Salama ibn al-Akwa (ra): The Fastest Runner In Medina | The Firsts | Dr. Omar Suleiman

He chased a band of mounted raiders on foot, alone, with nothing but a bow. Salama ibn al-Akwa’ (ra) was the fastest of the Prophet’s ﷺ Companions, and Dr. Omar Suleiman calls him the closest thing the Sahabah had to a track runner. His biographers say he could outrun a galloping horse, and he fought as an archer on foot, shooting as he ran. When raiders drove off the Prophet’s ﷺ camels a few days before Khaybar, he ran after them until the horsemen caught up, and the Prophet ﷺ called him the best of the Muslims’ foot soldiers. Under the tree at Hudaybiyyah he was the first to pledge allegiance, and the Prophet ﷺ had him pledge three times. 0:00 - Touched by the Prophet ﷺ 0:49 - The fastest of the Companions 2:09 - Banu Aslam, a tribe of elite warriors 4:03 - His uncle Amir (ra) on the march to Khaybar 6:30 - The duel and the accident 7:22 - “Did all his work go to waste?” 10:12 - Outrunning a galloping horse 12:07 - A miracle at the well of Hudaybiyyah 14:03 - Three pledges under the tree 16:56 - One man against the raiders 20:36 - Khaybar: Ali (ra)’s eye and Salama (ra)’s leg 23:28 - Walking away from fitna 24:53 - “With these two hands” #sahaba #runner #lecture #thefirsts #islamichistory Click SUBSCRIBE and hit the 🔔 icon to receive the latest updates from Yaqeen! Visit http://www.yaqeeninstitute.org for full access to all research publications, infographics, and videos. Join the conversation on UpScrolled, X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook @yaqeeninstitute!