Abdurrahman ibn Awf

Abdurrahman ibn Awf (580-652 CE) was one of the ten companions promised Paradise and among the first eight people to accept Islam. Born Abd Amr ibn Awf in Mecca, the Prophet renamed him Abdurrahman (servant of the Most Merciful) after his conversion. He was a member of the Zuhrah clan of the Quraysh and became one of the wealthiest men in Medina through his exceptional skill in trade.

When Abdurrahman migrated to Medina, the Prophet paired him with Sad ibn ar-Rabi in the bond of brotherhood (mu'akhah). Sad offered to share half his wealth and one of his wives with Abdurrahman, but the latter declined, asking only to be shown the way to the marketplace. From that starting point, he built a vast commercial enterprise through honest and diligent trade. His generosity was extraordinary: he once donated an entire caravan of seven hundred camels loaded with goods for the sake of Allah.

Abdurrahman fought in all the major battles alongside the Prophet, including Badr and Uhud, where he sustained over twenty wounds. After the death of Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abdurrahman was appointed to the six-member council (shura) tasked with selecting the next caliph, and it was his consultations that led to the selection of Uthman ibn Affan. He died in Medina in 32 AH (652 CE), leaving behind a vast estate, much of which he had already given in charity during his lifetime.