Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam

Az-Zubayr accepted Islam at the age of fifteen or sixteen, making him one of the youngest early converts. His uncle would wrap him in a mat and smoke him with fire to force him to renounce Islam, but he refused. He was the first person to draw a sword in the cause of Islam. A false rumour reached the Muslims that the Prophet had been captured, and Zubayr rushed through the streets of Makkah with his sword drawn. He met the Prophet, who smiled at him and prayed for him and his sword. At the Battle of Badr, he fought with exceptional bravery. At Uhud, he was one of the few who remained with the Prophet. The Prophet said: 'Every prophet has a disciple (hawari), and my disciple is az-Zubayr.' He also said: 'Zubayr is the son of my aunt, and my companion from my Ummah.' He was known for his business acumen and became wealthy, yet he left debts at his death because he would accept people's trusts and wealth for safekeeping, insisting on calling them 'debts' rather than trusts — so that he would feel obligated to return them in full even if they were lost.