Belonging to the
Banu Makhzum, Ammar was born in 567 to
Yasir ibn Amir and
Sumayya, both of whom were later brutally killed. At an early age, Ammar converted to Islam by the invitation of
Abu Bakr, becoming one of the earliest
Muslims. He became one of Muhammad's most prominent companions, participating in all his military campaigns and battles. ʿAmmār converted to Islam in 614 or 615 CE. This was during the period when the Quraysh were persecuting lower-class Muslims. As Ammar later recounted to his grandson: "I met
Suhayb ibn Sinan at the door of the house of
Al-Arqam while the Messenger of Allah was inside. I asked him, 'What do you want?' He replied, 'What do you want?' I answered, 'I want to go to Muhammad and listen to what he says.' He said, 'That is what I want.' We entered, and he presented Islam to us. We became Muslim and spent the day until evening, then went out concealing ourselves". Ammar's father, mother, and brother also became Muslims, though not at Abu Bakr's invitation. When the Quraysh learned of Yasir's family's conversion, they became among "the victims who were tortured at
Mecca to make them recant". The Makhzum clan would expose Ammar, his father, and his mother to the scorching heat of the day and torture them over open fire. Muhammad would pass by and say, "Patience, O family of Yasir! Your meeting-place will be Paradise" and "O fire! Be cool and harmless for ‘Ammar in the same manner in which you became cool and harmless for Ibrahim.” As a result, Ammar bore scars from this torture for the rest of his life. Ammar was tortured "until he did not know what he was saying," as was his friend Suhayb. In this state, he temporarily maligned Muhammad and praised the pagan gods. Afterwards, he confessed to Muhammad. When asked, "How do you find your heart?" Ammar replied that he was still a Muslim at heart. Muhammad said all was well. The Qur'an verse "
someone forced to do it whose heart remains at rest in its faith" (16:106) refers to Ammar. His mother was murdered by Abu Jahl for refusing to abandon Islam and is regarded as the first Muslim
martyr. The opening verses of
Surat Al-Ankabut (chapter 29: The Spider) were revealed in response to this event. To escape the Meccans' torture, ibn Saad and Ibn Ishaq report that Ammar went to
Abyssinia in 616.
Battles under Muhammad 'Ammar was one of the few warriors to participate in the first major Islamic battle, the
Battle of Badr, despite harsh conditions; and he continued to fight in all Muslim battles even after Muhammad's death. In addition to his military role, Ammar's life illustrates a historically significant incident: while helping to build the
Prophet's Mosque in Medina, he complained of being overloaded with bricks. Umm Salama, Muhammad's wife, witnessed Muhammad, who ran his hand through Ammar's curly hair and said: "Alas Ibn Sumayya! It is not they who will kill you but a wicked band of men." He took a stick in his hand, angry, and said, "What is wrong between them and Ammar? He invites them to Paradise while they invite him to hell." These reports, regarded as valid by both Sunnis and Shi'is, were later significant in discussions of succession and in interpreting Ammar's death at the Battle of Siffin. == Role after Muhammad's death ==