The Prophet’s صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم Conduct towards Delegations (Final Part)

Sheroz Ali Attari Madani

Provisions for travel

A delegation of four hundred horse riders came and accepted Islam at the Prophet’s hands. When this group now enriched with the Prophet’s blessings set out to leave, their leader Nuʿmān b. Muqarrin رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ requested Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to grant them provisions for the journey.

When ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ was instructed to provide them with this, he replied, "O Messenger of Allah, I only have a small quantity of dates which shall not suffice four hundred people." The Prophet              صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  said, “Go and distribute these dates amongst them.”

Nuʿmān b. Muqarrin narrates:

ʿUmar took me to his home, and I saw a pile of dates equal in size to a camel. When he began distributing them and everyone received their share. I was the last among them, and I found the pile of dates had remained the same with no decrease after distribution. [1]

The mubāhala

The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had a letter to the people of Najran, inviting them to Islam. When this message arrived, priests of the city decided to send a group to meet with the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and learn more about whether he was upon the truth or not. 

They sent a delegation of sixty individuals to Madinah. Tents were set up for them in the courtyard of the Prophet’s masjid. During this time, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم continuously invited them to the truth and answered their varying questions, yet they did not accept Islam. They one day already claimed to be Muslim, to which the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم declared, “You are cross-worshippers who consider ʿIsā to be God’s son. Yet, with Allah, ʿIsā has the same status as Ādam. Both were created from clay. How then can he be God?”

The Najrani delegation did not accept anything the final Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said and instead debated with him. The following verse was then revealed:

فَمَنْ حَآجَّکَ فِیْہِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَکَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ اَبْنَآءَنَا وَ اَبْنَآءَکُمْ وَ نِسَآءَنَا وَ نِسَآءَکُمْ وَ اَنْفُسَنَا وَ اَنْفُسَکُمْ ۟ ثُمَّ نَبْتَہِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَّعْنَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَی الْکٰذِبِیْنَ (۶۱)

Then, O Beloved, those who dispute with you concerning ʿIsā, after knowledge has come to you; say to them, 'Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then do mubāhala (i.e. the supplication involving the invoking of curse upon the opponent of one's religion), hence invoking the curse of Allah upon the liars.[2]

To highlight his unshakeable truthfulness, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم brought his daughter Fāṭimah رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا, his son-in-law ʿAlī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ, and his grandsons Ḥasan and Ḥusayn رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا alongside himself. He was fully ready to engage in mubāhala with the Christians. The latter did not muster the courage to partake in this, and some opined, “If he is indeed a Prophet, we will be ruined forever.” They refused both the mubāhala and did not become Muslim. Instead, they expressed their satisfaction with paying a jizya tax.

They asked, “Kindly send a trustworthy person to us. We will give to him whatever amount you specify.” The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم accepted their offer, and a treaty was made according to this between the two sides. [3]

The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and the delegation of jinn

The Companion Zubayr b. ʿAwwām رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ narrates:

After leading fajr salah, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, “Tonight, who  shall accompany me to the delegation of jinn?" He asked this three times, yet all remained silent. He then took me with himself. We walked for a lengthy distance, until Madinah’s mountains were behind us.

We saw tall individuals, resembling spears and all wearing a lungi. I began trembling uncontrollably, until even my legs began shaking with fear. As we approached, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم drew a circle for me with his blessed toe ˹on the earth˺ and said, “Sit inside this.” All my fear and hesitation immediately vanished.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم moved forward and recited Quran until daybreak. He then came back to me and said, “Come with me.” I began walking with him and after covering some distance, he asked, “Look; can you see any of them?” I replied, “I see much darkness.” The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم picked up a bone and dung from the ground, threw this in their direction, and declared, “They inquired regarding travel provisions. I said, ‘Your travel provisions are bones and dung.’”[4]

Kindness to a pack of wolves

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was with his Companions after offering fajr salah. A pack of around a hundred wolves then presented themselves before him. He informed his Companions, “These representatives of the wolves have come to request you to set aside surplus food for their consumption; in return your animals will remain safe.” The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم attended to their need. The wolves left and began howling (to show gratitude).[5]

This was the gracious way in which the final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم dealt with incoming delegations. It was through this loving approach that various tribes entered the folds of Islam.

They were so moved by the Prophet's beautiful manners and preaching; not only did they become Muslims themselves, they also went back to their tribes and began inviting others to Islam.  

May Allah Almighty grant us ability to read, understand, and act upon the various blessed practices of the final Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.

اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