'Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah

'Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah al-Qurashi, may Allah be pleased with him, was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ from the Quraysh tribe who participated in the early Islamic conquests. He served as a military commander in the eastern regions of the expanding Islamic state, leading campaigns in Sijistan (in present-day Iran and Afghanistan) and Khorasan. He conquered several cities and played a significant role in the spread of Islam in the eastern territories. The Prophet ﷺ gave him notable personal advice preserved in a famous hadith: 'O Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah, do not seek positions of authority, for if you are given authority upon your asking for it, you will be left to it alone; but if you are given it without asking, you will be aided in it.' The Prophet ﷺ also advised him not to take oaths lightly and to expiate when breaking them. These narrations became key references in Islamic ethics of leadership and the rules of oaths. His reports are preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and the Sunan collections, and are frequently cited in books of jurisprudence.