Suhayb ibn Sinan ibn Malik al-Rumi, may Allah be pleased with him, had red skin and ginger hair.
“Al-Rumi” means “the Roman,” but he was not actually from Rome.
His father was a chief appointed by the Persian emperor.
One day, the Roman army attacked the area where Suhayb ibn Sinan’s father was the chief.
The Romans conquered the land, took many people as slaves, and they captured this young boy and took him back with them to the Roman Empire.
He became a slave and was sold from one person to another.
But he always knew:
“I come from the Arabs. One day, somehow, I will return to my people.”
One day, he heard one of the leaders of the church saying:
“You know what? In Makkah, the time has come for a messenger to appear who will complete the message of Isa (alayhi salatu was salam).”
When this youngster heard that, he said:
“I am an Arab. I come from there.”
This made him even more eager to return.
Eventually, he ended up in Makkah al-Mukarramah in the ownership of Abdullah ibn Jud‘an, who later freed him.
The people used to call him “Roman” because he could not properly speak Arabic.
And when he eventually learned Arabic, he still had a very distinct foreign accent.
He started doing business in Makkah.
One day, he heard people talking about Muhammad ﷺ.
He became extremely excited because this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
So he asked:
“Where is Muhammad ﷺ?”
Someone told him:
“Be careful. Don’t ask loudly, otherwise Quraysh will harm you. As it is, you have no relatives here.”
But Suhayb said:
“Where is he?”
They replied:
“You will find him in the house of Al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam.”
That night, he quietly tiptoed toward the house of Al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam.
And when he arrived at the door, guess who he found there?
Ammar ibn Yasir (رضي الله عنه).
They recognized each other.
Suhayb asked:
“Ammar, what are you doing here?”
Ammar replied:
“What are YOU doing here?”
Suhayb said:
“I want to listen to this man.”
Ammar ibn Yasir said:
“Yes, me too.”
So both of them entered and sat in the company of Muhammad ﷺ for a few moments.
Very shortly after, they both declared their Shahadah.
After accepting Islam, Suhayb was attacked, harmed, abused, punished, and economically boycotted by Quraysh.
When the Muslims began migrating to Madinah, Quraysh surrounded Suhayb’s house and placed guards over him 24 hours a day.
So he thought of a plan.
He pretended that he was suffering from severe stomach problems.
He asked permission to go out repeatedly to relieve himself.
At first they followed him.
Then eventually they said:
“This man is genuinely sick.”
So they relaxed and eventually fell asleep.
As soon as they slept, Suhayb escaped and headed toward Madinah.
When Quraysh discovered this, they immediately mounted the fastest horses and chased after him.
Why?
Because Suhayb was now a wealthy man with gold, silver, and business wealth.
Eventually they caught up with him at a high place on a mountain path.
Suhayb turned to them and said:
“What can I do so that you let me go?”
They replied:
“When you came to Makkah you were poor. Now you want to leave with all your wealth?”
Suhayb said:
“I will tell you where all my wealth is hidden. You can take everything. Just let me go to Madinah.”
They agreed.
He told them where the wealth was hidden.
They recovered it all and allowed him to continue to Madinah.
When Suhayb arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, Muhammad ﷺ looked at him and said:
“O Suhayb, your transaction has indeed been profitable.”
Suhayb was shocked and asked:
“How do you know about the deal?”
Jibril (عليه السلام) had already informed Muhammad ﷺ about what happened.
Then Allah سبحانه وتعالى revealed verses regarding Suhayb ibn Sinan al-Rumi:
“And there are those who would dedicate their lives to Allah’s pleasure.”
He was among the companions who participated in all the battles alongside Muhammad ﷺ.
Later, when Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) was stabbed, one of the first decisions Umar made was regarding who would temporarily lead the Muslims.
He appointed Suhayb ibn Sinan ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه).
Suhayb became the interim Imam of the Muslims.
He led the prayers during the period between the stabbing of Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) and the appointment of Uthman ibn Affan (رضي الله عنه) as the new Khalifah.
Suhayb ibn Sinan al-Rumi (رضي الله عنه) later passed away in Madinah Munawwarah during the time of Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه).
And he was buried in Al-Baqi‘.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 