The Ten Promised Paradise (al-ʿAsharah al-Mubashsharah): A British Muslim Guide
By admin on 12/22/2025
The ten Companions guaranteed Paradise during their lifetimes
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was given the unique privilege of naming ten of his Companions as guaranteed inhabitants of Paradise during their lifetimes — a privilege not extended to any other group of human beings in Islamic teaching. The list, preserved in the famous hadith of Saʿīd ibn Zayd (RA) recorded by Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhi and others, became known as al-ʿAsharah al-Mubashsharah bi-l-Jannah — the Ten Promised Paradise.
For British Muslim families teaching their children about the Companions, knowing this list, the lives behind it, and what it means to be guaranteed Paradise while still walking the earth is essential reading.
The hadith and the ten names
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Abu Bakr is in Paradise, ʿUmar is in Paradise, ʿUthmān is in Paradise, ʿAlī is in Paradise, Ṭalḥah is in Paradise, al-Zubayr is in Paradise, ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAwf is in Paradise, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ is in Paradise, Saʿīd ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ is in Paradise" (Tirmidhi 3747, classified ṣaḥīḥ).
| Name | Distinguishing role |
|---|---|
| Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq | First adult male convert; first Caliph; closest friend of the Prophet ﷺ |
| ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb | Second Caliph; al-Fārūq; institutional founder of the Islamic state |
| ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān | Third Caliph; Dhū al-Nūrayn (married two of the Prophet ﷺ\'s daughters); compiler of the standard Mushaf |
| ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib | Fourth Caliph; cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ; father of al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (RA) |
| Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbaydAllah | Of the early Makkan converts; physically shielded the Prophet ﷺ at Uḥud, losing the use of his hand |
| Al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām | Cousin of the Prophet ﷺ; brother-in-law (married Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr) |
| ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAwf | One of the wealthiest Muslims; major financier of the early community; refused his half of an Anṣārī\'s wealth and built his own through trade |
| Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ | Maternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ; commander at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah which defeated the Persian Empire |
| Saʿīd ibn Zayd | Cousin of ʿUmar; whose wife Fāṭimah witnessed ʿUmar\'s conversion |
| Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ | "The trustworthy of this ummah" by the Prophet ﷺ\'s designation; commander of the Muslim conquest of Syria |
What it means to be guaranteed Paradise
The promise of Paradise during a person\'s lifetime is unique to these ten Companions. It does not mean they were free from sin — they were human and acknowledged their failings throughout their lives. It means that Allah, by His foreknowledge, had decreed their final destination, and the Prophet ﷺ was permitted to inform them and the wider community.
The wisdom: their lives, freed from anxiety about their final destination, were lived in maximum service. They knew Paradise was their home; they spent their earthly years building the Muslim community knowing the eternal outcome was settled.
The grouping by relationships
- Four became Caliphs (Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī) — the Rāshidūn
- Two were cousins of the Prophet ﷺ (al-Zubayr, ʿAlī)
- One was his maternal uncle (Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ)
- Three were sons-in-law (Abū Bakr through ʿAisha; ʿUthmān through Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthūm; ʿAlī through Fāṭimah, RA)
- Eight were of Quraysh; two were of other Arab tribes (Saʿīd ibn Zayd from ʿAdī, Abū ʿUbaydah from Quraysh\'s allied clan)
What British Muslim families can learn
- Excellence is recognised in this life. The Companions did not live for posthumous rewards alone; the Prophet ﷺ honoured them by name during their lifetimes. British Muslim parents who only ever critique their children, never honour them publicly, are out of step with the prophetic model.
- The early community was built on diversity of strength. Among the ten you have the gentle Abū Bakr and the formidable ʿUmar; the wealthy ʿAbd al-Rahmān and the modest ʿAmmār; the warrior Saʿd and the diplomatic ʿUthmān. Different gifts, all rewarded.
- Closeness to the Prophet ﷺ produces excellence. All ten spent extensive time in the Prophet\'s ﷺ company. British Muslim families wanting to raise excellent children should make the Prophet ﷺ\'s sirah their primary curriculum.
- Companionship matters. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A person is upon the religion of his close friend; so let one of you look at whom he befriends" (Abū Dāwūd 4833). The ten ranged across the prophetic household; the principle for British Muslim teenagers is direct.
The four schools and the ten
The mainstream Sunni position honours all ten by name, with particular reverence for the first four (the Rāshidūn caliphs). Shia tradition has different views about some of the ten, particularly regarding the order of priority — but all major Islamic traditions recognise the closeness of these Companions to the Prophet ﷺ and the depth of their service.
Frequently asked questions
Where to go next
For more on the Companions, see our guides on Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī. To study the early Islamic history one-to-one with an Al-Azhar-graduate teacher, book a free trial lesson.
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ShareFrequently Asked Questions
Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbaydAllāh, al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām, ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAwf, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, Saʿīd ibn Zayd, and Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ — named by the Prophet ﷺ as guaranteed Paradise during their lifetimes (Tirmidhi 3747, ṣaḥīḥ).
No. They were human and acknowledged their failings throughout their lives. The promise meant Allah, by His foreknowledge, had decreed their final destination, and the Prophet ﷺ was permitted to inform them. Their lives, freed from anxiety about the final outcome, were lived in maximum service.
To honour them, to encourage them, and to model excellence for the wider community. Public recognition of excellence is a prophetic practice — British Muslim parents who only critique and never honour their children are out of step with this model.
Four — Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān and ʿAlī (RA), known as the Rāshidūn (rightly-guided) caliphs.
ʿAlī was his cousin and son-in-law (married Fāṭimah). al-Zubayr was his cousin (and brother-in-law through marriage to Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr). Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ was his maternal uncle. ʿUthmān married two of his daughters (Ruqayyah, then Umm Kulthūm). Abu Bakr was his father-in-law (through ʿAisha).
Eight were of Quraysh; two were of allied/related clans. The closeness to the Prophet ﷺ's own tribe is evident, but the principle — that excellence is determined by faith and conduct, not lineage — was central to early Islamic teaching.
Shia tradition has different views about some of the ten, particularly regarding the order of priority. All major Islamic traditions, however, recognise the closeness of these Companions to the Prophet ﷺ and the depth of their service.
His role is more often remembered through the story of ʿUmar's conversion — Saʿīd's wife Fāṭimah (sister of ʿUmar) was struck by ʿUmar before her conversion was discovered, and the incident led to ʿUmar reading the Quran and embracing Islam. Saʿīd participated in many of the major events of the early community without the public profile of the four caliphs.
Excellence is recognised in this life. The early community was built on diversity of strength. Closeness to the Prophet ﷺ produces excellence. Companionship matters — "a person is upon the religion of his close friend" (Abū Dāwūd 4833).
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