Sulayman ibn Sard

Sulayman ibn Surad ibn al-Jun ibn Abu al-Jun ibn Manqadh ibn Rabi'a ibn Asram ibn Dhibis ibn Harim ibn Habshiyah ibn Salul ibn Ka'b ibn 'Amr ibn Rabi'a. He was from the tribe of Khazraj, and his father 'Amr was also from Khazraj. In pre-Islamic times, his name was written with a 'sin' (س), so the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ named him Sulayman, and he was known as Abu al-Matraf.

He was a good and righteous man, with a strong faith and devotion. He was one of the first Muslims to settle in Kufa, and he had a high status and respect among his people. He witnessed all the battles with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ﵁, and it was he who killed Husayb al-Azdi in the Battle of Siffin in a duel. He was also among those who wrote to al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ﵄ after the death of Mu'awiya, asking him to come to Kufa, but when he arrived, he refused to fight alongside him. When al-Husayn was killed, he regretted his decision, as did al-Miswar ibn Makhrama and all those who had abandoned him.

They said, 'We have no chance for repentance except to seek revenge for his blood.' So they set out from Kufa at the beginning of Rabi' al-Akhir in the year 65 AH, and appointed Sulayman ibn Surad as their leader, giving him the title of Amir al-Tawabin. They marched towards 'Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, who was leading a large army from Syria to Iraq. They met at the site of al-Wardah, near the headwaters of the Euphrates River, and Sulayman ibn Surad was killed by