The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was God’s last Messenger. Hence, it was fitting that he should be sent to all mankind and his message should remain valid for the rest of time. Therefore, generation after generation of people lived under Islam, implementing its teachings and adapting their lifestyles to its fundamental principles.
Since the Islamic message is addressed to all mankind, it is necessary that people should be informed of it, and invited to follow it. The Prophet did that, and so did Muslim rulers after he had passed away. Advocacy of Islam has never stopped, not even when Muslims were on the decline. But such advocacy must always abide by Islamic rules, which do not allow coercion to be employed against any individual or group of people. In doing so, the Prophet sent some of his companions to undertake this task. This took different forms and employed different methods, as fitted different situations. Sometimes the Prophet sent one person to undertake Islamic advocacy among his own people.
Such was the case of Abu Umamah Al-Sudayy ibn Ajlan, of the Bahilah tribe, who reports: “The Prophet sent me to my own people to invite them to Islam and to explain to them its message and teachings. I arrived in their quarters when they had finished giving their camels their drinks, milked them and drank milk. When they saw me they said: ‘Welcome to you, Al-Sudayy! It is reported to us that you have abandoned your religion and followed this man (meaning the Prophet).’ I said: ‘No, but I have believed in God and His Messenger. Indeed, God’s Messenger has sent me to you to explain to you the Islamic beliefs and principles.’ As we were talking some of them brought their food and they gathered around it and began to eat. They invited me to eat with them, but I said: ‘Look! I have just come back from the Prophet who forbids what you are eating, unless you slaughter it properly in the method defined by God.’ They asked me what does he say on that point. I told them that a Qur’anic verse has been revealed stating: ‘Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine; and that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked; and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, except that which you may have slaughtered when it is still alive; and (forbidden to you are) animals that have been slaughtered on idolatrous altars. And (forbidden also) is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows; for all this is sinful.’ (5: 3)
“I continued to call on them to accept Islam, but they continued to refuse. I then asked them to give me a drink of water, because I was very thirsty. They refused, saying bluntly: ‘We will not give you water to drink, but will leave you to die of thirst.’ I was wearing a turban, and I wrapped it over my head and went to sleep on the sand when it was extremely hot. As I slept, I saw in my dream someone bringing me a glass — no one has ever seen a more attractive one — containing a drink; no one has ever seen a more appealing drink. He brought it close to me so that I drank it up. When I finished drinking it, I woke up. By God, I never felt any thirst after I had had that drink.” (Related by Al-Tabarani and Ibn Asakir)
This report does not tell us what was the result of Abu Umamah’s endeavors with his people. It tells us, however, that he stood firm in the face of opposition that grew stiffer and stiffer to the extent that his own tribesmen would tell him point blank that they were prepared to leave him to die of thirst rather than give him a glass of water. When he remained steadfast, his affliction was relieved by God’s grace. He would not shrink from fulfilling the mission assigned to him by the Prophet even though he might have died in the process.
A different, much shorter report of Abu Umamah’s mission adds the following: “One person among them said: ‘How come that a man from among your best people should come to you and you are unwilling to offer him any hospitality?’ They brought me some milk, but I refused to take it. I showed them my abdomen, and they all accepted Islam.”
Apparently this addition speaks of what happened after Abu Umamah wrapped his head and slept on the sand in that heat. It was then that one of them objected to the way they treated him, despite his belonging to their best families. Hospitality was one of the important values the Arabs observed. Hence, these people were quick to change their attitude when reminded of it. As their attitude softened, and they brought the milk, Abu Umamah showed them how God has been kind to him in his difficult situations. Hence, they took this as a positive sign of divine support and they accepted Islam.
A different case of the Prophet sending one man to a tribe or group of people is cited by Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, who was renowned for his wisdom even in pre-Islamic days. He never met the Prophet even though he was his contemporary. Hence, he is not ranked among the Prophet’s companions, but among their successors. His report goes as follows: “I was doing the tawaf around the Kaabah during Uthman’s reign when a man from the Layth tribe took me by the hand and said: ‘Shall I give you a piece of good news?’ I requested him to do so. He said: ‘Do you remember when God’s Messenger sent me to advocate Islam among your people of the Saad clan? You commented on what I said and told them: ‘All that this man is saying is good. He certainly advocates what is good.’ When I went back, I told the Prophet of what you said and he said: ‘My Lord, grant Al-Ahnaf your forgiveness.’” Al-Ahnaf comments: “Nothing I ever did gives me greater hope for my afterlife than this prayer by the Prophet.” (Related by Ahmad, Al-Tabarani and Al-Hakim).
Needless to say, anyone for whom the Prophet said a prayer was extremely happy with it, because all Muslims know that every prayer by the Prophet is answered in the best way, with much generosity granted by God. Since the Prophet prayed for Al-Ahnaf’s forgiveness, he was very hopeful that all his sins would be forgiven, by God’s will.