Talk:Al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam

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Number of Converts

The statement “Umar’s conversion brought the total to forty men, after which the members of the group embarked on a mission to spread Islam to the world” strikes me as very doubtful.

First, it is not at all certain that Umar was the fortieth convert. Ibn Ishaq lists fifty people who were converted by Abu Bakr “before Umar” in addition to a few people who were converted other than by Abu Bakr. Al-Suyuti records various traditions that Umar was the 51st or 57th or 63rd convert overall. Tabari also records traditions that the Muslims could not even agree who was first, second or third, etc. Does anyone really know who was fortieth or what number Umar was?

Second, Umar was converted after the second Flight to Abyssinia. Yet 83 Muslim males are listed as participating in this emigration, not counting women and children. That makes Umar the 84th man, even assuming we don't count non-emigrants such as Muhammad, Abu Bakr, Zayd, Ali, etc.

Third, the assertion that the forty Muslims “embarked on a mission to spread Islam to the world” has no reliable reference. It may be true (it is certainly not implausible), but no evidence has been provided that this was the conscious plan of the forty men, or even that Islam markedly changed direction at that point.Petra MacDonald 06:20, 24 September 2013 (UTC) Edited.Petra MacDonald (talk) 06:47, 22 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The Seventh Man in Islam?

Ibn Ishaq's list of "people who accepted Islam at the invitation of Abu Bakr" lists Al-Arqam as the eighth man. That is a fact.

Some people assert that Al-Arqam ought to have been seventh. This is due to his own statement that he was the seventh person to become a Muslim (Ibn Saad vol. 3 p. 185). Al-Arqam may have been the seventh convert, i.e., it is possible that Ibn Ishaq's list is not in chronological order. The problem is, over twenty different people claimed to be the first seven Muslims; it is impossible to take all of these claims literally.

Ibn Ishaq's list is not a complete list of everyone who became a Muslim before 615. It omits the names of some Muslims who are known to have converted earlier than some of those named on this list, e.g., Bilal, as well as the names of Abu Bakr's own wife and son. Ibn Ishaq only claims it as a list of those who converted at the invitation of Abu Bakr. There were probably many people who became Muslim without Abu Bakr's help.Petra MacDonald (talk) 06:47, 22 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]