Abyssinian (Ethiopian) •
Bilal ibn-Rabah – A former slave who became the first ever
Muezzin (Caller to Prayer). •
Wahshi ibn-Harb – A former slave who killed Muhammad's uncle
Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib during the
Battle of Uhud before converting to Islam. He later reportedly killed
Musaylima during the
Ridda Wars. •
Baraka bint Tha'laba – A slave of Muhammad's parents who helped raise Muhammad after his mother's death, later being emancipated by him and converting to Islam. She was the mother of Muhammad's companions
Usama ibn Zayd and
Ayman ibn Ubayd. •
Sumayya bint Khayyat – A former slave who is regarded as one of the first converts to Islam. She became the first ever
Muslim martyr when she was executed by the
Banu Makhzum. Muslim sources describe her as having dark skin and assume that she was most likely of Abyssinian origin.
Assyrian •
Addas - a young Christian slave boy who lived in
Taif, a mountainous area south of Mecca, during the times of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Originally from
Nineveh, he was supposedly the first person from the western province of Taif to convert to Islam.
Copt (Egyptian) •
Maria al-Qibtiyya – A was a
wife of Muhammad, sent to him as a concubine by the Byzantine governor of Egypt,
al-Muqawqis. She was the mother of Muhammad's son
Ibrahim, who died aged two. •
Sirin bint-Shamun – The sister of Maria; she was given to Muhammad alongside her sister as a concubine by al-Muqawqis. Muhammad instead offered her hand in marriage to his companion
Hassan ibn-Thabit, who accepted and married her. They had one son. •
Abu Rafi' al-Qibti – He converted to Islam shortly before the
Battle of Badr, which he did not witness because he was residing in Mecca. He then migrated to
Medina, where Muhammad had him married to his son
Ibrahim's midwife Salma, with whom he had one son. Abu Rafi' went on to witness the battles of
Uhud and
al-Khandaq, as well as the
Muslim conquest of Egypt.
Jewish •
Abd Allah ibn-Salam – A Medinan rabbi from the
Banu Qaynuqa who converted to Islam and is credited as the man who participated in more of
Muhammad's battles than any of the other companions. While he was alive, he was explicitly promised
Jannah (paradise) by Muhammad. Most Muslim sources assert that he is the person who is referred to in the
Quran as "a witness from the
Children of Israel" (per
46:10). •
Mukhayriq – A Medinan rabbi from the
Banu Tha'labah who fought alongside Muhammad in the
Battle of Uhud, during which he was killed. He bequeathed all of his wealth to Muhammad, who used it to establish the first ever
waqf (Islamic charitable endowment). It is widely believed that Mukhayriq did not convert to Islam from
Judaism; he was described by Muhammad as "the best of the
Jews" following his death. •
Safiyya bint-Huyayy – A woman from
Banu Nadir who was widowed and taken prisoner by the Muslims during the
Battle of Khaybar. She accepted Islam and Muhammad's offer for marriage. Their marriage produced no children. •
Rayhana bint-Zayd – Another woman from the Banu Nadir who was widowed and taken prisoner by the Muslims during the
Siege of Banu Qurayza. She accepted Islam and Muhammad's offer for marriage. Their marriage produced no children.
Kurdish •
Jaban al-Kurdi – A man who is known for narrating ten
ahadith (sayings or teachings of Muhammad).
Persian •
Salman Farsi – A wandering scholar who converted from
Zoroastrianism to
Christianity, before converting to Islam after meeting and befriending Muhammad in Medina. His familiarity with
Sasanian military strategy proved to be crucial for the Muslim victory in the
Battle al-Khandaq as he is the one who suggested the digging of the trench. •
Fayruz al-Daylami – A man who belonged to the mixed Arab–Persian community called
al-Abna' in Arabic. When Muhammad became ill after his last pilgrimage to Mecca, he tasked Fayruz with eliminating the Yemenite tribal leader and false-prophet
al-Aswad al-Ansi. Fayruz's army then confronted Aswad's fighters throughout
Southern Arabia and emerged victorious. •
Munabbih ibn-Kamil – A Persian soldier from
Herat who was married to an Arab woman from
Himyar. He converted to Islam at some point during Muhammad's lifetime. His two sons,
Wahb and
Hammam, belonged to the al-Abna' community and went on to become prominent Islamic scholars. •
Salim Mawla Abi Ḥudhayfah – A former slave from
Istakhr who converted to Islam and became known for studying the Quran and participating in the
Battle of al-Yamama, during which he was killed. Reportedly,
Umar suggested that he would have designated Salim as the next of the
Rashidun had he not died in battle. •
Badhan – A governor of
Sasanian Yemen who belonged to the al-Abna' community. His conversion to Islam followed a diplomatic meeting in which Muhammad predicted that the Sasanian king
Khosrow II, on whose behalf Badhan was summoning Muhammad to
Ctesiphon, would be overthrown and murdered. Shortly thereafter, Khosrow was overthrown and murdered by his estranged son
Kavad II, triggering the
Sasanian Civil War of 628–632, which set the stage for the
Muslim conquest of Persia.
Roman •
Lubaynah – A woman who converted to Islam while she was a slave in Mecca. She was persecuted by the
Banu Adi for becoming a Muslim, but was eventually emancipated by
Abu Bakr. •
Umm Ubays – A woman who converted to Islam while she was a slave in Mecca. She was also persecuted for becoming a Muslim, but was emancipated by Abu Bakr as well. Some Muslim sources assert that she was the daughter of Muhammad's companion
al-Nahdiah, but this is disputed. •
Zunairah al-Rumiya – The sister of Umm Ubays who converted to Islam while she was a slave in Mecca. She was persecuted by the Banu Makhzum for becoming a Muslim, but was emancipated by Abu Bakr. She lost her eyesight due to being severely beaten by
Abu Jahl, who was killed during the Battle of Badr. However, Muslim sources assert that she recovered fully by way of divine intervention after being freed. •
Suhayb ibn-Sinan al-Rumi – A former slave of Arab origin who was born and raised in the
Eastern Roman Empire and spoke
Greek as his primary language. He escaped his masters and later met Muhammad in person, after which he converted to Islam. Umar, while on his deathbed, chose Suhayb to serve in a caretaker capacity in the
Rashidun Caliphate. He held this position until
Uthman was finalized as Umar's successor. Suhayb led Umar's
janazah (Islamic funeral) at the
Al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina. ==See also==