Ja'far ibn Abi Talib

Cousin of Prophet Muhammad, son of Abu Talib, and elder brother of Ali. An early convert who led the first Muslim migration to Abyssinia in 615 CE, where he eloquently defended Islam before the Christian king (Negus) by reciting Quranic verses about Jesus and Mary, securing protection for the refugees. After returning to Medina, he was appointed commander at the Battle of Mu’tah (629 CE), where he fought after both arms were severed and was martyred holding the banner. Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad, receiving revelation of his death in Medina, announced that Ja’far was given wings in Paradise, earning his epithet “the Flyer” (al-Tayyar).