Khunays was the son of Hudhafa ibn Qays from the
Sahm clan of the
Quraysh tribe in
Mecca. His mother, Da'ifa bint Hidhyam, was also from the Sahm clan. He had two brothers,
Abd Allah and Qays. He was converted to
Islam under the influence of
Abu Bakr at an early date "before Allah's Messenger entered the house of
Al-Arqam". He joined the
emigration to Abyssinia in 616, along with his two brothers, seven cousins and four other members of the clan. Khunays was among those who returned to Mecca in 619 "under the protection of a citizen or by stealth." Soon afterwards he married
Hafsa bint Umar, who would then have been about fourteen years old. When
Umar emigrated to
Medina in 622, Khunays and Hafsa accompanied his party. At first they lodged with Rifa'a ibn Abd al-Mundhir. When Muhammad instructed each Muslim to take a brother in Islam, he paired Khunays with Abu Abs ibn Jabr, a brother-in-law of
Muhammad ibn Maslama. Khunays was the only member of the Sahm clan who fought at the
Battle of Badr in March 624. He died in late August 624. He was buried at
Al-Baqi', where Muhammad officiated at his funeral. He had no descendants. His widow, Hafsa was later married to Muhammad. ==See also==