Dihyah ibn Khalifa al-Kalbi
دِحْيَةُ بْنُ خَلِيفَةَ الْكَلْبِيDiḥyah ibn Khalīfa al-Kalbī
Companion · Emissary
Biography
Diḥyah ibn Khalīfa al-Kalbī رضي الله عنه was considered the most handsome of all the companions. He was an Anṣārī (from Madīnah), which is why Jibrīl would take his form when appearing to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in Madīnah, appearing as someone already known and recognized in the community. Āʾisha رضي الله عنها said she would see the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم speaking with who appeared to be Diḥyah, and would ask afterwards, 'What did Diḥyah want from you?', only to be told it was Jibrīl. He also served as an emissary of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to Heraclius (the Byzantine Emperor) carrying a letter calling him to Islām.
Stories
The Private Dawah: The First Muslims
storyThe first phase of the Dawah was not public. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم moved carefully, privately, speaking only to those who were closest to him…
Read the full story →Safiyyah: From Captive of Khaybar to Mother of the Believers
companion biographyShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: **IS HE THE ONE?** Ṣafiyyah tells her own story in many narrations. As a young girl she was the favorite of her father…
Read the full story →Heraclius's Secret Test of Faith
historicalShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: **A SEPARATE STORY, A LATER DAY** Bukhārī actually preserves two distinct Heraclius narrations, easily conflated but se…
Read the full story →Urwah ibn Mas'ud: the Sahib Ya Sin of his People
historicalShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: The great story of the ninth year is the delegation of Thaqīf, the tribe of Ṭāʾif, the tribe that rejected him ﷺ, that t…
Read the full story →Historical context
The Seven Types of Waḥy, How Revelation Came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
historical noteIbn al-Qayyim رحمه الله catalogued seven distinct modes through which revelation came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, not a single undifferentiated…
Read the historical context →The Emissary from Tanukh and the Three Signs
historical noteShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: **A second approach to Heraclius** The lecture returns to Heraclius through a report preserved in Musnad Aḥmad. The sha…
Read the historical context →