Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt
Vilest of the Meccan enemies; executed at Badr.
Hijri d. 2 AH CE d. 624 CE
Among the lowest and cruellest of the Prophet’s ﷺ Meccan enemies — captured at the Battle of Badr and executed, fulfilling a prophecy.
Identity
A Quraysh nobleman of Banu Umayya, “the filthiest of the filthy” — so vile, Yasir Qadhi notes, that Allah did not even name him in the Quran.
Role in the Seerah
- He choked the Prophet ﷺ while he prayed at the Ka’bah (until Abu Bakr was beaten defending him).
- He it was who — at Abu Jahal’s prompting — threw the camel’s entrails onto the Prophet ﷺ in sajdah, while the Quraysh laughed.
- He once spat in the Prophet’s ﷺ face; the Prophet ﷺ foretold: “When I meet you outside Makkah, I shall have you executed, bound.” Fearing this, Uqba almost stayed home from Badr.
Death
His fast camel bolted first when the Quraysh fled, stranding him; he was captured and, as foretold, executed — one of only two prisoners put to death at Badr (with al-Nadr ibn al-Harith).
Cross-references
The Battle of Badr · Quraysh · Abu Jahal (Amr ibn Hisham) · Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (ra) · Muhammad ﷺ · Seerah Timeline
Sources
- S006 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 037, 040. Ibn Ishaq, Sahih Bukhari (the intestines / the curse).