CHAPTER 3: THOSE OF HIGH SOCIAL STATUS – PART 3
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was happy when a nobleman accepted Islam:
The story of `Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl accepting Islam:
Ibn Shihaab Az-Zuhri (a scholar) said: “Umm Hakim bint Al-Haarith ibn Hishaam was married to `Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl. She accepted Islam on the day that Makkah was conquered, and her husband, `Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl, ran from Islam until he reached Yemen. Umm Hakeem left and approached Yemen,until she found him and called him to Islam, and he accepted Islam. He then went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, during the same year that Makkah was conquered, and when the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saw him, he leaped towards him out of joy, and he was not wearing a cloak. He then accepted his pledge of allegiance.” (Reported by Malik in his book Al-Muwatta’ (1156) and `Abdur-Razzaaq in his book Al-Musannaf (12646).)
Al-Baaji (a scholar) said: “His statement, ‘when the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saw him, he leaped towards him out of joy, and he was not wearing a cloak,’ that is because of the keenness of the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on people entering Islam, especially those who are elders and noblemen among the people, such as `Ikrimah with his people, for he was one of the heads and elders of Banu Makhzoom.” (Al-Muntaqaa Sharh Al-Muwatta (3/346).)
The story of `Adiyy ibn Haatim At-Taa’i accepting Islam:
`Adiyy became the chief of the tribe of Tay’ after the death of his father. `Adiyy ibn Haatim said:
“When I heard about him [Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] there was no Arab man who had more hatred to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, than I had. I had social status; I was a Christian who used to collect one fourth of the war booty my people acquired [in war]. To me, I had a religion and also enjoyed the status of a king with my people due to their holding me in high esteem. When I heard about the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, I therefore hated him.
I said to an Arab slave boy I had, who was a caretaker of my camels, ‘May you lose your father! Prepare for me obedient, fat camels and keep them close by me. If and when you hear of Muhammad’s army reaching this area, let me know.’ He did what I asked him to do. Early one day, he came and said: ‘O `Adiyy! Whatever you planned to do if and when the horsemen of Muhammad reached you, then do it now. I have seen flags and asked about whom they belong to and was told that these are the armies of Muhammad.’ I said: ‘Bring my camels closer to me,’ and he did. I transported my wife and children on them saying: ‘I will join the people who are on my religion, the Christians of the Levant.’ I abandoned a daughter of Haatim (meaning his own sister) behind me.
When I arrived in the area of the Levant, I resided there. Meanwhile, the horsemen of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, attacked our area and took captives, among those who were captured, was the daughter of Haatim. She was brought to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, among those from Tay` who were captured. The daughter of Haatim was kept in a shed made of trees outside the gate of the mosque where female captives were kept. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was told about my fleeing to the Levant area. Later, he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed by her and she stood up and said: as she was an eloquent woman, ‘O Messenger of Allah! The father has died, the caretaker is absent, and I am an old woman and cannot serve anyone. So, bestow a favour on me, may Allah bestow His favour on you.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Who is your caretaker?’ She said: ‘`Adiyy ibn Haatim.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Who fled from Allah and His Messenger?’ She said: ‘So he went away and left me. Early the next day, he passed by me again and I said to him what I said the day before, and he repeated what he said to me the day before.
The next day, he again passed by me at a time when I lost hope that he would accept my plea. A man behind me advised me to talk to him again, and I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! The father has died, the caretaker is absent, so bestow a favour on me, may Allah bestow His favour on you.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘I will do that, but do not leave in haste until you find a group of your people whom you trust who would accompany you to your land; let me know when that happens.’ When I inquired about the man who advised me to talk to him, I was told that he was Ali ibn Abu Taalib. I stayed in Madinah until a group from (the tribe of) Qudhaa`ah came, and I went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, a group from my people has arrived, and they are trustworthy and dependable.’ She then said: ‘The Messenger of Allah gave me garments as a gift, an animal to ride on, and some money for the trip. I departed with them until I reached the Levant area.’
`Adiyy continued: ‘By Allah, I was sitting with my family when I saw a female rider headed towards me, trying to reach us. I said: ‘Be the daughter of Haatim,’ and she was. When she reached us, she started admonishing me, ‘The one who cut blood relations, the unjust! You saved your wife and children and left behind the last among the offspring of your father, your own honor!’ I said: ‘My sister, only say what is good. By Allah, I have no excuse, for I have done what you said.’ She dismounted from her animal and stayed with me. I said to her, ‘My sister,’ and she was a wise woman, ‘What do you think about the matter of this man [Prophet Muhammad]?’ She said [as she was concealing her Islam], ‘I think you should rush to join him. If he is a Prophet then those who are foremost to accept him will have a special status. If he is a king, you will never be humiliated while Yemen is mighty, especially since you are who you are [in status and social standing].’ I said: ‘By Allah, this is sound advice.’
