Miqdad ibn Aswad

Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr ibn Tha'laba, better known as Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi or simply Miqdad, was one of the famous and early companions (saḥābī) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His kunya was Abu Ma'bad. Miqdad was born in Yemen, and after becoming a fugitive in his hometown he fled to Mecca, where he served al-Aswad al-Kindi. Miqdad managed to gain favor of his master, who in turn adopted him as his son. Al-Miqdad later embraced Islam and became one of the early converts of Islam, and per Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, one of the first seven to publicly announce their conversion to Islam. He was one of the Muhajirun, the Muslims who migrated to Medina due to the persecution they faced by Meccan polytheists. In Medina, Miqdad was known in history as the first Muslim horseman, and he participated in all military campaigns under Muhammad.