Abu Talha al-Ansari

Abu Talha al-Ansari, whose real name was Zayd ibn Sahl of the tribe of Banu al-Najjar, was one of the most distinguished warriors among the Ansar. He was among the seventy Ansari representatives who pledged the second Bay'at al-Aqabah and one of the most wealthy and influential men in Madinah, owning the garden of Bayruha which he donated entirely when Surah Ali Imran (3:92) was revealed — the Prophet directed him to distribute it among his relatives. He participated in every major battle with the Prophet ﷺ. At the Battle of Uhud, he positioned himself as a human shield in front of the Prophet when the Muslim ranks broke, absorbing arrows and shielding the Prophet from archers. The Prophet praised him, saying that the sound of Abu Talha's voice on the battlefield was worth more than a thousand fighters. He was a master archer. His wife was Umm Sulaym bint Milhan (the mother of Anas ibn Malik). A famous hadith records the patience of Abu Talha and Umm Sulaym when their son died — they did not tell Abu Talha until he had eaten and they had been intimate, then Umm Sulaym asked: 'If someone lends you something and then takes it back, do you object?' He said no. She replied: 'Allah lent us our son, and He has taken him back.' The Prophet praised their patience greatly.