Samura ibn Jundab

Samura ibn Jundab al-Fazari (died approximately 58–60 AH / 677–679 CE) was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a hadith transmitter, and an administrator during the early caliphates. He belonged to the Fazara tribe of the Ghatafan confederation and is said to have become a companion of the Prophet ﷺ at a young age.

Samura ibn Jundab is mentioned in several famous hadith. He was involved in an early ruling of the Prophet ﷺ concerning trees and property rights — a dispute with an Ansari companion over a palm tree that is cited in fiqh discussions about forced sale (jabr al-bay'). He also transmitted a number of hadiths that appear in the major collections, including Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

During the caliphate of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and subsequently under Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, Samura served as a governor and administrator in Basra. His tenure as governor of Basra in the latter years of Mu'awiyah's reign is remembered in the sources for a combination of administrative effectiveness and a reputation for severe punishments. Some historical reports describe harsh measures taken under his administration, though the specific accounts vary in reliability across the sources and require the evaluative caution appropriate to historical transmission. He died in Basra, where he had been a fixture of public life for many years. He transmitted hadith from the Prophet ﷺ, from Abu Bakr, and from 'Umar, and a number of early authorities transmitted from him.