4. Abu Rafi al Qibti

Known by his kunya Abu Rafi, his real name was Aslam and he was a gypsy - hence the nickname ‘Qibti'.

He was a slave of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle Abbas, who later gave him as a present to his nephew Muhammad. When Aslam gave the Prophet the news that his uncle had become Muslim, the Prophet used the opportunity to set him free (Ibn al Asir, Usd al Ghabe, I, p. 93; Ibn Hajar, al Isaba, I, p. 215; Al Bukhari, Tarikh al Kabir, II, p. 23; Ibn Abu Hatim, Al Jarh wa al Ta'dil, II, p. 306; Ibn Hibban, al Sikat, III, p. 16; Dhahabî, Kashif, III, p. 425).

Prophet Muhammad also married Aslam to Salma, a former concubine of his whom he had set free. Their son, Ubaydullah ibn Abu Rafi', would later become the scribe for Caliph Ali as well as the executive officer in charge the state treasury.

Abu Rafi' could not participated in the Battle of Badr (2 AH) due to the fact that he was in Mecca at the time. However, he participated in all the other battles that took place during his life time, including the Battle of Uhud (2 AH) and the Battle of the Trench (3 AH). In the Battle of Khaybar (6 AH), his wife Salma  was also with him (Ibn al Asir, Usd al Ghabe, I, p. 94; Ibn Hajar, al Tahzib, XII, p. 100).

When he was in Mecca, Abu Rafi' worked as a carpenter, and after he moved to Medina he made some furniture for the wives of the Prophet. The fact that he had a close relationship with the family of the Prophet made him more virtuous and important in the eyes of the Companions. Thus, for example, Ibn ‘Abbas used to ask him about the actions and attitude of the Prophet so that he could write them down (Qurtubi, Jami', XX, p. 243; Abdullah Aydınlı, "Ebu Rafi'", D.İ.A., IV, p. 211).

About forty hadiths were reported by Abu Rafi' in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's Musnad. Most of these hadiths were related to his close relationship with the Prophet (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, VI, pp. 8, 390).

Although we do not have a definite date for his death, it has been reported that Abu Rafi' died shortly before the caliphate of Othman  in Medina (Mizzi, Tahzib al Kamal, XXXIII, p. 301; Ibn Hajar, al Isaba, VII, pp. 112-3).