Amr ibn al-As

Amr ibn al-As (born in Mecca; the year is uncertain, with sources giving estimates from roughly 573 to 585 CE) was a Companion (sahabi) of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most effective military commanders of the early Islamic conquests. Born into the wealthy Banu Sahm clan of the Quraysh tribe, he was, before his conversion, a leading Meccan opponent of the new faith; sira (the traditional biographical literature) reports that the Quraysh sent him as an envoy to the Negus (king) of Abyssinia to demand the return of Muslim refugees. He accepted Islam around 629-630 CE.

Amr is best remembered for the conquest of Egypt. Reports hold that he launched the campaign in 639 — traditional sources say with Caliph Umar's reluctant approval, while other accounts hold he acted without authorization — defeating Byzantine forces in a series of engagements that ended with the surrender of Alexandria (641 or 642). He founded the garrison town of Fustat (the nucleus of later Cairo) as the provincial capital, with a congregational mosque still bearing his name.

He governed Egypt until Caliph Uthman dismissed him around 646. During the first civil war (fitna), he allied with Mu'awiya against Caliph Ali, advised at the Battle of Siffin (657), and took part in the subsequent arbitration. In return he was restored to Egypt, which he ruled until his death in 43 AH (663-664 CE). He was buried, by report, near the Muqattam hills east of Fustat, though the exact grave is unidentified. Sunni tradition counts him among the Companions; assessments of his political role, especially during the fitna, have long differed across sectarian lines.