I left [ Levant] heading towards the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in Madinah. I entered on him when he was in the mosque and greeted him. The people said: ‘This is `Adiyy ibn Haatim.’ I went there without a truce or a promise of safety. When I reached him he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, took my hand, and he had said before that he hoped that Allah will place my hand in his hand, then, the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stood up and took me to his house. While he was taking me there, an old weak woman met him, asked him to talk to her, and he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stood with her for a long time while she was explaining her need to him. I said to myself, ‘I swear by Allah, this is not (a behaviour of) a king.’
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then took me to his house, picked a cushion made of wool and stuffed with leaves, and gave it to me saying: ‘Sit on this.’ I said: ‘Rather, you sit on it.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘No, you sit on it,’ and he sat on the bare floor. I said to myself, ‘By Allah, this is not a king.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said to me: ‘O `Adiyy ibn Haatim, embrace Islam and you will acquire safety.’ I said: ‘I am following a religion.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, again said: ‘O `Adiyy ibn Haatim, embrace Islam and you will acquire safety.’ I said: ‘I am following a religion.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘I am more knowledgeable about your religion than you are.’ I said: ‘You are more knowledgeable about my religion than I am?’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Yes.’ Then he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘O `Adiyy ibn Haatim, are you not a follower of Ar-Rakusiyyah [a Christian sect that mixed Christianity with fire worship]?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘[When you fought alongside your tribe,] did you not take a fourth of the war-booty from your people?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘That is not allowed for you in your religion.’ I said: ‘By Allah, it is true what you said.’ I knew then that he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a sent Prophet who knows what others do not know.
While I was with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a man came to him complaining of poverty, then another man complaining of lack of safety on the pathways. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘O `Adiyy, perhaps what prevents you from embracing this religion is what you witness of their destitution. By Allah, soon wealth will increase for them that no one would take charity [because no one will suffer from poverty]. Perhaps what prevents you from embracing it is that their enemies are numerous and their numbers are lacking. By Allah, soon a woman would leave Qaadisiyyah [a place in Iraq] while riding her camel until she visits the House [the Ka’bah in Makkah] without fear.’ I said to myself, ‘Where are the wicked men of Tay`, who filled the earth with mischief, will be then?’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Maybe what prevents you from embracing it is that you see kingship and might with others. By Allah, you will soon hear that the white palaces of Babylon have been opened for them.’ I embraced Islam and noticed jubilation on his face (or, ‘I saw happiness radiate on his face,’ according to another narration).
I witnessed women traveling from Heerah (in Iraq) until they go around the Ka`bah fearing none but Allah (since Islam brought safety to all these areas). I was among those who conquered the treasures of Kisra ibn Hurmuz (King of Persia). If you live longer, you will certainly witness what the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said. By Allah, the third prophecy will come to pass, wealth will be so abundant and widespread that no one will take charity from it.” (As-Seerah An-Nabawiyyah (2/580) by Ibn Hishaam. Ibn Katheer (a scholar) said: “This is how Ibn Is-Haaq related the story, without a chain of narration. However, this story has other witnessing narrations that strengthen it, that are narration through other ways.” At-Tabaraani (a scholar) reported it in his book Al-Mu`jam Al-Awsat (6/359) with a chain of narration. A part of this story is located in the book of Ahmad named Musnad (19400).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, showed them respect, appreciation, concern, and hospitality:
Al-Miswar ibn Makhramah (a Companion) reported that his father, Makhramah said to him, “O son, I have been informed that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has received some cloaks and is giving them away, so let us go to him.’
So they went and found the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in his home, and his father said: “O son, call the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for me,” but I considered that an enormity and said: “Should I call the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for you!” He said: “O my son, he is not a tyrant.” So I called him, and he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came out of his home, and he came out wearing a cloak made of silk and embroidered with gold, and said: “O Makhramah, we hid this one for you,” and gave him the cloak. (Reported by Al-Bukhari (3865) and Muslim (1058).)
Ibn Hajar (a scholar) said: “This occurred before the prohibition of silk for men, and it is possible that he wore it on his shoulders so that he could show it to Makhramah, and did not mean to wear it.” (Fat-h Al-Baari (10/270).)
When the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Makhramah: “I had kept this for you,” it was to console his heart. (The explanation of An-Nawawi on the book of Muslim (7/148).)
Ibn Battaal (a scholar) said: “Kindness in general is one of the qualities of the believer, and it entails being gentle with people in action and speech, as well as avoiding harshness with them when speaking. This is one of the best ways of forming closeness and harmony and doing away with hatred and ill feelings.”(The explanation of Ibn Battaal on the book of Al-Bukhari (9/305).)
