Waraqah ibn Nawfal

Waraqah ibn Nawfal
Died610 CE
Parents
  • Nawfal ibn Asad (father)
  • Hind bint Abi Kathir (mother)
RelativesKhadija bint Khuwaylid (cousin)
FamilyBanu Asad (Quraysh)

Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn Abd-al-Uzza ibn Qusayy Al-Qurashi (Arabic ورقة بن نوفل بن أسد بن عبد العزّى بن قصي القرشي) was a Christian Arabian ascetic who was the paternal first cousin of Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the first wife of Muhammad. Waraqah died shortly after Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation in 610 CE.

Waraqah and Khadija were also cousins of Muhammad: their paternal grandfather Asad ibn Abd-al-Uzza was Muhammad's matrilineal great-great-grandfather. By another reckoning, Waraqah was Muhammad's third cousin: Asad ibn Abd-al-Uzza was a grandson of Muhammad's patrilineal great-great-great-grandfather Qusai ibn Kilab. Waraqah was the son of a man called Nawfal and his consort—Hind, daughter of Abī Kat̲h̲īr. Waraqah was proposed to marry Khadija, but the marriage never took place.

Waraqah is revered in Islamic tradition for being one of the firsts to believe in the prophecy of Muhammad. Other prominent Christians mentioned in Muhammad's biography include Bahira and Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi.