Abdallah ibn Umm Maktum

Abdallah ibn Umm Maktum — though the commoner form of his name is Amr — ibn Qays ibn Za'ida ibn al-Asamm, al-Qurashi al-Amiri, a blind Companion among the earliest Muslims, nephew of Khadija; the Prophet ﷺ used to leave him in charge of Medina during most of his expeditions, leading the people in prayer, and he is the one meant in sura Abasa ¹.

Ibn Hajar enters him under those named Amr: Amr ibn Umm Maktum al-Qurashi — also said to be named Abdallah, with Amr the more frequent — son of Qays ibn Za'ida ibn al-Asamm; some say Amr ibn Za'ida omitting Qays, and some say Qays in place of Za'ida ². Ibn Sa'd says the Medinans call him Abdallah and the Iraqis call him Amr, and they agree on his nasab as ibn Qays ibn Za'ida ibn al-Asamm — a unanimity Ibn Hajar questions ¹. Al-Tha'labi in his Tafsir gives his name as Abdallah ibn Shurayh ibn Malik ibn Rabi'a ibn Qays ibn Za'ida, al-Asamm's own name being Jundub ibn Hadam ibn Rawaha ibn Humayr ibn Ma'is ibn Amir ibn Lu'ayy al-Qurashi al-Amiri; his mother Umm Maktum was Atika bint Abdallah ibn Ankasha ibn A'idh ibn Makhzum, and he was the nephew of Khadija, mother of the believers ¹.

He embraced Islam early at Mecca and was among the first emigrants, arriving in Medina before the Prophet's own hijra — or, on al-Waqidi's view, shortly after Badr; the first is sounder, for Abu Ishaq transmits from al-Bara': the first emigrant to reach us was Mus'ab ibn Umayr, then Ibn Umm Maktum came ¹. The Prophet would appoint him over Medina in most of his expeditions to lead the people in prayer, and thirteen occasions of this deputising are enumerated for him ¹. He is the one meant in sura Abasa; "other than those with disabilities" was revealed about him when "not equal are those who sit back" came down — al-Bukhari transmits it — and in the Sunan there is his own report "a blind man, O Messenger of God" in the hadith affirming prayer in congregation ¹.

Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar says he went out to al-Qadisiyya, took part in the fighting and was martyred there, carrying the banner at the time; it is also said he returned to Medina after al-Qadisiyya and died there — so al-Baghawi — and al-Waqidi says he witnessed it, returned to Medina and died there, nothing being heard of him after Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) ¹.

Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind Companion among the first Muslims; he embraced Islam at Mecca, emigrated to Medina before the Prophet, and the Prophet would leave him as deputy over Medina on most of his expeditions, leading the prayers — it is about him that God spoke in sura Abasa.

• Al-Isaba entry no. 6699 (al-Maktaba al-Asriyya scan, pp. 1132–1134), filed under Amr rather than Abdallah; a further mention at Abd al-Aziz, p. 833 ("the well-known form of his name is Amr; also said: Abdallah ibn Qays ibn Za'ida").
• The dispute over his name (Amr / Abdallah / Abdallah ibn Shurayh / al-Husayn) and over the place of his death (al-Qadisiyya / Medina) is preserved in Ibn Hajar's own text.
• The entry mentions him leading prayers in Medina without the adhan; the report of his mu'adhdhin-role appears elsewhere in the book (p. 833).