar Nafi bin Sarjis Abu Abdullah ad-Dailami (), also known as Nafi` Mawla ibn `Umar (), was a scholar of Fiqh jurisprudence and muhaddith from the Tabiun generation who resided in Medina. He was a student of Ibn Umar. Biography Nafi was originally ...

Muhammad ibn Sirin Muhammad Ibn Sirin (, romanized: Muḥammad Ibn Sirīn) (born in Basra) was a Muslim tabi' as he was a contemporary of Anas ibn Malik. He is claimed by some to have been an interpreter of dreams, though others regard the books to have been fal ...

, son of a slave of

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arabs, Arab military commander. He initially led campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career ...

Musa ibn Nusayr Musa ibn Nusayr ( ''Mūsá bin Nuṣayr''; 640 – c. 716) was an Arab general and governor who served under the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I. He ruled over the Muslim province of Ifriqiya, and directed the Islamic conquest of the Visigothic King ...

Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr () (born 36 or 38 AH and died 106 AH or 108 AH; corresponding to 660/662 and 728/730) The Four Imams by Muhammad Abu Zahrahchapter on Imam Malik was a jurist in early Islam. In the Naqshbandi Sufi or ...

* Raja ibn Haywa *

Sa'id ibn Jubayr Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr (665–714) (), also known as Abū ‘Abd Allāh, was originally from Kufa, in modern-day Iraq. He was regarded as one of the leading members of the Tabi'in (d. ca. 712). Sa'īd is held in the highest esteem by scholars of ...

Said ibn al-Musayyib Abu Muhammad Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib ibn Hazn al-Makhzumi (; 637–715) was one of the foremost authorities of jurisprudence (''fiqh'') among the '' taba'een'' (generation succeeding the companions of Muhammad who are referred to as the sahaba). ...

* Salamah ibn Dinar * Salih Ibn Ashyam Al-Adawi * Salim Ibn Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn al-Khattab * Shuraih Al-Qadhi *

Sufyan al-Thawri Abū ʿAbd Allāh Sufyān ibn Saʿīd ibn Masrūq ibn Ḥamza al-Thawrī al-Muḍarī al-Kūfī (; 716–778 CE / 97–161 AH), commonly known as Sufyān al-Thawrī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, ascetic, traditionist, and eponymous ...

Tariq Ibn Ziyad Tariq ibn Ziyad ( ; ), also known simply as Tarik in English, was an Umayyad commander who initiated the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal) against the Visigothic Kingdom in 711–718 AD. He led an army and ...

Tawus Ibn Kaysan Tawus Ibn Kaysan (; died 723) was one of the '' Tabi‘in'', one of the narrators of hadith and scholars of fiqh. He is also known as Tawoos ibn Kaysaan, "Tawoos" or "al-Taus,". Biography He was one of the scholars of the Tabi‘in, one of th ...

* Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz *

Umm Kulthum bint Abu Bakr Umm Kulthūm bint Abī Bakr () was a daughter of Abu Bakr and Habiba bint Kharija. She was said to be the first and probably only Muslim woman in the Early Caliphate's history who received her inheritance from her father in utero. Umm Kulthum w ...

Urwah Ibn Al-Zubayr Urwa ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam al-Asadi (; ) was an early Muslim traditionist, widely regarded as a founding figure in the field of historical study among the Muslims. He was a son of Muhammad's close aide al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, and a nephe ...

Uwais al-Qarni Uwais is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Uwais Khan, Mongol khan *Iko Uwais Uwais Qorny (), known professionally as Iko Uwais, (born 12 February 1983) is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreograph ...

Amr ibn Dinar Amr ibn Dinar (, ) was a seventh-century Muslim jurist and hadith transmitter from the ''tabi'un'' who served as the mufti of Mecca. Biography Amr ibn Dinar's exact date of birth is unknown, but Islamic biographical dictionaries estimate it to ...

Third generation

The

Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in The Tābiʿū al-Tābʿīn (, singular ) is the generation after the Tābi‘ūn in Islam. The first generation of Muslims are called the companions of Muhammad. The second generation of Muslims are called ''tābi‘ūn'' "Successors". The t ...

, the successors of the

. *

Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah Al-Ghafiqi (; died 732), was an Arab Umayyad commander and governor who led Andalusian Muslim forces against the Franks. He is most famous for leading the Muslim forces during the Battle of Tours (also known as the ...

* Al Qutaybah *

Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al- Ḥasan al-Muthannā ibn al- Ḥasan al-Mujtabā ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib or Muḥammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya (), was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, through his daughter Fati ...

Muhammad bin Qasim Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Thaqafī (; –) was an Arabs, Arab military commander in service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh (and Punjab, part of ancient Sindh), inaugurating the Umayyad campaigns in India. His m ...

Al bidaya wan Nahaya,

Ibn Kathir Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...

* Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya *

Al-Shafi‘i Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles of Is ...

Zayd ibn Ali Zayd ibn ʿAlī (; 695–740), also spelled Zaid, was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, and great-grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate, in which he died. The event gave rise to t ...

* Ishaq ibn Rahwayh *

Al-Layth ibn Sa'd Al-Layth ibn Saʿd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Fahmī al-Qalqashandī () was an Arab and the chief representative, imam, and eponym of the Laythi school of Islamic Jurisprudence. He was regarded as the main representative of an Egyptian tradition ...

Sufyan ibn Uyaynah Sufyan () is an Arabic name. * Nader Sufyan Abbas (born 1975), Qatari weightlifter * Abu Sufyan Al-Azdi (1973–2013), Saudi Arabian deputy leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula * Khaled bin Sufyan Al-Hathali (died 625), be ...

References

{{reflist

Salaf Salaf (, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression of al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ (, "the pious predecessors"), are often taken to be the first three generations of Muslims. This comprises companions of the ...

Islamic terminology

Second generation

Third generation

See also

References