Sahaba
/səˈhɑːbə/noun
The companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, especially those who met him and followed Islam during his lifetime.
Did you know?In Islamic scholarship, identifying someone as a Ṣaḥābī—one of the Sahaba—can affect how their reported statements and traditions are evaluated.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
ṣ-ḥ-b
“A reconstructed root associated with companionship or accompanying someone.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
ṣāḥib
“Companion, associate, or person accompanying another.”
7th Century
Classical Arabic
ṣaḥābah
“Companions collectively; the plural of ṣāḥib in the specialized Islamic sense.”
7th–8th Century
Arabic
al-Ṣaḥābah
“The companions of Muhammad, referring to those who met him as believers and transmitted knowledge of his life and teachings.”
19th–20th Century
English
Sahaba
“An English transliteration used in Islamic studies and general writing for Muhammad’s companions.”