Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →
Sahaba / Tabi‘eenPhase 2 · Seerah & Ahl al-BaytMajor figure

Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (al-Tayyar) (RA)

جعفر بن أبي طالب

d. 8 AH / 629 CE (Mu'tah) · cousin

Ali's elder brother, leader of the emigrants to Abyssinia, whose speech before the Negus (al-Najashi) is famous. Martyred at Mu'tah, he is called al-Tayyar, 'the one with two wings' in Paradise.

Biography

Ja'far led the Muslim emigrants in Abyssinia. Historical reports (Musnad Ahmad, from Umm Salamah, with a good chain) describe how, when Quraysh sought their extradition, he explained Islam to al-Najashi and recited the opening of Surah Maryam, moving the king to tears. He returned at the time of Khaybar (7 AH), and the Prophet ﷺ told him 'You resemble me in appearance and character' (Sahih Bukhari).

He was one of the three commanders at Mu'tah (8 AH) and was martyred. Ibn Umar used to greet his son as 'son of the one with two wings' (Sahih Bukhari). His son Abdullah ibn Ja'far married Zaynab bint Ali.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

19:16 19:17 19:18 19:19 19:20 19:21

Links open quran.com.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 2699 Sahih

    Settlement after 'Umrat al-Qada': the Prophet ﷺ said to Ja'far 'You resemble me in appearance and character', and to Ali 'You are from me and I am from you'.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3710 Sahih

    Ibn 'Umar greeted 'Abdullah, son of Ja'far, as 'son of the one with two wings'.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4261 Sahih

    At Mu'tah the Prophet ﷺ appointed Zayd ibn Harithah commander, then Ja'far if he fell, then 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3758 Sahih

    The Prophet ﷺ announced the deaths of Zayd, Ja'far and Ibn Rawahah at Mu'tah, then 'a sword among the swords of Allah (Khalid) took the flag'.

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Sahih Bukhari's reports on Ja'far and the well-chained account of the Abyssinian speech are used.

Empires in their lifetime

Further references

  • Sahih Bukhari ('you resemble me'; 'two wings')
  • Musnad Ahmad (Umm Salamah: speech before al-Najashi)

Connections

Comes from

Leads to

Linked with