CHAPTER THREE
We have but mentioned some of the kings of different groups and these sects’ most knowledgeable scholars and great men who believed in him (The Prophet), and we cannot bring to count other believers who add up to most of the people on earth . Those who turned away from following him are the minorities, and are either conciliatory –
who accepted upon themselves lowliness, tribute payment ( Jizyah) and degradation- or scared of him . So the people of the earth fall into three categories: the true believers in him, the conciliatory, and the fearful. Even if none of the Jews at all embraced Islam during his time except their chief and the son of their chief, and their scholar and the son of their scholar, Abdullah bin Salaam who is acknowledged and testified by them as such , it would have been as good as the embracement o f Islam of every Jew on the surface of the earth. How can one account to the fact were bishops and monks whose numbers can only be known to God who joined him by adopting Islam? Herein we mention the story of Abdullah bin Salaam.
In his Veritable Chronicle , al-Budhari narrates an account ascribed to Abdul-aziz bin Suhayb on the authority of Anas bin Malek. He said:
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) came to Madina. The people of Madina heralded his coming and looked up to him with honour. The news reached Abdullah bin Salaam while he was in a family palm grove picking da te-fruits. Still holding the date-fruits basket in his hand, he hurried to see the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) and to listen to what he had to say . Then he returned to his family. When the Prophet was resting, Abdullah bin Salaam came to see him again . He said to him:
«I profess that you are indeed the Prophet of God , and that you came with the Truth . The Jews know that I am their chief, the son of their chief, and that I am the most knowledgeable among them and the son of their most knowledgeable chief. Call on them and ask them about me before you usher the news to them that I have embraced Islam: for if they know I have embraced Islam before you ask them about me, they would prevaricate about me. »
Then the Messenger of God (peace be upon him ) sent for them (an envoy) inviting them over. They came in. The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) said to them:
«O people of the Jewish community! woe unto you! fear God, by God, who is the One and Only God, you know for certain that I am indeed the Messenger of God, and that I came to you (and to all the human race) with the authority of the Truth: embrace Islam.»
They replied :
«We do not know it!»
He repeated his call three times and they gave him the same answer every time. He said:
Who is Abdullah bin Salaam among you?»
«This is our overlord and the son of our overlord , the most knowledgeable and the son of the most knowledgeable among us, »
they said.
«Do you see if he embraces Islam?» .
«God forbid! he is not to embrace Islam» .
«O you bin Salaam! bring up your news to them» .
«O people of the Jewish community, woe unto you ! fear God, by God , who is the One and Only God, you do know that he is indeed the Messenger of God and that he came with the authority of the Truth» ibn Salaam said.
«Abdullah bin Salaam heard about the coming of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him ) while he was in a property of his . He went to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he said to him:
«I will ask you about three things that only a prophet can know: what are the first signs of the Hour (of the Resurrection?,) what is the first food of the people of paradise?, and to whom is a child more inclined to inheritance, his father or his mother?» .
The Prophet replied :
«Jibreel (the Archangel Gabriel) told me about these things before:
Jibreel? , Ibn Salaam asked
(Yes) , Jibreel, the Prophet replied»
Then Ibn Salaam said :
«From among the angels, this (Jibreel) is an enemy to the Jews.»
Then the Prophet recited the following verse (Qur’an):
“Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel- for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by God’s will, a confirmation of what was before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,” (Baqara: 97)
Then he said:
«As for the first sign of the Hour of the Resurrection : a great sun from the East will come out at the people of the West . As for the food the people of paradise will eat : it will be what exceeds the liver of a whale. And if the water of the man (semen) precedes
water of the woman , the child is more inclined to his father, and if water of the woman precedes the water of the man, the child is more inclined to his mother».
Then Abdullah bin salaam said :
« I profess that there is no god but God and that you are the Messenger of God. The Jews are people of slanders, and if they keep of my conversion to. Islam before you ask them, they would prevaricate against me».
The jews came to see the Prophet . He asked them :
«Who is Abdullah bin Salaam among you?» .
They said :
«The best and the son of the best of men among us, our overlord and the son of our overlord».
«Do you see i f he embraces Islam?»
«God forbid him to do so» .
At this moment, Abdullah bin Salaam showed up and said:
«I profess that there is no god but God and that Muhammad the Messenger of God».
They said:
«Evil you are and the son of an evil man» .
So they said evil things about him. He said :
«That is what I was afraid of, O Messenger of God».
Ibn Ishaq said:
«Abdullah bin abi Bakr narrated to me a story ascribed to yahya bin Abdullah on the authority of a man from the family of Abdul rabbi , embraced Islam, he said:
* «I heard the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) talking, and I knew his attributes, his name, and his looks, and I found in him what we have been expecting . I was glad for that; but I kept it in silence till the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) came to
Madina. When he arrived he was hosted alongside with us at Bani Amr bin Awfs while I was on the top of a palm tree minding it, and my aunt Khalida bin al-Harith sitting below me ; a man came declaring his arrival , I shouted: (God is Great) . Hearing my praise to God, my aunt commented saying:
«I reck on you would have not raised your voice in a similar jubilance, praising the Greatness of God, as if the man , just arrived, was Moses bin Imran!».