Ibn Hajar said: “The narration contains the Prophet’s, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, humbleness and kindness with his Companions.” (Fat-h Al-Baari (10/315).)
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would listen to what they had to say:
Muhammad ibn Ka`b Al-Qurathi (a Companion) said:
“I was told that `Utbah ibn Rabee`ah, a chief among his people, was sitting one day in the area that the Quraysh gathered in, while the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was sitting alone in the Mosque. He said: ‘O Quraysh, should I not go to Muhammad and speak to him, and present some things to him, perhaps he would accept them and we would give him those things, and perhaps because of that, he would leave us alone?’
This was after Hamzah (the Prophet’s uncle) accepted Islam, and they saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, increasing in number. So they said: ‘Yes, O Abu Al-Waleed, go and talk to him.’ `Utbah stood and sat beside the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said: ‘O nephew, you have honour and a noble lineage among us, and you have brought something great to your people, through which you have split their ranks, made them look foolish, censured their idols and religion, and excluded their forefathers. Therefore, listen to me present some things to you that you can think about, perhaps you will accept some of them.’
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Speak, O Abu Al-Waleed, and I will listen.’
He said: ‘O nephew, if you brought this matter because you want money, then we will gather money for you, so that you will be the richest. If you want honour through this, we will make you our chief, and obey none besides you. If you want kingship, we will make you our king. If this is some sort of vision or hallucination (or Jinn) that you see and cannot get rid of, then we will gather all sorts of doctors for you, and will spend our wealth to find a cure for you, for perhaps maybe a Jinni will overcome a person until he needs to be cured from it.’
When `Utbah finished, and the Messenger of Allah was listening, he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Are you finished, O Abu Al-Waleed?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Then listen to me.’ He said: ‘I am listening.’
Then the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘In the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Ever Merciful,” and recited the verses (which mean): «Ha, Meem. [This is] a revelation from the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. A Book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Quran for a people who know, as a giver of good tidings and a warner; but most of them turn away, so they do not hear. And they say, “Our hearts are within coverings [i.e. screened] from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a partition, so work; indeed, we are working.” Say, [O Muhammad], “I am only a man like you to whom it has been revealed that your God is but one God; so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness.” And woe to those who associate others with Allah.» [Quran: 41:1-6]
Then, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, continued to read the rest of the verses to him. When `Utbah heard those verses, he succumbed to silence in their wake, and placed his hands behind his back and reclined on them, just listening to what the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was saying.
When the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, reached the prostration in the Chapter1, he prostrated, and `Utbah went back to his companions and they said to each other, ‘By Allah, Abu Al-Waleed has come back to us with a different face than the one he went with.’ When he sat by them, they said: ‘What is behind you, O Abu Al-Waleed?’ He said: ‘Behind me, I heard speech that by Allah I have never heard anything like it; by Allah, it is not poetry, magic, or soothsaying. O Quraysh, listen to me, obey me, and trust me when I tell you to leave this man alone with what he is doing; completely abandon him. By Allah, that speech I heard from him will have a great tale one day. If he is taken care of by other Arabs, then they have done your dirty work for you, and if he becomes the ruler over all the Arabs, then his kingdom is also yours, and his honour would also be yours, and in that case, you would be the happiest of people with him.’
They said: ‘By Allah, he has cast a spell on you with his tongue, O Abu Al-Waleed.’ He replied: ‘This is my opinion of him, so do whatever you want.’” (Reported by Al-Bayhaqi in his book Dala’il Al-Nubuwwah (2/204).)
Anas ibn Maalik said:
“When we were sitting with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the Mosque, a man entered riding a camel, then made it kneel down, then tied it and said: ‘Which of you is Muhammad?’ When he said that, the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was reclining with everyone.
We said: ‘This white man who is reclining is Muhammad.’ The man said: ‘O son of `Abd Al-Muttalib,’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: ‘Yes, I am answering you.’ The man said to the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘I will ask you some questions and will be harsh when asking, so do not be angry at me for asking.’
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Ask whatever you want.’
The man said: ‘I ask you by your Lord and by the Lord of those who have come before you, has Allah sent you to all people?’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘By Allah,yes.’ The man said: ‘I ask you by Allah, did Allah order you to pray five prayers in the day and night?’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, responded: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘By Allah, did Allah order you to fast this month of the year?’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘By Allah, did Allah order you to take money from the rich and spread it to the poor?’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, responded: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘I believe in the religion you have brought, and I am a messenger to my people behind me, and my name is Dhimaam ibn Tha’labah, the relative of the children of Sa`b ibn Bakr.’” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (63).)
By Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
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