Ubayda ibn al-Harith

Ubayda ibn al-Harith ibn al-Muttalib ibn Abd Manaf belonged to the Qurayshi clan of Banu al-Muttalib, close kinsmen and allies of Banu Hashim. His father was al-Harith ibn al-Muttalib and his mother was Sukhayla bint Khuza'i ibn al-Huwayrith al-Thaqafiyya; both Ibn Sa'd and Ibn Hibban preserve this genealogy. Because the documented parent details in the reviewed source material are blank, they have not been edited, and a separate relationship review has been prepared for both relationships.

He is counted among the earliest converts, with reports placing his Islam before the community entered the house of al-Arqam. He emigrated to Medina with his brothers al-Tufayl and al-Husayn. Classical biographers describe him as about ten years older than the Prophet, dignified, and highly regarded among the Muslims, although his exact birth date is not preserved.

After the migration, he was appointed over an expedition of Muhajirun toward Batn Rabigh. Accounts give the force as sixty or eighty men. They encountered a Qurayshi party and exchanged limited archery; the arrow shot there by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas is often described as the first Muslim arrow in armed conflict. Some sira traditions call Ubayda's banner the first banner of Islam, while other chronological arrangements differ over the order of the earliest expeditions.

At Badr, Ubayda came forward with Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Ali ibn Abi Talib against three Qurayshi champions. Ibn Sa'd and Ibn Hibban pair him with Shayba ibn Rabi'a, while some other recensions name Utba. His lower leg was grievously severed in the duel; Hamza and Ali then finished his opponent and carried Ubayda back to the Muslim lines.

His marriage to Zaynab bint Khuzayma is preserved in classical biographical and genealogical works. Zaynab had previously been married to his brother al-Tufayl and married Ubayda after that divorce. Ibn Sa'd lists several sons and daughters for Ubayda, but does not establish them as children of Zaynab; this profile therefore makes no such attribution. The existing protected spouse link is supported and has been retained unchanged.

His wounds worsened during the return from Badr, and he died in Wadi al-Safra in the last ten days of Ramadan, 2 AH. Reports give his age as sixty-three or sixty-four. Ibn Sa'd records that the Prophet buried him at Dhat Ajdal in al-Madiq, below Ayn al-Jadwal, within al-Safra, and that a later transmitter was shown the grave. The historical burial is strongly reported.