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Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami

رفاعة بن قيس الجشمي

c. 629 CE · c. 8 AH

A man of name and rank in Banu Jusham ibn Mu'awiya who camped at al-Ghaba with a large clan of his people, meaning to gather Qays for war against the Prophet ﷺ; the Prophet sent Abdullah ibn Abi Hadrad with two men, who shot him through the heart and cut off his head. Ibn Ishaq is unsure whether his name was Rifa'a ibn Qays or Qays ibn Rifa'a.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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Life in time

525550575600625650675700725 c. c. c. c. c. c.
Pre-Islamic Arabia · The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period Contemporaries: al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib · Abdullah ibn Abbas · Abdullah ibn Mas'ud · Abdullah ibn Salam · Abdullah ibn Ubayy

Place in the story

Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

Overview

A man of Banu Jusham ibn Mu'awiya, "of a name and nobility among Jusham". He camped at al-Ghaba with his people and those with him, intending to rally Qays against the war on the Prophet 1. He set out alone in pursuit of a shepherd of his who had lagged behind, and refused to let anyone accompany him. Ibn Abi Hadrad shot him through the heart with an arrow, and he did not speak again. He cut off his head and carried it to the Prophet; see the raid on al-Ghaba 2.

Markers of the report

  • "Rifa'a ibn Qays or Qays ibn Rifa'a": doubt in the text of Ibn Ishaq 1.
  • The intention to make war that is attributed to him is Ibn Ishaq's explanation for sending the detachment, not a report from him 1.

Connections

Explore the connections

Member of
Banu Jusham
Participated in
Ibn Abi Hadrad's raid on al-Ghaba and the killing of Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami

People and things also explored

Ibn Abi Hadrad's raid on al-Ghaba and the killing of Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami· Banu Jusham· The Battle of Hunayn· Hawazin· The Prophetic Era· Abdullah ibn Abi Hadrad al-Aslami· Durayd ibn al-Simma· Muhammad

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/278
  2. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/279
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/rifaa-ibn-qays-al-jushami/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

Ibn Abi Hadrad's raid on al-Ghaba and the killing of Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami

The Prophet sent Abdullah ibn Abi Hadrad with two men to Rifa'a ibn Qays al-Jushami, who had camped at al-Ghaba with a large clan of Jusham meaning to gather Qays against the Prophet, to bring back news of him; they lay in ambush, Rifa'a went out alone after his shepherd and Ibn Abi Hadrad shot him through the heart and cut off his head; they shouted the takbir, the camp fled, and they drove off camels and sheep. The Prophet gave Ibn Abi Hadrad thirteen camels towards his dowry of two hundred dirhams.