ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abi Bakr (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكر; c. 596 or 605–675) was an Arab Muslim military commander and a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the eldest son of the first Rashidun caliph, Abu Bakr, and a full brother of Aisha.

Unlike most of his family, Abd al-Rahman remained a polytheist during the early years of the Islamic mission and fought for the Quraysh against the Muslims at Badr and Uhud. He converted following the Treaty of Hudaybiyah in 628 and subsequently participated in major campaigns of the early Muslim conquests, notably in Syria and Egypt. He is distinguished in Islamic historiography for being part of the only family to produce four consecutive generations of companions to Muhammad.^[1]

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was born in Mecca into the Banu Taym clan. He was the son of Abu Bakr and Umm Ruman. While he shared both parents with Aisha, he was a half-brother to Asma bint Abi Bakr (born of Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza) and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr (born of Asma bint Umays).

Islamic historians highlight a unique genealogical distinction in his lineage: four generations of his direct male line were companions of Muhammad. This includes his grandfather Abu Quhafa, his father Abu Bakr, Abd al-Rahman himself, and his son Abu Atiq Muhammad.^[2]

Before his conversion, Abd al-Rahman fought for the Quraysh. During the Battle of Badr, he had opportunities to slay his father, Abu Bakr, but purposely avoided him. When he later told his father of this, Abu Bakr famously replied that had the roles been reversed, he would not have shown such mercy for the sake of his faith.^[3]

At the Battle of Uhud, Abd al-Rahman stepped forward to issue a challenge for a duel. His father Abu Bakr moved to accept, but was restrained by Muhammad, who noted that Abu Bakr’s counsel was too valuable to risk in single combat.^[4]

After his conversion, Abd al-Rahman participated in the Early Muslim conquests, gaining a reputation as a fierce warrior, particularly during the Muslim conquest of Syria. He served in the Mubarizun, an elite unit of the Rashidun army consisting of champion swordsmen and lancers.^[5] His primary role was to engage enemy champions in single combat (duels) before the start of a general battle to undermine enemy morale.^[6]

During the Battle of Yamama, the rebel general Muhkam ibn al-Tufayl was rallying his troops to prevent a retreat. Abd al-Rahman killed him with an arrow to the throat. This removed a key commander of the Banu Hanifa and weakened their defensive line, contributing to the eventual Muslim breakthrough.^[7]

In the Battle of Yarmouk, the commander in chief of the Byzantine force chose five selected warriors from the Byzantine side, and they challenged the Muslims to duels. It was Abd al-Rahman who accepted the challenge. Scores of duels were fought on the plains of Yarmouk. Abd al-Rahman killed all of them one after the other.^[4]

At the Battle of Busra in Syria, he entered the city of Busra through a subterranean passage and then dashing towards the city gates opened them for the main Muslim army to enter.^[4]

Later, Abd al-Rahman participated in the campaign to Bahnasa.^[8] During the siege, the Byzantine forces were reportedly reinforced by a large contingent of Nubian units, which medieval chronicler al-Maqqari estimated at 50,000 troops.^[9][10]

Under the overall command of Khalid ibn al-Walid, Abd al-Rahman served as a field commander alongside Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. Following a fierce assault, the Muslim forces breached the city gates. The battle is noted in Islamic tradition for its high intensity; chronicles record that 5,000 companions were killed during the siege and were buried in what became known as the "City of Martyrs."^{[9][Notes 1]}

Later, the Muslim forces besieged Barqa (Cyrenaica) for about three years to no avail.^[11] Then Khalid ibn al-Walid, who had previously participated in the conquest of Oxyrhynchus, offered a radical plan to erect a catapult that would be filled with sacks of cotton.^[11] Then as the night came and the city guard slept, Khalid ordered his best warriors including Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, his son Abd Allah, Fadl ibn Abbas, Abu Mas'ud al-Badri, and Abd al-Razzaq to step into the catapult platform which was then filled with cotton sacks.^[11]

Shortly before the assassination of Caliph Umar in 644 CE, Abd al-Rahman reported seeing the perpetrator, Abu Lu'lu'a, in a clandestine meeting with Jufaynah (a Christian from al-Hira) and the former Sassanid general Hormuzan. According to his account, the group appeared startled by his presence and dropped a distinct "two-bladed dagger" with a handle in the middle.^[12] After the assassination, a dagger matching Abd al-Rahman's description was recovered, which prompted Umar's son, Ubayd Allah ibn Umar, to take retaliatory action against Hormuzan and Jufaynah.

