Among all who embraced Islam in its earliest days, none were tested more severely than the household of Yāsir: the father Yāsir, his wife Sumayya, their son ʿAmmār, and his brother ʿAbdullāh.

One day the Quraysh seized ʿAmmār. They beat him mercilessly until his body was covered with wounds, then threw him onto the blazing sands of Makkah. Later they plunged him into water, forcing him under until he fainted. When he regained consciousness, they demanded that he praise their idols. Half-conscious and desperate, ʿAmmār murmured assent. When clarity returned, he realized what he had uttered and was overcome with grief, weeping without end.

The Prophet ﷺ came to him, wiped his tears, and asked: “Did they force you, drowning you until you said those words against your will?”

ʿAmmār nodded. The Prophet ﷺ comforted him and recited the verse from Sūrat al-Naḥl (16:106):

“Whoever is compelled to utter a word of unbelief while his heart rests secure in faith — such are not held guilty.”

Hearing this, ʿAmmār’s heart was eased.

 The Origins of the Family

Yāsir ibn ʿĀmir had once journeyed from Yemen to Makkah in search of his lost brother ʿAbdullāh. Two other brothers, Mālik and Ḥārith, eventually returned home, but Yāsir chose to remain. In Makkah he found shelter with Abū Ḥudhayfah of the Makhzūm clan, who gave him a slave woman named Sumayya bint Khayyāt. Yāsir married her, and together they had a beloved son, ʿAmmār.

As a youth, ʿAmmār would visit Dār al-Arqam, where the Prophet ﷺ recited the Qurʾān. He would return home and share with his mother what he had learned. Verse after verse lit a flame in her heart. The verse declaring that humankind was created from a single man and woman moved her deeply. Longing to meet the Prophet ﷺ, Sumayya insisted her son take her. Two days later, she accompanied him to Dār al-Arqam. The Prophet ﷺ welcomed her warmly and recited divine words. She repeated them back, her heart swelling with joy. Returning home, she shared her experience with her husband, and soon Yāsir too embraced Islam. Thus the family became among the very first ten to accept the new faith.

Persecution

For a year they practiced their faith in secret. Then word spread, and the Makhzūm clan turned on them. They mocked, tortured, and beat them, hoping to drive them back to idol worship. Nothing availed. They attacked one member after another, but each remained firm.

Sumayya, in particular, displayed astonishing courage. She met every torment with steadfastness. Seeing her resolve, the Prophet ﷺ turned to them and said:

“O family of Yāsir, be patient! Paradise has been prepared for you.”

The First Martyr

The torture grew ever harsher. When her son ʿAmmār fainted under searing blows, his mother wept bitterly, but her faith never faltered. The Quraysh finally despaired of breaking her. Abū Jahl, enraged, thrust his spear into her abdomen. Without flinching, Sumayya endured the pain, her soul rising to Paradise. She became the first martyr of Islam. The “slave woman of the Makhzūm” was transformed into a symbol of courage for believers until the end of time.

Soon after, Yāsir himself passed away, worn by suffering. ʿAmmār’s brother ʿAbdullāh was struck by an arrow and died. ʿAmmār remained the only survivor of the family.

Years later, at the Battle of Badr, when Abū Jahl was slain, the Prophet ﷺ turned to ʿAmmār and said:

“Allah has slain the man who killed your mother.”

Thus the sacrifice of the family of Yāsir became etched forever into the heart of the Muslim community, a beacon of endurance and faith under trial.