Indexed OCR Text

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The Life of Muhammad %
seated in order to meet the people. He then went to his house in
order to rest.1
This was the last battle in which Rasulullah & personally took
part.
Those who remained behind
When Rasulullah _ left for Tabuk, the sincere and devoted
believers also joined him. A group of hypocrites did not join
him. A few sincere believers also remained behind. They did
not do so out of hypocrisy but because of some excuse or
because of the intense heat and hot winds, they got scared and
therefore remained behind.
Abu Dharr Ghifarī 4% had a camel that was gone weak and thin.
He felt that when this camel eats and drinks and is able to
undertake such a journey, he will depart after a few days. When
he lost hope in his camel recovering, he loaded his goods onto
his back and began walking. In this way, he reached Tabūk all
alone. On seeing him, Rasūlullah % said: "May Allah shower
His mercy on Abu Dharr. He is coming all alone, he will die
alone and he will be raised alone." Eventually, this is what
happened. He passed away all alone at a place called Rabdhah.
There was no one to enshroud and bury him. Coincidentally,
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd
was returning from Kufah. He
enshrouded and buried him.
It is related in Mu 'jam Tabarānī that Abu Khaythamah 4% said:
"Rasūlullah % left for Tabuk and I remained in Madinah. It was
extremely hot. On one afternoon, my family sprinkled water
around the hut and brought me cold water and food. On seeing
all these [comforts] before me, my conscience pricked me and I
thought to myself that this is totally unfair that Rasulullah _ is
1 Sharh al-Mawāhib.

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The Life of Muhammad
in the intense heat and the hot desert winds while I am sitting
here in the shade and enjoying myself in these comforts. I
immediately got up, took some dates, mounted my camel and
left with great speed. When I saw the army before me,
Rasūlullah % recognized me from a distance and said to the
Sahābah that Abū Khaythamah is coming. I presented myself
before Rasulullahand narrated my story to him. He
supplicated in my favour."1
The following three personalities were also among the Muslims
who remained behind: Ka'b ibn Malik 4%, Murarah ibn Rabī'
and Hilal ibn Umayyah 4%.
Imām Bukhārī rahmatullāhi 'alayh narrates the story of Ka'b
ibn Malik 4% as follows: Rasulullah # departed while I was still
making preparations for the journey. I thought to myself that
once I have all my goods ready, I will depart in a day or two
and catch up with Rasūlullah . I delayed in this regard and the
caravan had covered quite a distance. No one remained in
Madinah except some hypocrites and a few persons who were
excused [due to valid reasons]. When I used to look at this, I
would feel saddened. When Rasulullah % returned from Tabuk,
the hypocrites went and offered false excuses to him.
Rasūlullah accepted their excuses outwardly and left the
condition of their hearts to Allah te.
The following is related in Maghazī Ibn 'A'idh from Ka'b ibn
Malik 4%: I made a firm determination that I will never remain
behind from participating in a battle and then speak lies to
Rasulullah. Therefore, when Rasulullah
returned, I
presented myself before him and greeted him. He turned away
from me. I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Why are you turning
away from me? I take an oath by Allah that I am not a
1 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 8, p. 88.

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The Life of Muhammad
hypocrite, I am not in any doubt, nor have I renegaded from
Islam.' He asked: 'Why did you remain behind?' I replied: 'O
Messenger of Allah! If I was sitting before some worldly
leader, I could have made up some story and saved myself from
his anger. However, you are the Messenger of Allah. Even if I
were to lie to you today and make you happy, it is possible that
Allah , will cause you to become angry at me. If I speak the
truth to you, despite earning your anger, I hope that Allah
will forgive me by His grace. The fact of the matter is that I
have no excuse. I am at fault.' Rasūlullah % said: 'This person
has spoken the truth. You may wait until Allah , reveals some
order concerning you.' In like manner Murarah ibn Rabī'
and Hilal ibn Umayyah % went to Rasulullah and admitted
their faults. Rasulullah % ordered that no one should speak to
us three for 50 days. Consequently, everyone stopped speaking
to us. Our friends, relatives and beloved ones all seemed like
strangers to us. My two friends [Murarah and Hilal] remained
in their homes because of weakness and spent their days and
nights crying. On the other hand, I was young. I used to attend
the congregational prayers. Fifty days passed in these difficult
and trying circumstances. This continued to such an extent that
this earth seemed constricted before us. My greatest worry was
that if I were to pass away during this period, Rasūlullah % and
the Muslims would not even offer the janazah salah for me.
After 50 days, I heard this announcement from Mt. Sila': 'O
Ka'b! Take glad tidings.'
'No sooner I heard this announcement, I fell into prostration
and realized that the difficulty has now been removed.
Rasūlullah had announced that our repentance had been
accepted. People came from all directions in order to
congratulate me and my two friends.' The narration of Ibn
Ishaq states: 'The people were saying to me: 'May Allah's
acceptance of your repentance be blessed.' When the person
who gave the glad tidings came to me, I immediately removed

