The Prophet ﷺ was divinely conveyed the glad tidings of Paradise for some of his companions in order to motivate them and reward them for their persistence in Allah’s path. In Islam, a person’s final abode in the hereafter is generally considered a matter of the unseen (ghayb), known only to Allah. However, Allah occasionally revealed such aspects of the unseen to His prophets in order to aid their mission and serve as guidance for the people.

As a result, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned certain individuals by name who shall definitely be rewarded with Paradise, if Allah wills, causing such individuals to attain the highest status among the Muslims.  

The Concept of the Ten Blessed Companions

The Prophet ﷺ once declared:

“Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Talha is in Paradise, Zubayr is in Paradise, Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Auf is in Paradise, Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Saeed Ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu Ubayda Ibn Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.” (Tirmidhi 3,747 – Sahih)

In this narration, ten companions of the Prophet ﷺ have been foretold to enter Jannah. On the basis of this hadith, some scholars have used the term “Ten Blessed Companions” or the “Ten Companions Promised Paradise” (Ashara Mubashara) to collectively describe these Sahaba. They were undoubtedly among the foremost supporters of the Prophet ﷺ who made massive sacrifices for Islam and embodied great piety throughout their lives.

However, it is wrongly assumed that only these ten individuals were given the news of Paradise by the Prophet ﷺ. In reality, he conveyed such tidings to many other companions – both men and women – on numerous occasions as we shall discover in the remainder of this article.  

Other Men Conveyed News of Paradise

(1) Hasan Ibn Ali and (2) Husayn Ibn Ali

The Prophet ﷺ revealed the following regarding his two beloved grandsons:  

“Hasan and Husayn are the chiefs among the youth of Paradise.” (Tirmidhi 3,678 – Sahih)

(3) Saad Ibn Muadh

Once, a fine silk cloth was presented to the Prophet ﷺ, and the people started admiring its softness. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The handkerchiefs of Saad Ibn Muadh in Paradise are better than this!” (Muslim 2,468a)

(4) Thabit Ibn Qays

Thabit once felt dejected and troubled because he had raised his voice above that of the Prophet ﷺ. A recently revealed verse of the Quran (Al-Hujurat 49:2) had declared that such an act could potentially render one’s good deeds worthless. When the Prophet ﷺ learned of Thabit’s distress, he sent him the following message:

“You are not from the people of Hellfire, but from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhari 4,846)

(5) Bilal Ibn Rabah

A hadith subsequently quoted in this article under the sub-heading “Rumaysa Bint Milhan” also establishes tidings of Paradise for Bilal.

Women Conveyed Tidings of Paradise

(6) Fatima Bint Muhammad

During his final illness, the Prophet ﷺ informed his daughter, Fatima, that he would soon depart from this world, which left her heartbroken and distraught. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ conveyed her the glad tidings that she will be the “chief” of the women in Paradise:

“Do you not like to be the chief of all the women of Paradise or the chief of the believing women?” (Bukhari 3,624)

(7) Aisha Bint Abu Bakr

Aisha was conveyed tidings of Paradise through Angel Jibril as mentioned in the following hadith:

“Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ with her (i.e. Aisha’s) image upon a piece of green silk cloth, and he said, ‘This is your wife in the world and in the hereafter.’” (Tirmidhi 3,880 – Sahih)

(8) Khadija Bint Khuwaylid

Most remarkable, perhaps, was the manner in which Khadija was given the news of Paradise. Jibril once came to the Prophet ﷺ, and declared:

“Here is Khadija coming to you with a dish of food or a tumbler containing something to drink. Convey to her a greeting from her Lord (i.e. Allah) and give her the glad tidings that she will have a palace in Paradise built of qasab (jewels) wherein there will be neither any noise nor any fatigue.” (Bukhari 7,497)

According to another version of this hadith, Jibril said:

“…When she (i.e. Khadija) comes to you, convey to her greetings of salam from her Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, and from me, and give her the glad tidings of a house of pearls in Paradise in which there is no clamour or toil.” (Muslim 2,432)

The fact that Khadija received not just the news of entering Jannah, but also tidings of a mansion of pearls there, along with greetings from Allah Himself, conveys her unique status in Islam.

(9) Rumaysa Bint Milhan

The news of Rumaysa Bint Milhan (also known as Umm Sulaym) entering Paradise was conveyed to the Prophet ﷺ through a dream, as he relates:

“I saw myself (in a dream) entering Paradise, and behold! I saw Al-Rumaysa, Abu Talha’s wife. I heard footsteps. I asked, ‘Who is it?’ Somebody said, ‘It is Bilal.’” (Bukhari 3,679)

The dreams of the prophets, such as this one, were true visions that conveyed news of the unseen for the benefit of the people.

Other Blessed Women  

The Prophet ﷺ reportedly conveyed the glad tidings of Paradise to various other women such as (10) Sumayya Bint Al-Khayyat (the first martyr of Islam), (11) Umm Ayman, and (12) Umm Ruman. In fact, (13) a woman not even mentioned by name was blessed with news of Paradise due to a single selfless act of hers, as described in the following beautiful narration.  

Once, a poor woman, along with her two daughters, visited Aisha at her home in Madinah. Aisha desperately searched for food to serve to her guests, but could not find anything other than three dates. Therefore, she served them the dates, intending one for each of her three guests. However, the woman gave both her daughters a date each, and when they had finished, she split up the remaining date between them, not leaving anything for herself! Aisha was genuinely surprised at the woman’s selflessness and affection for her daughters. When Aisha later narrated this incident to the Prophet ﷺ, he simply remarked:

“Why are you surprised? She will enter Paradise because of that!” (Ibn Majah 3,668 – Sahih)

Conclusion

It is thus evident that those included among the Ashara Mubashara are merely a small group of individuals – all men from the tribe of Quraysh. However, just because they have collectively been mentioned in a single hadith does not mean that they were the only ones promised Paradise by the Prophet ﷺ. The concept of the Ten Blessed Companions is, therefore, misleading since many other men and women were also conveyed tidings of Paradise by the Prophet ﷺ, and included among his most honored companions.