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What is the status of Sawad ibn Qarib? And is his companionship (with the Prophet) established?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Sawad ibn Qarib al-Azdi was a Companion of the Prophet, a soothsayer (kahin), and a poet in the جاهلية (pre-Islamic era). He embraced Islam after his jinn تابع (familiar spirit) informed him of the Prophet's ﷺ mission and urged him to follow him. His story with Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, is that while he was sleeping, a نجّي (whisperer/communicator) came and struck him with his leg, then said to him: "Arise, O Sawad ibn Qarib! A messenger from Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib has come to you!" He repeated this three times, and each time he said: "I am amazed at the jinn and their impurities..." Then he ordered him to travel to Mecca. Sawad embraced Islam, and the Prophet ﷺ, the Muhajirun, and the Ansar rejoiced at his conversion. He passed away, may Allah be pleased with him, in Basra in the year 15 AH.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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