Al-Bara' Ibn Ma'rur

Al-Bara' Ibn Ma'rur was a highly respected elder of Medina from the tribe of Banu Salima. He was the first cousin of Sa'ad ibn Mu'adh and served as the naqib (chief) of his people. Known for his extreme piety and spiritual insight (Faqih al-Nafs), he was the very first person to walk forward and give bay'ah to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in both the first and second pledges of Aqaba.

When he became Muslim, he immediately started praying towards the Ka'bah as his Qibla, even before the change of Qibla was revealed. His spiritual insight led him to feel that it was wrong to turn his back towards the House of Allah built by Prophet Ibrahim. When asked about this by the Prophet ﷺ, he was told to be patient with the current Qibla (Jerusalem) until Allah decreed otherwise.

Tragically, he died in the month of Safar, just one month before the Hijrah, and did not live to receive the Prophet ﷺ in Medina. However, he had already played a crucial role in paving the way for the Ansar's acceptance of Islam. He was buried in the Qibaa cemetery, and the Prophet ﷺ later visited his grave and performed janazah prayer for him.