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Fudalah ibn Umayr

فُضَالَة بْن عُمَيْر

Fuḍālah ibn ʿUmayr

Biography

A young man of Quraysh, little recorded beyond this one episode. Bitter at the defeat, he hid a dagger and stalked the Prophet as he made ṭawāf, meaning to kill him. The Prophet turned and named him, "Is this Fuḍālah? What were you planning?", and when Fuḍālah lied that he was only making dhikr, the Prophet laughed and laid a hand on his chest. Fuḍālah said that from that touch no one on earth was more beloved to him, and he embraced Islam on the spot.

Significance

The would-be assassin disarmed by a hand on the chest, a small portrait of how the Prophet ﷺ turned hearts at the Conquest.

Historical context