Aban ibn Sa'id

Aban ibn Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Umayya ibn Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murra ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy al-Qurashi al-Umawi. His mother was Hind bint al-Mughira ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Mukhzum, and it was said: Safiyya bint al-Mughira, maternal aunt of Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira.

He shares a common ancestor with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Abd Manaf. He accepted Islam after his brothers: Khalid and Umar. When they accepted Islam, he said:

"Ala lit mayyitan bi al-Dhariba shahid ... Lamma yaftari fi al-din Amr wa Khalid"

"Atara'a ma'an amr al-nisa'i fa-asbaha ... Ya'inani min a'da'ina man yukabid"

Amr responded to him:

"Akh i ma akhi la shatim ana 'ardihi ... Wala hu 'an ba'd al-maqalati muqasir"

He would say when his affairs became difficult: "... Ala lit mayyitan bi al-Dhariba yunshar"

"Fda' anka mayyitan qad madha li-sabihi ... Wa-aqbil 'ala al-hayy al-ladhi huwa aqfar"

By the dead man at al-Dhariba, he meant: his father, Abu Uhayha Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Umayya, who was buried there, and al-Dhariba is a mountain overlooking al-Ta'if.

Abu Umar ibn Abd al-Barr said: Aban accepted Islam between al-Hudaybiya and Khaybar. Al-Hudaybiya took place in Dhu al-Qadah, 6 AH, and the conquest of Khaybar took place in Muharram, 7 AH.

Abu Nu'aym said: Aban accepted Islam before Khaybar and witnessed it. This is the correct view, as it has been established that Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Aban ibn Sa'id ibn al-As on a military expedition from Medina, and Aban and his companions arrived at Khaybar after its conquest, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still there.

Ibn al-Manda said: The acceptance of Islam by his brother Amr preceded that of Aban. He meant: the brother of Aban.

He stated: They both went to the land of Abyssinia as migrants, but Aban ibn Sa'id delayed his acceptance of Islam. This statement from Ibn al-Manda is contradictory and erroneous, as the migrants to Abyssinia were the early Muslims, and Aban did not migrate to Abyssinia. Aban was severe towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims.

The reason for his acceptance of Islam was that he went as a merchant to Syria, where he met a monk who asked him about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: "I am a man from Quraysh, and one of our men has emerged, claiming to be the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sent just as Moses and Jesus were sent." The monk asked: What is the name of your companion? He replied: Muhammad. The monk said: I will describe him to you, and then mentioned the Prophet's ﷺ description, age, and lineage. Aban said: He is just like that. The monk said: By Allah, he will surely appear victorious over the Arabs, and then over the entire world. He told Aban: Convey my greetings to the righteous man. When Aban returned to Mecca, he inquired about the Prophet ﷺ but did not speak about him or his companions as he used to.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to al-Hudaybiya, Aban followed him after his return and accepted Islam, and his Islam was good.

It was said: He was the one who provided protection to Uthman when the Prophet ﷺ sent him to Mecca on the day of al-Hudaybiya, and carried him on his horse, and said: I will let you travel safely from Mecca wherever you wish.

Abu Ahmad ibn Abi Dawud informed us, Sa'id ibn Mansur informed us, Ismail ibn Ayyash informed us, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Walid al-Zubaydi, on the authority of al-Zuhri, that Abd Allah ibn Sa'id ibn al-As informed him, that he heard Abu Huraira say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Aban ibn Sa'id ibn al-As on a military expedition from Medina before Najd, and Aban and his companions arrived at Khaybar after its conquest, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still there. Aban said: O Messenger of Allah, divide the spoils among us. Abu Huraira said: I said: Do not divide them among them, O Messenger of Allah. Aban said: And you, O weasel, descended from the head of a lost camel. The Prophet ﷺ said: Sit down, O Aban, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not divide the spoils among them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed him over Bahrain when he dismissed al-Al'a ibn al-Hudrami from it, and he remained in charge until the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He then returned to Medina, and Abu Bakr wanted to send him back, but he said: I will not work for anyone.