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my garment and gave it to him. I then presented myself before
Rasūlullah . He was sitting in the musjid. The moment I
stepped into the musjid, Talhah ibn 'Ubaydillah came running
towards me, embraced me and congratulated me. No one else
stood up. By Allah, I will never forget this act of Talhah.
Rasūlullah's face was beaming like the full moon. I greeted
him and he said:
أبشر بخير يوم مر عليك منذ ولدتك أمك
"Take glad tidings with the best day that you experienced ever
since your mother gave birth to you."
Without doubt, the day on which Ka'b ibn Malik 4% embraced
Islam was the best day in his life. However, this day was even
better because it was on this day that Allah accepted his
repentance. It was this acceptance that put a seal on his īman
and his sincerity forever. The following verses were revealed:
لَقَدْ تَّابَ اللهُ عَلَى النَِّيِّ وَالْمُهجِرِيْنَ وَالأَنْصَارِ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْهُ فِيْ سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا
كَادَ يَزِيْعُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيْقٍ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ ﴿ إِنَّهُ بِمْ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ. وَعَلَى الثَّلْئَةِ الَّذِيْنَ
خُلِّفُوْا ﴿ حَتَّى إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَظُنُؤْآ أَنْ لأَّ
مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللهِ إِلاَّ إِلَيْهِ ط ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُؤْبُوْا ﴿ إِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيْمُ. يأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ
أمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَكُؤْنُوْا مَعَ الصّدِقِيْنَ.
"Allah turned in kindness to the Prophet, and the Emigrants and
the Helpers who stood by the Prophet in the hour of distress,
after the hearts of a group of them were on the point of turning.
He then turned again in kindness to them. Surely He is kind and
merciful to them. And [He turned in kindness] to those three
persons who were kept behind until the land became
constricted upon them, despite its vastness, and their own lives
became constricted upon them and they realized that there was
no refuge from Allah except towards Him. He then turned in

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kindness to them so that they may return. Surely Allah alone is
kind, merciful. O believers! Continually fear Allah and remain
with the truthful." (Sūrah at-Taubah, verses 117-119)
I said to Rasūlullah : 'O Messenger of Allah! I intend giving
all my wealth in charity in appreciation for the acceptance of
my repentance.' He said: 'Don't give all, keep some for
yourself.' I kept the share which I received from Khaybar and
gave the rest in charity. I said to Rasūlullah : 'O Messenger of
Allah! It is solely because of my honesty that Allah % saved
me. In order to perfect my repentance, I will speak nothing but
the truth for as long as I live."">1
Abu Bakr % is appointed amir of hajj
In Dhul Qa'dah 9 A.H. Rasulullah appointed Abu Bakr 4% as
the amir of the hajj and sent him to Makkah. Three hundred
people accompanied him from Madinah. He sent 20 camels for
sacrifice (qurbanī) with him. The purpose of sending him was
so that he could teach the people the method of performing hajj.
Furthermore, he should announce the 40 verses of Sūrah at-
Taubah which were with regard to those who broke their
covenant. These verses announced that after this year, the
polytheists should not come near the Sacred Musjid. They
should not circuit the Ka'bah naked. The covenant that
Rasūlullah made with any group will be fulfilled. As for
those with whom no covenant was made, they will be given a
respite of four months from the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.
After Abu Bakr
departed, Rasulullah felt that these
announcements concerning the maintaining and severing of the
covenants should be made by someone who was from his
family. The reason for this was that the Arabs only accept the
statement of those who are family to the person who made the
1 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 8, p. 86.