In 654–655 CE, during the revolt of Kufa against the governor Sa'id ibn al-As, Abd al-Raḥmān was sent by Caliph Uthman to communicate with al-Ashtar, who had taken control of the city. He, together with Al-Miswar ibn Makhrama, attempted to summon the rebels back to obedience. Al-Ashtar demanded that ʿUthmān confirm the appointments of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, which the caliph subsequently did.^[13][14]

Following the mobilization of Aisha’s forces in the conflict known as the Battle of the Camel (656 CE), Abd al-Rahman was placed in charge of the treasury at Basra. Madelung notes that the rebels initially debated distributing funds to disperse the population, but Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, son of al-Zubayr, objected, and ultimately Abd al-Rahman was responsible for overseeing the finances of the Basran contingent supporting Aisha.^[15]

During the Umayyad military advance in Egypt, Abd al-Rahman was sent by Aisha to Amr ibn al-As to intervene on behalf of his half-brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who had been routed and captured after his forces were overwhelmed. Abd al-Rahman successfully negotiated with Amr to spare Muhammad’s life, demonstrating both diplomatic skill and the respect accorded to him by senior Umayyad commanders.^[16]

Abd al-Rahman attended the arbitration council in Udhruh, alongside other sons of prominent companions and leading second-generation elites. The council attempted to mediate between the factions of Ali and Mu'awiya I. Abd al-Rahman was among the attendees who were outmaneuvered by Muʿāwiya’s political strategy involving Abu Musa al-Ashʿarī.^[17]

In 56 AH (675–676 CE), Mu'awiya I called upon his subjects throughout the outlying territories to pledge allegiance to his son, Yazid I, as the future Caliph. While the majority of the empire complied, five prominent figures who withheld their allegiance were Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, Husayn ibn Ali, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and Ibn Abbas. Upon returning from Makkah after completing his Umrah, Mu'awiya stopped in Medina to personally summon, threaten, and intimidate these dissenters. According to Ibn Kathir, the interactions varied in temperament; Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr was the sharpest and most firm in his defiance toward the Caliph, standing in stark contrast to the soft-spoken nature of Abd Allah ibn Umar.^[2]

In 675 CE (53 AH or 55 AH), following his staunch opposition to the appointment of Yazid I, Abd al-Rahman left Medina for Mecca to seek sanctuary in the Haram. He eventually took up residence in a place called al-Habshi, located approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the city. He died there suddenly in his sleep.^[4]

The suddenness of his passing led his sister Aisha to initially suspect foul play, specifically poisoning by political opponents. However, Islamic tradition records that her suspicions were eased after she witnessed another individual die in a similarly abrupt yet natural manner.^[18] Upon receiving the news, Aisha traveled to Mecca during the Hajj season to visit his grave. Standing by his tomb, she recited elegiac verses by the poet Mutammim bin Nuwayra:

"We were like two companions of Jadhima for a long time, until it was said: 'They will never part.' But when we parted, it was as if I and Malik, despite our long time together, had never spent a single night side by side."

She remarked that had she been present at the time of his death, she would have ensured he was buried exactly where he fell, rather than being moved to a formal cemetery.^[4] He was ultimately interred in the Mala cemetery in Mecca.

• Companions of the Prophet
• Abu Bakr
• Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
• Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr
• Aisha
• Asma bint Abi Bakr
• Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr
• Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr

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