Sariyya ibn Zanim

Sariyya ibn Zanim
سارية بن زنيم
The tomb of Sariyya in Cairo
Bornc. End of the 6th century CE
Mecca, now part of Saudi Arabia
Diedc. 645 CE
Egypt (possibly)
MonumentsHis tomb within the Cairo Citadel in Egypt
Known forBeing one of Muhammad's companions
TitleSariyya al-Jabal

Sariyya ibn Zanim (Arabic: سارية بن زنيم) also known as Sariya al-Jabal was one of the Sahaba, who lived during the 6th–7th centuries CE. He was from the tribe of Kinana and later served as a military commander under the Rashidun caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Biography

Lineage and name

His full name with patronymic, according to historians, is Sariyya ibn Zanim ibn 'Amr ibn Abdullah ibn Jabir ibn Mahmiyah ibn 'Abd ibn Adiyy ibn ad-Da'il ibn Bakr ibn 'Abd Manat ibn Kinana, and from there his lineage is then traced to Adnan.[1][2] He is also known as Sariya al-Jabal.[3]

Before Islam

In the pre-Islamic period, Sariyya ibn Zanim was known to be a robber who had the ability to run faster than the average horse.

Conversion to Islam

Sariyya converted to Islam in the 7th century. According to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Sariyya influenced his nephew to become a convert to Islam, as he was the only one out of the whole tribe of Kinana who had not yet become a Muslim.[4] After the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Sariyya participated in several conquests under the Rashidun Caliphate, and was ordered by Umar ibn al-Khattab to be a military commander for the Islamic conquests of Persia.[4]

The incident of Sariyya and the mountain

According to Islamic tradition, one day while Umar ibn al-Khattab was giving a khutbah in the Prophet's Mosque at Medina, he suddenly blurted out, in a loud voice, "Ya Sariyya! Al-Jabal, al-Jabal! (O Sariyya! The mountain, the mountain!)" Umar's voice reached Sariyya, who was in Persia at the time and commanding Rashidun forces against the Sasanian Empire.[5][6][7] When Sariyya and his forces followed Umar's telepathic voice and went to the nearest mountain, they were able to fend off the attacks from the enemy soldiers and defeat them.[5][6][7] This incident happened in the 23rd year of the Hijra (and hence is dated to 645 CE).

Tomb

Main article: Sulayman Pasha Mosque

A tomb attributed to Sariyya is located in the Sulayman Pasha Mosque which was established by Hadim Suleiman Pasha in 1528. A model boat hangs from the ceiling of the hallways surrounding the tomb; it is likely intended as a reference to the ancient Egyptian burial customs.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Biography of Sariyya ibn Zanim". Islamweb Fatwa. 8 August 2002.
  2. ^ التاريخ, تراحم عبر. "سارية بن زنيم". tarajm.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  3. ^ "Sayyidina Sariya al-Jabal". Mazarat Misr. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  4. ^ a b Ibn Hajar (2010). Al Isabah fi Tamyiz Al Sahabah. Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-kutub al-ʿilmiyya. ISBN 9782745135070.
  5. ^ a b Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad (2020). Fadaail as-Sahabah, volume 2. Saudi Arabia: Dar Ibn al-Jawzi.
  6. ^ a b Ya'qubi (2010). Tarikh al-Ya'qubi, volume 2. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Sadr. ISBN 978-9953132648.
  7. ^ a b al-Kāmil fīʾl-Tārīkh, ed. Abū l-Fidāʾ ʿAbdallāh al-Qāḍī (11 vols., Beirut: Dār al-kutub al-ʿilmiyya, 1987–2003)
  8. ^ O'Kane, Bernard (2016). The mosques of Egypt. Cairo, Egypt: American University In Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-416-732-4. OCLC 919186646.