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The Life of Muhammad %
covenant. It is for this reason that Rasulullah summoned 'Alī
, gave him his camel, 'Adba', and sent him off towards Abū
Bakr 4% instructing him to announce the verses of Sūrah at-
Taubah in the hajj season. From some Traditions it seems that
the verses of Sūrah at-Taubah were revealed after Abu Bakr's
departure. Therefore, Rasūlullah % sent 'Alī % later on in
order to announce these verses.
When Abu Bakr 4% heard the sounds of the camel, he thought
that Rasulullah % had personally come. He stopped and waited.
He then saw 'Alī 4% approaching. He asked him: "Have you
come as an amir or as my follower?" 'Alī 4% replied: "I have
come as your follower. I have merely come to announce the
verses of Sūrah at-Taubah." Abu Bakr 4% therefore conducted
the rites of hajj and also delivered the hajj sermon. 'Alī 4%
merely announced the verses of Surah at-Taubah on the 10th of
Dhul Hijjah at Mina, near the Jamaratul 'Aqabah. Abu Bakr
appointed a few people to help 'Alī 4% so that they could take
turns in making this announcement.
Consequently, these announcements were made. The people
were informed that no unbeliever will be permitted to enter the
Sacred Musjid. No polytheist will be permitted to perform the
hajj the following year. No one will be permitted to circuit the
Ka'bah naked. The covenant that Rasūlullah * made with
anyone will be fulfilled according to the time that was agreed
upon. Those with whom no covenant was made or no time was
specified, will be given a respite of four months. If he does not
embrace Islam within the four months, he will be killed
wherever he is found.
It is stated in one Hadith that when 'Alī 4% caught up with Abū
Bakr 4% at Dhul Hulayfah and informed him that Rasūlullah
sent him to announce the verses of Sūrah at-Taubah, he thought
that some order concerning him was revealed to Rasūlullah .
.
He therefore returned immediately to Madinah and asked

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The Life of Muhammad %
Rasūlullah about this. Rasulullah # replied: "No. You were
my companion in the cave [of Mt. Thaur] and you will be my
companion at the fount of Kauthar [on the day of resurrection].
However, the announcement of the verses cannot be made by
anyone except me or someone from my family. It is for this
reason that I sent 'Alī."1
Various incidents that took place in 9 A. H.
1. In the month of Dhul Qa'dah, the leader of the hypocrites,
'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul passed away. The following
verse was revealed concerning him:
وَلاَ تُصَلِّ عَلى أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلاَ تَقُمْ عَلى قَبْرِهِ ﴿ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوْا بِاللهِ وَرَسُوْلِهِ وَمَاتُؤْا
وَهُمْ فِقُوْنَ.
"Never offer salah over any of them who has died, nor stand
over his grave. They rejected Allah and His Messenger, and
died while they were disobedient." (Sūrah at-Taubah, verse 84)
Note: It is prohibited to attend the funeral of an unbeliever and
to stand at his graveside. This is irrespective of whether the
deceased is a Hindu or a Christian. This not withstanding the
fact that the unbelief of an idol worshipper is more severe than
the unbelief of a Christian or Jew.
2. Najāshī, the king of Abysinnia passed away in this year.
Rasulullah received news of his death on the very day that he
passed away via divine revelation. Rasūlullah * gathered the
Sahābah and performed his janazah salah in abstentia.
3. The injunction concerning the prohibition of usury [interest]
was revealed in this year. Rasulullah made a general
announcement of its prohibition one year later on the occasion
of the Farewell Pilgrimage.
1 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 8, p. 65.

