Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah

Shaybah ibn Rabīʿah was the brother of ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah and one of the noblemen of Quraysh. He appears most prominently in the lead-up to and opening of the Battle of Badr (Ramaḍān 2 AH). When ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah initially refused to join the Quraysh army, out of reluctance to fight his own kin, it was Shaybah who pressed him to go, arguing that sitting out at such a critical moment would bring permanent shame ('ayb) upon their family's honor for the rest of their lives. His argument was essentially one of tribal pride and Jāhilī nationalism. He succeeded in persuading ʿUtbah to join the march. Shaybah himself participated as one of the Quraysh champions in the Mubārazah (pre-battle duel) at Badr, which was the traditional single combat that preceded full engagements. He was killed in this duel by ʿUbaydah ibn al-Ḥārith. The Prophet ﷺ had predicted the night before the battle, pointing to exact locations on the plain, that Shaybah would die at a specific spot, and that is precisely where his body was found.