Al-Aswad al-Ansi’s Revolt
Al-Aswad al-Ansi was among the most effective of the false prophets of late Islam’s first decade. Unlike the more famous Musaylima, al-Aswad combined genuine oratory with military success — he captured Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, expelled or killed the Muslim governors, and built a substantial following that included real tribal power.
He killed Shahr ibn Badhan, the Muslim governor, and married his widow Azad by force. This detail — the compelled marriage — would prove his undoing: Azad became an insider informant for the conspirators.
The Night Operation
Fayruz al-Daylami led the conspiracy. Azad provided access to al-Aswad’s private quarters. Fayruz entered at night and killed al-Aswad. Al-Aswad’s loud death cry was heard — but when people asked al-Aswad’s guards what the sound was, they claimed it was the prophet in divine ecstasy. This bought enough time for the conspirators to consolidate before morning.
The Prophetic Revelation
Islamic sources report that the dying Prophet received word of al-Aswad’s death through revelation the night before his own death — saying “the liar of Yemen has been killed.” The messenger carrying the physical news arrived in Medina on the day the Prophet died.
This synchronicity — the killing of a false prophet and the death of the true Prophet on the same night — was read as profoundly meaningful by early Islamic historians.
See also: Seerah Al Ala Ibn Al Hadrami, Seerah Zaid Ibn Arqam, Seerah Nuaym Ibn Masud Al Ashjai, Seerah Jabir Ibn Abdallah Al Ansari, Seerah Saad Ibn Muadh