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The Life of Muhammad
4. The injunction concerning li 'an was revealed in this year.
Details in this regard are mentioned in Sūrah an-Nūr.
5. The verse concerning jizyah for those who did not embrace
Islam but wished to live under the protection of the Islamic
state was revealed in this year. Allah % says:
قَاتِلُوا الَّذِيْنَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللهِ وَلاَ بِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلاَ يُحُرِّمُوْنَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ وَلاَ يَدِيْنُوْنَ
دِيْنَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِيْنَ أُوْتُوا الْكِتِبَ حَتّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَّدٍ وَّهُمْ صِغِرُوْنَ.
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the last day,
and do not consider forbidden that which Allah and His
Messenger have forbidden, and who do not embrace the true
religion from amongst those who are the people of the Book
until they pay the jizyah [exemption tax] by their own hands
while being subdued." (Sūrah at-Taubah, verse 29)
The word jizyah is derived from jaza' which means
"retribution". In other words, this is the retribution for unbelief.
It is taken as a form of humiliation and disgrace from a free,
mature, male who is in his senses. The purpose of jizyah is to
break the power and might of unbelief and that it submits
before the superiority of Islam and its rulers. Such people are
known as dhimmīs. This word is derived from dhimmah which
means responsibility. In other words, their lives, their wealth,
their honour and their rights are the responsibility of Allah de,
His Messenger % and the Muslims. However, it should be fully
understood that this order of taking jizyah from them is not in
return for the defence and protection of their lives. In other
words, the reason for the jizyah is not because a dhimmī cannot
defend himself and that we are protecting him from the enemy.
This is because even their wives, children, old, priests and
rabbis are protected despite not jizyah being imposed on them.
Jizyah is only taken from those who were eligible to be killed.
The jurists therefore state that the jizyah is in exchange for
death. It is only taken from free, mature, males who are in their

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senses and are therefore eligible to be killed. As for those with
whom a covenant is made so that the self-determination of both
sides is taken into consideration, then such people are known as
mu 'āhid in the Shari' ah.
The 10th year A.H. - the year of delegations
The largest tribe among the Arabs was that of the Quraysh. It's
leadership was an accepted fact. No one denied the fact that the
Quraysh was from the progeny of Ismail . It was well
known for its intelligence, insight, generosity and bravery. It
was the custodian of the Sacred Musjid. However, the members
of this tribe were bent at their opposition and enmity to Islam.
The other Arab tribes were watching the Quraysh to see what
they do with regard to Rasulullah %. The youngsters from the
Quraysh had embraced Islam from the beginning and were
continuing to do so. However, the seniors were still left. When
Makkah was conquered and the seniors also began embracing
Islam, the other Arabs tribes concluded that Islam was the true
religion and that it would certainly spread throughout the
world. No power would succeed in going against it. Therefore,
no sooner Makkah was conquered, delegations from all
directions began coming. Representatives and delegates from
all the tribes began presenting themselves before Rasūlullah .
Once they learnt the facts about Islam, they would embrace
Islam and promise to make the rest of their people Muslim as
well. Allah % says:
إِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ اللهِ وَالْفَتْحُ وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُوْنَ فِيْ دِيْنِ اللهِ أَفْوَاجًا فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ
وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا.
"When the help of Allah and victory comes, and you see the
people entering the religion of Allah in groups, then glorify the
praises of your Sustainer and seek His forgiveness. Surely He
accepts repentance." (Sūrah an-Nasr)

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The Life of Muhammad #
Delegations had already started towards the end of 8 A.H.
However, there was more continuity between 8 A.H. and 10
A.H. in this regard. These two years are therefore known as the
years of delegations. Scholars such as Ibn Sa'd, Dimyātī,
Mughlatā'ī and 'Iraqī say that they were over 60 delegations.
-
However, 'Allamah Qastalanī enumerates 35 delegations.
1. The delegation of Hawazin
This was the first delegation that came to Rasulullah % after the
conquest of Makkah. When Rasulullah was at Ji'irranah, a
delegation of 14 people came in order to obtain the release of
their wealth and prisoners. Details in this regard were given
under the battle of Hunayn. Rasulullah's * foster uncle was
also in this delegation. Halimah Sa'dīyyah radiyallāhu 'anhā
was from this tribe. Zuhayr ibn Surw Sa'dī was the head of this
delegation. He stood up saying: "O Messenger of Allah! Your
foster aunts are also among the prisoners. Those who brought
you up are also there. They are the ones who used to hold you
to their bosoms [when you were a baby]. Had we breast-fed
Harith Ghassanī and Nu'man ibn Mundhir, we would have
certainly hoped for some help from them during such times of
difficulty. While you are the best one whom we took care of.
He then said the following lines:
امنن علينا رسول الله في كرم - فإنك المرء نرجوه وننتظر
امنن على بيضة قد عاقها قدر - ممزق شملها في دهرها غير
يا خير طفل ومولود ومنتخب - في العالمين إذا ما حصل البشر
إن لم تداركهم نعماء تنشرها - يا أرجح الناس حلما حين تختبر
1 Zurqānî, vol. 4, p. 2.

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The Life of Muhammad #
امنن على نسوة قد كنت ترضعها - إذ فوك تملؤه من محضها الدر
لا تجعلنا كمن شالت نعامته - واستبق منا فإنا معشر زهر
إنا لنشكر للنعمآء إذ كفرت - وعند بعد هذا اليوم مدخر
فالبس العفو من قد كنت ترضعه - من أمهاتك إن العفو مشتهر
يا خير من مرحت کمت الجياد به - عند الهياج إذا ما استوقدا الشرر
إنا نؤمل عفوا من تلبسه - هذه البزية إذا تعفوا وتنتصر
فاغفر عفا الله عما أنت راهبه - يوم القيامة إذ يهدى لك الظفر
"O Messenger of Allah! Be kind to us by virtue of your grace
and mercy. Surely you are a person from whom we hope and
await mercy. Be kind to the tribe whose needs have been
curtailed by destiny. Its organization has become disorganized
by the changes in time. O the best child that was born and
chosen in the world when mankind was given all this. If your
bounty and kindness does not see to them, they will be
destroyed. O you whose scale of forbearance is the heaviest,
and whose forbearance is clearly apparent at the time of tests
and tribulations! Show kindness to us. Be kind to those women
whose milk you used to drink. Whose pure and flowing milk
you used to fill your mouth with. Do not make us like those
people whose feet slipped. Let your kindness and generosity
remain with us forever. We are a noble people who do not
forget anyone's kindness. We are grateful for favours that are
done to us, when others show ingratitude. And after this day,
we will always have occasion to show gratitude. Cover those
mothers who breast fed you with your pardon. Surely your
pardon is well known. O you, on account of whose horse, other
lazy horses come to life and vigour when the fires of war are
ignited. We hope for such pardon from you that it completely

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engulfs all of them when you pardon and take recompense.
Therefore forgive us. May Allah protect you from the fears of
the day of resurrection and bestow you with success."1
Rasūlullah's _ reply
Rasūlullah said: "I waited for quite some time for you. When
you did not come, I distributed all the booty and prisoners
among the soldiers. You can do one of two things: take your
wealth and possessions, or pay the ransom for your family
members." The delegates replied that they are more attached to
their families. Rasūlullah % said: "The share that has come to
me and my family, the Banū 'Abd al-Muttalib, I will give to
you. As for the share that went to the rest of the Muslims, I will
intercede on your behalf." Rasulullah % spoke to the rest of the
Muslims and they all happily freed the prisoners. A few people
delayed in this matter so Rasulullah % paid the ransom. In this
way, the delegation returned with 6000 of its wives and
children. Details in this regard were given under the battle of
Hunayn. We have therefore given the gist thereof over here.
2. The delegation of Thagif
In Ramadan 9 A.H. the delegation of Thaqif came to Rasūlullah
in order to embrace Islam and to pledge allegiance at his
hands. This was the very Thaqif that caused Rasūlullah _ and
the Sahabah & to bear severe difficulties during the siege of
Ta'if. The Muslims had to return without conquering the fort of
Tā'if.
When Rasūlullah abandoned the siege of Ta'if and was
returning from there, someone said to him: "O Messenger of
Allah! Curse them because their arrows repulsed us."
1 Some narrations have additional lines. Refer to ar-Raud al-Anif, vol. 2, p.
306, 'Uyûn al-Athar, vol. 2, p. 196, and Zurqānî, vol. 4, p. 3.

