Who Was Abdullah ibn Saba'? The stirrer of strife, in the histories in Islamic History

Before the worldBefore Adam

The first nationsAdam to Shuayb

Egypt and Bani Israilc. 1300–1000 BCE

Bani Israil and Romec. 1000 BCE – 250 CE

Arabia before IslamUp to 570 CE

Enemies of the Prophet ﷺ610–632 CE

After the Prophet ﷺ632–1000 CE

Crusades and conquests1090–1502 CE

The end of timeStill to come

Ten signs before the Hour

Isa ibn Maryam descends
A landslide in the east
A landslide in the west
A landslide in Arabia
The smoke
The sun rises from the west
The Beast of the earth
A fire from Yemen drives people to their gathering

Sahih Muslim lists ten major signs before the Hour without fixing their order. This follows a common order given by the scholars. Sahih Muslim 2901a ↗

Villains of history58 / 76

عبد الله بن سبأ

Abdullah ibn Saba'

The stirrer of strife, in the historiesc. 650s CE

A Yemeni convert, the historians say, who toured the garrison towns spreading rumours against Uthman and extreme claims about Ali, and helped gather the rebels.

How it ended

Reports say Ali exiled him to al-Mada'in for his claims about him.

O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.
Quran 49:6

The lessonCheck the news before you act on it (49:6).

In the Quran

49:6

Stood against: Uthman and Ali
Source: Recorded by historiansAl-Tabari's account comes mostly through Sayf ibn Umar, a weak narrator. Some modern historians doubt that Ibn Saba' existed or played this role; others accept him. Treat the details with care.

Every villain in Islamic history, from Iblis to the Dajjal

Each entry is drawn from the Quran, authentic hadith (with links to sunnah.com), the classical commentators and the historians. Companions who fought Islam and later became Muslim are not included, nor are figures Muslims disagree about.