Abdullah ibn Rawahah

ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) was one of the great Anṣār Companions from the Khazraj tribe and an accomplished poet who used his gift entirely in the service of Islām. He was among those who gave the Bayʿah at al-ʿAqabah before the Hijrah and was one of the earliest influential Anṣār to support the Prophet ﷺ. At the Battle of Badr, he was among the three young Anṣār men who immediately volunteered for the Mubārazah (pre-battle duel) when ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah called out, alongside ʿAwf and Muʿawwidh ibn ʿAfrāʾ, only for the Quraysh champions to decline, saying they would only fight their own kin. ʿAbdullāh fought courageously throughout Badr and survived. He was known for composing poetry that fired up the Muslims in battle, and the Prophet ﷺ is narrated to have loved his poetry. He later became one of the three commanders at the Battle of Muʾtah (8 AH). The Muslims went with Zayd ibn Ḥārithah as commander, then Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib, then ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah, all three were martyred. It is narrated that his body was washed (ghusl) by the angels due to the honor Allāh had given him. He died in Muʾtah and was among the most celebrated martyrs in the Prophetic era.