Talha ibn Ubaydillah (ra)

A Muhajir Companion and one of the ten promised Paradise, famed for shielding Muhammad ﷺ with his own body at Uhud.

Identity & lineage

• A Muhajir (emigrant) from Mecca and an early, prominent Companion.
• One of the ten promised Paradise (al-Ashara al-Mubashshara).

Role & key episodes

• At the Battle of Uhud, during Khalid ibn al-Walid‘s counterattack, Talha was among the small band — with Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and seven Ansar — who guarded the Prophet ﷺ.
• The Prophet ﷺ kept Talha at his side (“saving the best for last”), sending the Ansar out one by one as decoys.
• Talha shielded the Prophet ﷺ with his own body and hand, famously declaring: “My chest instead of your chest, O Messenger of Allah!”
• When his fingers were struck he cried “hiss!” (ouch). The Prophet ﷺ remarked that had he said “bismillah” instead, the angels would have raised him up in sight of the people.

Greeting Ka’b ibn Malik (EP 089)

When Ka’b ibn Malik entered the mosque after Allah accepted his repentance, Talha alone of the Muhajirun rose, rushed to him, shook his hand and congratulated him — a kindness Ka’b “never forgot” even 40 years later. A lesson that one small act of goodwill at a time of distress can warm a heart for life.

Character & lessons

• Valor, self-sacrifice, and adab (proper conduct) even under mortal danger.
• The rebuke over “hiss” vs. “bismillah” teaches that even instinctive reactions in hardship are an occasion for remembrance of Allah.

Death

• Survived Uhud. Details of his death are not covered in this source.

Cross-references

Muhammad ﷺ · Battle of Uhud · Khalid ibn al-Walid · Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas · Ansar · Mount Uhud · Ka'b ibn Malik (ra) · The Story of Ka'b ibn Malik (The Three Who Stayed Behind)

Sources

• S007 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 041–050.
• S011 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 089 (rising to greet Ka’b ibn Malik). Sahih Bukhari & Muslim.