Muawwidh ibn Afra

Muawwidh ibn Afra al-Ansari (died 2 AH / 624 CE) was a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ from the Ansar of Medina who was martyred at the Battle of Badr, going down in history as one of the two men who struck the killing blows against Abu Jahl, the fiercest enemy of early Islam. He was the son of Afra bint Ubaid, a remarkable woman whose sons all became distinguished Companions.

At Badr, he and his companion Muadh ibn Amr al-Ansari pursued Abu Jahl independently after hearing the Prophet ﷺ describe him as the "Pharaoh of this ummah." Both young men engaged Abu Jahl in combat and struck him. When Abd Allah ibn Masud came to verify Abu Jahl's death, he found both youths had been responsible for mortal wounds. The Prophet ﷺ honored both of them with credit for the killing.

After this act of extraordinary valor, Muawwidh ibn Afra continued fighting at Badr. He was killed in that same battle, becoming one of the fourteen Muslim martyrs of the engagement. He died in the same battle in which he had performed the deed that would make his name remembered throughout Islamic history.

His mother Afra had sons from different fathers, and several of them were present at Badr. The family of Afra is one of the Ansari families most associated with the Battle of Badr in the tradition. Muawwidh's brief life — likely ending in his teens or early twenties — was concentrated into a single defining act that secured his eternal reputation.