Aqil ibn Abi Talib

ʿAqīl ibn Abī Ṭālib ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib al-Hāshimī was the oldest of Abū Ṭālib's four famous sons: ʿAqīl, then Jaʿfar, then ʿAlī, in that order of birth. He was thus the Prophet's first cousin (through their shared grandfather ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and uncle Abū Ṭālib) and the older brother of both Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

At the Battle of Badr (2 AH/624 CE), ʿAqīl had not yet accepted Islam and fought on the Qurayshī side. He was captured as a prisoner of war. He did not have the means to pay his own ransom, so his uncle al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib paid the ransom on his behalf, the Prophet ﷺ instructing al-ʿAbbās to also cover ʿAqīl's ransom, along with that of Nawfal ibn al-Ḥārith.

His mention in this context is also significant in a different way: when ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb argued for executing the Badr prisoners rather than ransoming them, he specifically said, "Give ʿAqīl to ʿAlī so that he can strike his neck", meaning that ʿAlī should publicly execute his own brother to prove that Islamic loyalty supersedes family ties. This reflects the depth of the ʿUmar's commitment to demonstrating that Islām had replaced tribalism as the organizing principle of the new community.

ʿAqīl eventually accepted Islam, reportedly in 8 AH (some say during or after the Conquest of Makkah). He became a Companion and is known for his knowledge of Qurayshī genealogy and Arabic poetry. He died during the caliphate of Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān.