Sariyya ibn Zanim
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Sariyya ibn Zanim | |
|---|---|
سارية بن زنيم | |
 The tomb of Sariyya in Cairo | |
| Born | c. End of the 6th century CE Mecca, now part of Saudi Arabia |
| Died | c. 645 CE Egypt (possibly) |
| Monuments | His tomb within the Cairo Citadel in Egypt |
| Known for | Being one of Muhammad's companions |
| Title | Sariyya 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.
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).