Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ (RA)

Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ (d. ca. 74 AH/693 CE) was a prominent companion of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ from the tribe of Aslam. He is remembered in the sīrah, maghāzī, and ḥadīth literature for his exceptional courage, speed, and skill in battle, as well as for his participation in several important events during the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime. Among his most celebrated exploits was his pursuit of the raiders who attacked the Prophet’s ﷺ grazing camels at Dhū Qarad, an episode that established his reputation as one of the most daring warriors of the early Muslim community. He was also among those who gave the Pledge of al-Riḍwān at al-Ḥudaybiyah and later became a respected transmitter of ḥadīth.

Salama belonged to the Banū Aslam, a tribe allied with the Muslims and settled in the vicinity of Madīnah. The sources portray him as possessing remarkable physical abilities, particularly his speed on foot and skill as an archer. These qualities made him especially valuable in the mobile warfare characteristic of western Arabia, where swift movement and individual initiative often determined the outcome of engagements. His loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ and readiness for service earned him a respected place among the Companions.

He was among the participants in the events of al-Ḥudaybiyah in 6 AH/628 CE and took part in the Pledge of al-Riḍwān beneath the tree. In reports preserved in the major collections of ḥadīth, Salama relates that he pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ multiple times during that occasion. The pledge became one of the defining moments in the history of the Muslim community and was later commemorated in the Qurʾān as an expression of the believers’ loyalty and commitment.

The event most closely associated with Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ is the raid of Dhū Qarad. During this incident, a group from Ghatafān attacked the herd of milch-camels belonging to the Prophet ﷺ, killed their keeper, and drove the animals away. Upon discovering the raid, Salama immediately raised the alarm and set off alone in pursuit of the attackers. Employing his speed and skill with the bow, he repeatedly harassed the raiders, slowing their retreat and recovering much of the stolen property before reinforcements arrived from Madīnah.

According to his own detailed account, preserved in the major collections of ḥadīth, Salama maintained the pursuit until the Prophet ﷺ and a mounted force joined the chase. By that time, he had already regained a significant portion of the herd and placed considerable pressure on the raiders. The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have praised his performance and rewarded him generously. The episode became one of the most celebrated examples of individual bravery in the maghāzī literature and remains the event for which Salama is best known.

Salama also participated in other campaigns of the Prophet ﷺ, including Khaybar and subsequent expeditions. Through these experiences he witnessed many of the formative events of the Madinan period and acquired firsthand knowledge of the Prophet’s ﷺ conduct in war and peace. His recollections would later become an important source for historians and ḥadīth scholars.

Following the death of the Prophet ﷺ, Salama continued to reside for a time in Madīnah. During the political conflicts that marked the later decades of the first Islamic century, he is reported to have avoided direct involvement and eventually settled in al-Rabadhah. There he spent much of his later life, maintaining his reputation as a respected Companion and transmitter of ḥadīth. Shortly before his death, he returned to Madīnah, where he died around 74 AH/693 CE.

In the sīrah tradition, Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ is remembered as a model of courage, devotion, and loyalty. His participation in the Pledge of al-Riḍwān, his distinguished service in the campaigns of the Prophet ﷺ, and above all his heroic pursuit of the raiders at Dhū Qarad secured his place among the notable warriors of early Islam. Equally important was his role as a transmitter of ḥadīth, through which later generations gained access to vivid eyewitness accounts of events from the Prophet’s ﷺ life. His career occupies a notable place in the maghāzī literature, where he appears as one of the most courageous and resourceful fighters among the companions.

## References

1 “Salama b. al-Akwaʿ,” in Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd ed., ed. P. Bearman et al. (Leiden: Brill, 1995), 8:910–11. 2 Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, “Kitāb al-Maghāzī,” bāb ghazwat Dhī Qarad, nos. 4194–4196.3 Abū al-Ḥusayn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, “Kitāb al-Jihād wa-al-Siyar,” bāb ghazwat Dhī Qarad, no. 1807.4 Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, trans. Alfred Guillaume as The Life of Muhammad (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955), 486–87. 5 Ibn Saʿd, Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kabīr (Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 4:305–7. 6 Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba fī Tamyīz al-Ṣaḥāba (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1995), 3:120–22. 7 Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ (Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Risāla, 1985), 3:326–32. 8 Al-Wāqidī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī, ed. Marsden Jones (London: Oxford University Press, 1966), 2:537–49.