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The Life of Muhammad %
Rasūlullah % replied: "O Allah! Guide the Thaqif and bring
them to me as Muslims." (Tirmidhi)
Rasūlullah's supplication was accepted. When Rasūlullah
was returning from Tabuk eight months after the martyrdom of
'Urwah ibn Mas'ud Thaqafi. The Thaqif came to Madinah,
embraced Islam and pledged allegiance to Rasūlullah . This
delegation comprised six people under the leadership of 'Abd
Yalil. It was either rebellion or extreme enthusiasm that they
voluntarily came to Rasūlullah % in order to enter the circle of
Islam. The Muslims were therefore extremely happy with their
arrival. Mughīrah ibn Shu'bah % was the first to see them
approaching. When he saw them, he hastened to give
Rasūlullah the good news. Abu Bakr 4% met him on the way
and when he learnt why he was so happy, he asked him
permission to go and inform Rasūlullah % himself. Mughīrah
permitted him. Abu Bakr % went to Rasulullah % and gave
him the glad tidings. Rasūlullah % pitched a special tent in the
Musjid-e-Nabawī for their stay in Madinah. He did this so that
they may hear the recitation of the Qur'an and see how salah is
offered. Khalid ibn Sa'īd ibn al-'As 4% was made responsible to
see to their needs. These people would never eat the food that
he presented to them unless he ate thereof first. If they had
anything to say to Rasulullah , they would convey it to him
via Khalid.
They sent the following conditions to Rasulullah :
1. They should be absolved from offering salah.
2. Lāt (which was their senior idol) should not be broken
down for three years because their women and children
are greatly attached to it.
3. The idol should not be broken by their own hands.
Rasūlullah ¿ rejected the first two conditions totally and said to
them: "There is no good in that religion which has no salah."

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The Life of Muhammad
Rasūlullah % accepted the third condition. They all embraced
Islam and returned to their homeland.
'Uthman ibn Abī al-'As was the youngest person in this
delegation. He was appointed as their leader. He had the most
desire to acquire knowledge of the Qur'an and Islamic
injunctions. Acting on the advice of Abu Bakr 4%, Rasulullah
appointed him as the amir. Rasulullah % also sent Abu Sufyan
ibn Harb and Mughirah ibn Shu'bah with him in order to
destroy the idol, Lat. For some reason or the other, Abu Sufyan
lagged behind. Mughirah went and struck this idol. The
womenfolk of the Thaqif came out bare-headed and barefoot in
order to watch this scene. Mughirah broke the idol down and
took all the treasures, jewellery, etc. that were in the temple. He
first paid off the debts of Abu Fulayh and Qarib ibn al-Aswad
who was the son and nephew of 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud Thaqafi.
The remaining wealth was presented to Rasūlullah * who
immediately distributed it amongst the Muslims. Rasūlullah
thanked Allah % for helping His religion and giving honour to
His Messenger . When the people of Ta'if embraced Islam
after the martyrdom of 'Urwah ibn Mas'ūd, Abu Fulayh and
Qarib ibn al-Aswad came to Rasulullah % before the delegation
of Thaqif could come to him. They both embraced Islam and
said: "O Messenger of Allah! Our father's, i.e. 'Urwah and al-
Aswad, debts should be paid off from the treasures that are
housed in the temple of Lat." 'Urwah and al-Aswad were blood
brothers. 'Urwah had embraced Islam and was martyred, as
mentioned previously. Abū Fulayh was the son of 'Urwah. Al-
Aswad passed away as an unbeliever. Qarib was his son. Both
of them asked for the payment of their fathers debts. Rasūlullah
said: "al-Aswad passed away as an unbeliever." Qarib said:
"O Messenger of Allah! He certainly passed away as an
unbeliever. However, it is my responsibility to pay off his
debts." Rasūlullah said to Abu Sufyan: "Whatever treasures

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you obtain from the temple of Lat should first be used to pay
off the debts of Abu Fulayh and Qarib."1
3. The delegation of Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah
After the return from Tabuk, the Banū 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah came
to Rasūlullah . 'Amir ibn Tufayl and Arbad ibn Qays were
also in this delegation. In the course of their discussions, they
addressed Rasūlullah % thus: "You are our master." Rasūlullah
replied: "Say what is in your heart and do not let Satan mock
at you. It is only Allah who is the master." They pretended to
praise Rasūlullah outwardly, while 'Amir had secretly told
Arbad that while he was engaging Rasulullah * in a
conversation, he must unsheath his sword and kill Rasūlullah
'Amir started talking with Resulullah . He said: "O
Muhammad! Make me your sincere friend." He replied: "Never
- as long as you do not believe in one Allah." He asked: "What
will you give me if I embrace Islam?" Rasūlullah % said:
"Once you embrace Islam, you will enjoy the same rights and
shoulder the same responsibilities as other Muslims." 'Āmir
said: "Give me power and authority after you." Rasūlullah
said: "Never." He said: "Okay, you may rule over the people of
the rural areas while I will rule over the towns and cities. If not,
I will bring the Ghatfan tribe and attack you. I will fill Madinah
with the infantry and the cavalry." Rasūlullah % said: "Allah
will not give you such power." The conversation ended and
when both stood up, Rasulullah made the following
supplication: "O Allah! Protect me from the mischief of 'Amir
ibn Tufayl and guide his people." When he went outside, 'Amir
said to Arbad: "How sad. I waited for you but you did not even
attack." Arbad replied: "Whenever I unsheathed my sword, I
saw something or the other as a barrier before me. Once I saw a
1 Zurqānî, vol. 4, pp. 6-9.

