Ibn Az-Zubair

Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (RA) (d. 73 AH) was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ, born in Medina as the first child born to the Muhajirun after the Hijra — a birth that was celebrated as a sign of divine blessing when some had feared Jewish sorcery had made the Muslim emigrants barren. His father was al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (RA), one of the ten promised Paradise, and his mother was Asma bint Abi Bakr (RA), the daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA). He grew up in the household of his grandmother Khadijah's family and had the honor of being carried by the Prophet ﷺ as an infant. He narrated hadith from the Prophet ﷺ as well as from his parents and Aisha (RA). After the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (RA) at Karbala and the subsequent political instability, Ibn al-Zubayr established himself as a counter-Caliph based in Mecca, ruling from 64 to 73 AH and gaining allegiance from much of the Islamic world. He restored the Ka'bah to the foundations of Ibrahim (AS) and demolished the Hijr wall during his caliphate. He was ultimately besieged and killed by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf's army in 73 AH, dying in a state of prayer and resistance. His mother Asma (RA) reportedly comforted and encouraged him to stand firm before his death. He is remembered as a pious, courageous companion and ruler.