Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir

Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir

Personal Information
Full Name	Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir b. al-Jumuh al-Ansari
Teknonym	Abu Umar, Abu Amr
Epithet	Dhu l-Ra'y
Lineage	Khazraj Tribe
Muhajir/Ansar	Ansar
Place(s) of Residence	Medina
Religious Information
Presence at ghazwas	In most of the battles of the Prophet (s)

Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir (Arabic: الحباب بن المنذر) was one of the companions of the Prophet (s) and one of the Ansar. He was with the Prophet (s) in most of his battles. He was known as "Dhu l-Ra'y" (Man of Opinion), because of the wise suggestions and advice he gave to people.

He is said to have been brave and eloquent. He was present in the episode of Saqifa and disagreed with the election of Abu Bakr as the Prophet's (s) successor. In that episode, he severely opposed Umar b. al-Khattab, and that led to argument and conflict in Saqifa. Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir passed away during the caliphate of Umar, when he was more than fifty years old.

Biography

Al-Habab b. al-Mundhir b. al-Jumuh al-Ansari, his mother was "Shumus bt. Haqq b. Ummih b. Haram". His teknonym was either "Abu Umar" or "Abu Amr". He had two sons, "Khashram" and "al-Mundhir", and a daughter named "Umm Jamil".

Al-Habab was a companion of the Prophet (s) and one of Ansar. He participated in most of the battles of the Prophet (s). He is said to have been a poet, a brave man, and an eloquent speaker. He was called "Dhu l-Ra'y" (Man of Opinion), because of his wise suggestions and advice.

He passed away during the reign of Umar b. al-Khattab, when he was more than fifty years old.

Participation in the Battles

Al-Habab participated in most of the battels of the Prophet (s).

• Battle of Badr: He participated in the Battle of Badr, and when Muslims decided to pitch their camp, he suggested camping near the wells of Badr. At that time, he was thirty-three years old, but his suggestion was accepted and even reportedly affirmed by God. In this battle, al-Habab was the flag-bearer of the Khazraj.

• Battle of Uhud: In the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (s) commissioned al-Habab to collect information from the enemy's camp. When he fulfilled his mission, the Prophet (s) gave him the flag of the Khazraj. During this battle, he was one of the fifteen individuals who remained with the Prophet (s) and never fled.

He was also one of the eight people who vowed to defend the Prophet (s) until death.

• Battle of Hamra' al-Asad: When the Prophet (s) commanded people to go for another battle right after the Battle of Uhud, al-Habab readily obeyed the Prophet (s).

• Battles of Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza: When the Prophet (s) decided to go for the battle with Banu al-Nadir, al-Habab suggested that the army should settle in between the castles of Banu al-Nadir so as to cut the communication between them, and the Prophet (s) accepted his suggestion.

Al-Habab also participated in the Battle with Banu Qurayza, and in that battle too he offered military advice to the Prophet (s).

• Battle of Khaybar: In the Battle of Khaybar, the Prophet (s) gave his flag to Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and gave another flag to al-Habab b. al-Mundhir. In this battle too, al-Habab gave a suggestion about the deployment of the forces and the Prophet (s) accepted his suggestion. He was also the flag-bearer of the Khazraj.

• Battle of Ta'if: In this battle, al-Habab went to the Prophet (s) and gave some suggestions about the battle array, and the Prophet (s) accepted his suggestions.

• Other Battles: al-Habab participated in the Battles of Khandaq, Banu l-Mustalaq, Hudaybiyya, Hunayn, and Tabuk, and was the flag-bearer of the Khazraj in some of them.

With Ali b. Abi Talib (a)

When Ali b. Abi Talib (a) was commissioned by the Prophet (s) to destroy an idol-temple belonging to the tribe Tayy, al-Habab b. al-Mundhir was among those who accompanied him.

The Episode of Saqifa

On the day of Saqifa, al-Habab disagreed with the election of Abu Bakr as the successor of the Prophet (s) and urged the Ansar to refuse his successorship. He stated that the Ansar were better than the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and therefore they must refuse any suggestion less than a joint-rule of one emir from the Muhajirun and one from the Ansar. Umar b. al-Khattab disagreed with this suggestion, and the disagreement led to severe argument and conflict in Saqifa.