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wall made of iron, then I saw a camel that wanted to swallow
my head."
When this delegation left Rasūlullah , 'Amir was destroyed
by a plague. Since the Arabs consider it a shame to die on a
bed, he asked the people to seat him on a horse. He got onto a
horse and took a spear in his hand. He then said: "O angel of
death, come before me." While saying this, he fell from the
horse and he was buried at that very place. When the delegation
reached the place of Banu 'Amir, the people asked Arbad about
the journey. He said: "His religion is worthless. By Allah, if he
[Muhammad ] was in front of me now, I would have killed
him with arrows." Within two days he mounted a camel and
left. Lightning immediately struck him and he was conveyed to
hell. Both, 'Amir and Arbad were deprived of Islam while most
of the remainder of their tribe embraced Islam.1
4. The delegation of 'Abd al-Qays
This was a very large tribe. They lived in Bahrain. A delegation
from the tribe came to Rasulullah # on two occasions. The first
delegation came before the conquest of Makkah - in 5 A.H. or
even before that. There were 13-14 delegates in that delegation.
When they came, Rasulullah % said to them: "Welcome to you.
You will neither be disgraced nor will you have cause to
remorse."
The delegation said: "O Messenger of Allah! The polytheists
from the Mudar tribe are an obstacle between us and you. We
can only come to you in the sacred months in which the Arabs
consider it prohibited to loot and kill. Therefore, teach us
something that is so comprehensive and short, that if we do it,
we will enter into paradise and to which we could also invite
the rest of our tribe." Rasulullah & said: "Believe in Allah and
1 Zād al-Ma 'ād, vol. 3, p. 29.

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testify that He is one, He has no partners. Establish the salah
and give the zakah. Give one fifth of the booty in the cause of
Allah. And do not soak dates in four types of containers:
dubbā', naqīr, hantam and muzaffat."
The above is the Tradition of Sahih Bukhari. The Tradition of
Imam Ahmad and Abū Da'ūd states that when this delegation
came to Madinah, these people jumped from their camels out of
their extreme desire to see Rasulullah . They presented
themselves before him and kissed his hand. Ashajj 'Abd al-
Qays Mubhamī, whose name was Mundhir, was also in this
delegation. He was the youngest person in this delegation. He
first seated all the camels and placed the goods of all on one
side. He then removed two clean pieces of white cloth from his
trunk. He wore these and presented himself before Rasūlullah
. He shook hands with Rasulullah # and kissed his hand.
Rasūlullah % said to him: "You have two qualities in you
which are liked by Allah and His Messenger . One is
forbearance and the other is dignity." Ashajj said: "O
Messenger of Allah! Are these two qualities found naturally in
me or did I go to pains in adopting them?" Rasūlullah
replied: "Allah ( created you like this from birth." On hearing
this, he said: "All praise is due to Allah who created me with
two qualities which Allah , and His Messenger _ love."
The above was concerning the first time this delegation came.
It came again in 8 or 9 A.H. On this occasion, there were 40
delegates. The Tradition of Sahih Ibn Hibban states that
Rasulullah said to them: "How is it that I see your
complexions have changed?"1
1 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 8, p. 67. Zurqānî, vol. 4, p. 13.

