Death of the Companions As’ad bin Zurara and Kulthum bin Hidm

Kulthum bin Hidm was an important person from the Ansar. He was very old. He passed away in Quba while the Masjid an-Nabawi was still under construction. (1)

Hazrat Gulsum bin Hidm had converted to Islam before the migration. He received the honor of hosting the Supreme Messenger during migration in his house. The Prophet stayed for about fourteen days in his house.

Hazrat As’ad bin Zurara was one of the six people who talked to the Messenger of Allah during the Aqaba Pledge. He was among the nine people chosen to represent the Ansar during the last Aqaba Pledge.

Hazrat As’ad bin Zurara passed away shortly after the death of Kulthum bin Hidm. The Honorable Messenger was by his side when he passed away. He washed and enshrouded him, and conducted his funeral prayer. Then he buried him in Baqi, the cemetery of Medina. The first person from the Ansar to have been buried in Baqi Cemetery was Hazrat As’ad bin Zurara. (2)

Birth of Abdullah bin Zubair

Another happy event for Muslim migrants in the first year of the migration was that Hazrat Zubair bin Awwam had a child named Abdullah. Hazrat Abdullah was the first child to be born into a Muslim migrant family in Medina. His mother, Hazrat Asma the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr, gave birth to him in Quba village.

The birth of Abdullah made Muslim migrants very happy. As a matter of fact, the Jews used to say to them: “We have cast a spell on you! You will never have a baby boy from now on!”

And the migrants felt deeply upset because of this.

As soon as they heard Abdullah had been born, they showed their happiness by crying out “La ilaha illallah!”, as what the Jews had said was refuted.

The Prophet himself named him “Abdullah.”

1. Ibn Abdi’l-Barr, al-Istiab, V. 3, p. 1328.

2. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 612; Ibn Abdi’l-Barr, ibid, V. 3, p. 1328.