Usayd ibn Hudayr al-Awsi (, also Usaid ibn Hudair or Osayd ibn Hudayr) was a companion of the Islamic prophet

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 ...

and a leader of the Banū Aws tribe in the city of

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

before his conversion to

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 ...

. He inherited his leadership position from his father who was a fierce fighter, and one of the senior Arab noblemen in

Jahiliyyah In Islamic salvation history, the ''Jāhiliyyah'' (Age of Ignorance) is an era of pre-Islamic Arabia as a whole or only of the Hejaz leading up to the lifetime of Muhammad. The Arabic expression (meaning literally “the age or condition of i ...

Descent

Usayd son of Hudayr, son of Simak, son of Atik, son of Umru' al-Qays, son of Zayd, son of Abd al-Ashhal, son of Jashm, son of Harith, son of al-Khazraj, son Amr, son of Malik, son of Aws, son of Haritha, son of Tha'laba, son of Amr, son of Amir, son of Haritha, son of Tha'laba, son of Ghassan, son of al-Azd, son of al-Ghawth, son of Nabt, son of Malik, Son of Zayd, son of Kahlan, son of Saba, son of Yashjab, son of Ya'rob, son of Qahtan, al-Ashhali al-Awsi. According to Tabari, Usayd ibn Hudayr were known from his pre-Islamic life as noble who excels at swimming and archery, while he also known as ''al-Kamil'' (The perfect one)

Conversion to Islam

Muhammad had sent

Mus'ab ibn Umayr Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr () also known as Muṣʿab al-Khayr ("the Good") was a '' sahabi'' (companion) of Muhammad. From the Banū ʿAbd al-Dār branch of the Quraysh, he embraced Islam in 614 CE and was the first ambassador of Islam. He died in ...

to Medina to teach and educate Muslims of the Ansar (those Medina residents who supported Mohammad) and to invite others to the religion of Allah. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh who was a friend of Usayd learned of this plan and wanted to incite him against Mus'ab. Sa'd asked Usayd to go to Mus'ab and drive him away. Usayd went to Mus'ab, who was hosted by of As'ad ibn Zurara, of the city leaders predating the calling of Islam. At As'ad's place Usayd ran into a crowd of people listening with attention to Mus'ab's call to Islam. Mus'ab invited Usayd to sit and listen before acting, then Mus'ab recited to

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

. Usayd was moved by what he heard and inquired how to join the new religion, he followed Mus'ab's instructions and declared his Islam. Usayd died in the month of

Sha'ban Shaʽban ( ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called the month of 'separation', as the word means 'to disperse' or 'to separate' because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. The fifteenth night of this month ...

in the 20th year of the

Hijra Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to: Islam * Hijrah (also ''Hejira'' or ''Hegira''), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE * Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers in 615 CE * L ...

. His casket was carried by

Umar ibn al-Khattab Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

and he was buried in

Al-Baqi Cemetery ''Jannat al-Baqī'' (, "The Baqi'", ) is the oldest and first Islamic cemetery of Medina located in the Hejazi region of present-day Saudi Arabia. It is also known as ''Baqi al-Gharqad'' (, meaning "Baqiʿ of the Boxthorn"). Al-Baqi is reporte ...

Qualities and virtues

Descent of angels

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: "He was among the best people in reciting the Qur'an." Asyad said: "I recited Surah Al-Baqarah one night, and I had a horse tied up, and my son Yahya was lying close to me, and he was a young boy. The horse stirred, so I got up, and I had no concern except for my son. Then I recited again, and the horse stirred, so I got up, and I had no concern except for my son. Then I recited again, and the horse stirred, so I lifted my head, and there was something like a shadow with lamps coming from the sky facing me, which startled me, so I stopped reciting. When morning came, I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and informed him. He said: 'Recite, O Abu Yahya.' I said: 'I have already recited.' The horse stirred, so I got up, with no concern except for my son.' He said to me: 'Recite, O Abu Yahya.' I said: 'I have already recited.' The horse stirred again, so he said: 'Recite, Abu Hudhayfah.' I said: 'I have already recited.' So I lifted my head, and there was something like a shadow with lamps in it coming from the sky facing me, which startled me. He said: 'Those were angels who drew near to your voice. If you had continued to recite until dawn, the people would have seen them.'"

Praise from Muhammad

Narrated by Abu Huraira, that Muhammad said: "What an excellent man Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah is! What an excellent man Mu'adh ibn Jabal is! What an excellent man Asyad ibn Hudayr is! What an excellent man Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh is!"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usaid Bin Hudair Burials at Jannat al-Baqī Year of birth unknown 640 deaths Azd Companions of the Prophet