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5. The delegation of Banu Hanifah - 9 A.H.
This delegation came to Rasulullah _ in 9 A.H. The notorious
Musaylamah Kadhdhab was also in this delegation. However,
due to his pride and haughtiness, he did not meet Rasūlullah
g.1 Rasūlullah himself went to him with Thabit ibn Qays ibn
Shammās. He said to Rasūlullah : "If you give me caliphate
and make me your deputy after you, I am prepared to pledge
allegiance to you." Rasulullah % had a branch of the date tree
in his hand at that time. He therefore said to him: "Even if you
ask me for this branch, I will not give it to you. You will never
be able to turn away from what Allah destined for you. It is
probably you who I have been shown in my dream. Here is
Thabit ibn Qays. He will reply to you." On saying this,
Rasūlullah % returned from there.
Ibn 'Abbas 4% says: "I asked Abu Hurayrah 45 as to what dream
Rasūlullah was shown." He replied: "Rasūlullah said: 'I
saw a dream that two gold banklets were placed in my hands. I
became scared at seeing them. In my very dream I was asked to
blow onto them. On blowing them, they flew away." The
interpretation of this is that there will be two imposters
[claiming prophet-hood]. One of them was Musaylamah and
the other was Aswad 'Ansi.2 The latter was killed during
Rasūlullah's % life while Musaylamah was killed during the
caliphate of Abu Bakr 4%. And so, "the power of those who
wronged themselves was severed. And all praise is due to
Allah, the Sustainer of the worlds."
1 When Musaylamah returned from here, he claimed prophet-hood and said
that Rasûlullah % had made him his partner. (Ibn Hisham)
2 When he claimed prophet-hood, Rasûlullah # sent Firoz Daylamî 4% with a
few horsemen to kill him. Rasûlullah % received news of his death while he
was on his death-bed.

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In 10 A.H. Musaylamah wrote the following letter to
Rasūlullah :
من مسيلمة رسول الله إلى محمد رسول الله أما بعد فإني قد أشركت معك في الأمر وإن
لنا نصف الأرض ولقريش نصفها ولكن قريشا لا ينصفون.
"From Musaylamah, the messenger of Allah, to Muhammad the
Messenger of Allah. I have been made a partner in the religion.
Half the land will be for us and the other half for the Quraysh.
However, the Quraysh are not just. Was salam."
Rasūlullah % sent the following reply:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. من محمد رسول الله إلى مسيلمة الكذاب. أما بعد فالسلام على
من اتبع الهدى. فإن الأرض لله يورثها من يشاء من عباده والعاقبة للمتقين.
"In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. From
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Musaylamah, the
imposter. Peace be on he who follows guidance. The land
belongs to Allāh. He gives it in inheritance to whomever He
wills from His servants. The good outcome is for those who
fear [Allah]."
This incident took place on Rasulullah's return from the
Farewell Pilgrimage.1
6. The delegation of Tayy
The delegation from the Tayy tribe comprised 15 delegates.
Their leader was Zayd al-Khayl. Rasulullah % presented Islam
to them and they all readily and gladly accepted. Rasūlullah
changed the leader's name to Zayd al-Khayr and said to him:
"Of all the Arabs whose praises I heard, I found them to be less
1 Ibn Athîr, vol. 2, p. 145.

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than the praises that were showered on them. However, you are
an exception to this."1
7. The delegation of Kindah
Kindah is the name of a tribe from Yemen. A delegation of 80
came to Rasūlullah % in 10 A.H. Their leader was Ash'ath ibn
Qays. When they came to Rasulullah , they were wearing
gowns that were bordered with silk. Rasulullah ¿ asked them:
"Are you not Muslims?" They replied: "Why not? We are
certainly Muslims." Rasūlullah ¿ asked: "Then what is this silk
around your necks?" They immediately took off these garments
and threw them away.
Note: If the border is narrow, i.e. less than the width of four
fingers, it is permissible to wear. It is established that
Rasūlullah , Abu Bakr % and 'Umar % wore this. It is most
probable that what these people were wearing was more than
this width. Therefore, Rasulullah % stopped them from wearing
it.
8. The delegation of Ash'arīyyîn
The Ash'arīyyin was a very noble and large tribe from Yemen
which was attributed to its forefather, Ash'ar. The reason why
he was given this name was that when he was born he had a lot
of hair on his body. The word Ash'ar means having a lot of
hair. Abū Mūsā Ash'arī 4% was from this tribe. When this
delegation departed from Yemen, they sang this line with much
enthusiasm:
غدا نلقى الأحبه - محمدا وحزبه
"Tomorrow we will meet with our beloved ones - Muhammad
and his group of followers."
1 'Uyûn al-Athar, vol. 2, p. 236.