I said to her:
«O my aunt ! He is Moses bin Imran’s brother, and he is his co-religionist. He was sent with the same message Moses was sent with.»
«O my nephew! Is he the Prophet we proclaim his coming at this time?».
«Yes indeed, yes.»
«Then this is the one» my aunt replied.
Then I went to see the Messenger o f God (peace be upon him) and professed my embracement to Islam. Then I returned home and commanded them to do the same, and they did . I concealed my conversion from the Jews , then I went to see the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) , I said to him:
«The Jews are people of slander, and I would like that you find me a host from your community that would help me do without them and without them knowing my conversion to Islam, then ask them about me: for if they know about this matter beforehand, they would concoct false accusations against me and disgrace me. »
He acknowledged a n d fulfilled my request, then he summoned them and asked them:
«What is Abdullah bin Salaam among you?»
«He is our overlord and the son of our overlord, our rabbi and our reference in all matters» .
As they said so I came out and said to them:
« O people of the Jewish community , fear God! accept the message he brought to you for, by God you know quite well that he is the Messenger of God , and you find this written in the Torah : his name and his attribute. I profess that he is the Messenger of God and I do believe in him, trust him, and know that he is the Prophet we are waiting for.»
«You are lying. » they said.
Then they started to ridicule me. I said:
« O Messenger of God ! did not I tell you they are people of slanders and treacherousness, lies and immorality!».
Then I proclaimed my embracement to Islam, and so did my house hold, my aunt (the daughter of al-Harith ), and her embracement to Islam was well received.»
In Imam Ahmad’s Musnad (Ascriptive Chronicle) and in other books , Abdullah bin Salaam was quoted saying:
«When the Messenger of God came to Madina, the people were taken by awe before him; they said:
«The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) has arrived. »
I found my way among them to have a look at his face. When I saw it I knew that it is not the face of a liar, and the first thing I heard from him was when he said:
«O people, give food, spread peace, keep family ties, pray when people are asleep, and you will enter paradise in peace.»
The most knowledgeable men among them and among their rabbis all fit into the description given by God, Most Powerful, Most Revered:
“The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know” (al-Baqarah:146)
Among them are those who chose God , His Messenger, and the dwelling of the Hereafter, and others who chose this life on earth and obeyed the beckon of jealousy and arrogance.
In his book , «the conquests» ( Maghazi) , Moosa bin Oqbah mentioned on the authority of al-Zuhri that:
«Upon the arrival of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him ) to Madina, there were some men in the city worshipping idols ardently . Some of their own people confronted them and destroyed the idols . Abu Yaser bin Akhtab- the brother of Yahaya bin Akhtab
who is the father of Saffiah , the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) , sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him) listening to him and consulting him. Then he returned to the Qiblah in the direction to the Holy Mosque (in Makka)- and said to them:
«O you people ! listen to me, for God, Most Exalted in Power, Most Revered, has brought t o you the Prophet you have been waiting for. Follow him and do not disobey him.»
When his brother Yahya heard him – and at that time h e was the overlord of the Jews, and both belong to the tribe of al-Nadheer – he rushed to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) . He reached him and sat before him, and listened to him. Then he returned to his people among whom he was obeyed and said:
«I came back after sitting before a man toward whom , O by God, I still consider myself an avowed enemy for ever.»
Abu Yaser, his brother, said to him:
«O the son of my mother, obey me in this matter, and you may disobey me in any other matter you wish, and you will not perish . »
* «No, by God ! , I will not obey you» .
The Shaytan (Satan, the Devil) took hold of him and of his people who followed his lead.
On the authority of Saffiah , the daughter of Yahya, lbn Ishaq mentioned that someone narrated to Abdullah bin abi Bakr that Saffiah said:
«Among all the children of my father and those of my paternal uncle, I was the most favoured and beloved to them . I have never seen them favouring a child over me. When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) came to Qaba, he was hosted by beni Amr bin Awf. My father and my paternal uncle, Abu Yaser bin Akhtab, came to see him well-disposed and sweet-scented . O by God, they did not come until it was sunset. They came listless like two falling baskets, walking leisurely. I rushed toward them as I usually do when I see them, by God , neither one of them looked at me! I heard my parental uncle asking my father:
«Is it he who we think it is!?».
My father said:
«By God, yes indeed. You recognize him by his attributes and characteristics».
«Yes indeed» my paternal uncle said, «It is he» .
My paternal uncle replied:
* «I am afraid of turning against him for as long as I live». [b]
lbn lshaq also said:
« Muhammad bin abi Muhammad Mawla Zayd bin Thabet narrated to me an account ascribed to Sa’eed bin Jubayr and to lkrima on the authority of ibn Abbas that he said:
«When Abdullah bin Salaam, Tha’ laba bin Shee’ah, Asad bin Saee’ah , and Ubayd among others from the Jewish community embraced Islam and believed in it sincerely and eagerly; those among the Jews who disbelieved said:
«Only the wicked among us believe in Muhammad and follow him . If they were the best of the people among us , they would have not left the religion of their fathers and embraced another.»
God All-Mighty, Most Sublime, then sent down the following verse:
“Not all of them alike: of the people of the Book are a portion that stand (for the portion that); they rehearse the signs of God all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration” (al-Imran: 113)
By Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziah
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