Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah
Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah was one of the prominent chiefs of Quraysh in Makkah and a leading member of Banū ʿAbd Shams. He was the brother of ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah and the father of al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah. Like many influential Makkan nobles, Shaybah initially opposed the message of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and participated in the persecution of the early Muslims during the Makkan period. His social and political standing made him one of the notable figures among the Quraysh leadership that resisted the spread of Islam.
Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah is most prominently remembered for his role in the Battle of Badr in 2 AH/624 CE. Before the general fighting began, he entered the battlefield alongside his brother ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah and his son al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah to engage in the traditional pre-battle duel. They were confronted by Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and ʿUbaydah ibn al-Ḥārith from the Muslim side. During the combat, Shaybah was killed by Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, marking one of the decisive early moments of the Battle of Badr.
The death of Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah symbolized the decline of several prominent Quraysh leaders who had persistently opposed the Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslim community. His participation at Badr reflects the intensity of Quraysh resistance to Islam during the formative period of the Prophetic mission and remains an important episode in classical sīrah and maghāzī literature.
## References
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