al-Bara ibn Malik

Introduction

Al-Bara ibn Malik was a man of the Ansar from the Banu Najjar clan of Khazraj and the brother of Anas ibn Malik, the Prophet's servant. He is known above all for his courage in the campaigns of Abu Bakr and Umar.

The Prophet described him as someone with dishevelled hair, covered in dust and wearing only two worn cloths, whom nobody notices, yet if he swears by Allah, Allah will make it true. Biographers report that he had a beautiful voice and loved poetry until his brother encouraged him to recite the Qur'an instead.

In the war against the false prophet Musaylima at Yamama he was reportedly wounded more than eighty times. He later fought in the conquest of Persia, and he died around 20-21 AH at the siege of Shushtar. The authentic hadith about him are few, so this page is short and marked as thin.

The story

1. Prophet's lifetime

   Praised by the Prophet as one of the humble whose oath Allah would fulfil.

   • Jami at-Tirmidhi 3854Sahih (opens in a new tab)

   Read the wording

   Arabic text

   قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " كَمْ مِنْ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ لاَ يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لأَبَرَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ". قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ.

   “if he swears by Allah then He shall fulfill it”

   Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

   • Read on sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
   • Read on HadithUnlocked (opens in a new tab)

2. 633 CE / 12 AH

   Fought at the Battle of Yamama against Musaylima and was gravely wounded (per biographical sources).

3. c. 641-642 CE

   Died at the siege of Shushtar in Persia (per biographical sources).

A day in their footsteps

2 small, repeatable practices from al-Bara ibn Malik's life. Each comes with the Arabic text and English wording of its source, and links to read the full report.

1. 1

   Staying humble and unnoticed

   • Humility

   The Prophet described al-Bara as one of the people with dishevelled hair, covered in dust, with only two cloths, whom no one pays any mind to. His greatness was not in status or appearance but in his closeness to Allah.

   Try this today

   Do not measure yourself by how people see you; be content to be unnoticed.

   Sit with this

   Could you be content today to do good and go unnoticed?

   Source

   قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " كَمْ مِنْ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ لاَ يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لأَبَرَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ". قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ.

   “How many are there with dishevelled hair, covered with dust, possessing two cloths, whom no one pays any mind to”

   Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

   • Read on sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
   • Read on HadithUnlocked (opens in a new tab)

2. 2

   Trusting Allah with every outcome

   • Trust in Allah
   • Supplication

   The same hadith says that if al-Bara swears by Allah, Allah will fulfil it. Biographical sources say his companions would ask him to swear or make du'a for victory in hard moments, which reflects deep reliance on Allah.

   Try this today

   Make du'a part of your hardest moments, and rely on Allah rather than your strength.

   Sit with this

   In your hardest moment, do you reach first for your own strength or for du'a?

   Source

   قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " كَمْ مِنْ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ لاَ يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لأَبَرَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ". قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ.

   “Among them is Al-Bara bin Malik”

   Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

   • Read on sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
   • Read on HadithUnlocked (opens in a new tab)

Virtues

• The Prophet said that if al-Bara swears by Allah, Allah will fulfil it.

  “if he swears by Allah then He shall fulfill it”

  Arabic text

  قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " كَمْ مِنْ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ لاَ يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لأَبَرَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ". قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ.

  Jami at-Tirmidhi 3854Sahih

  • Read on sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
  • Read on HadithUnlocked (opens in a new tab)

Words on this page

Ansarالأنصار

"The Helpers": the Muslims of Madinah, from the Aws and Khazraj tribes, who welcomed and sheltered the Prophet ﷺ and the emigrants from Makkah.

Du'aدعاء

Supplication: calling on Allah and asking Him, in any language and at any time.

Hadithحديث

A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved, passed down through a chain of narrators.

The full glossary

Related companions

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