Rafi' ibn Khadij
رَافِع بن خَدِيجRāfiʿ ibn Khadīj
Biography
Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj ibn Rāfiʿ al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī was fourteen years old at the time of the Battle of Uḥud (3 AH). When the Prophet ﷺ reviewed the Muslim army and turned away fighters under the age of fifteen, Rāfiʿ was sent back. His relatives pleaded on his behalf: 'O Messenger of Allah, he is an expert archer; you don't need him in the front line, he can fight from a distance.' The Prophet ﷺ accepted this argument and allowed him to remain.
When the neighboring young man Samurah ibn Jundab heard that Rāfiʿ was allowed to stay, he stood up and argued: 'O Messenger of Allah, if you will allow Rāfiʿ, I am stronger than he is and have beaten him in wrestling multiple times, it is not fair!' The Prophet ﷺ allowed a wrestling match on the spot; Samurah pinned Rāfiʿ, and both were permitted to participate.
Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj later became a significant Companion known for his aḥādīth on agricultural and economic matters, including the famous ruling on Muzāraʿah (sharecropping).
Significance
Fourteen-year-old archer who argued his way into participation at Uḥud; his case prompted Samurah ibn Jundab to challenge him to a wrestling match that won them both entry. Later known as a major narrator of aḥādīth on agricultural rulings.