After ten years of hard struggle in preaching the Islamic message in Makkah, there were no more than a few hundred Muslims, enduring a life of persecution. It appeared that the Quraysh, the dominant tribe in Arabia that made up the majority of the population of Makkah, would not be any more receptive to Islam. Hence the Prophet (Peace be upon him) increased his efforts in presenting Islam to other tribes during the pilgrimage season. Even in this regard, his efforts achieved little success, until six people from Madinah accepted Islam. They went back home where they advocated Islam among their people, winning some of them to Islam. In the next pilgrimage season, twelve Muslims from Madinah, including the original six, met the Prophet and pledged support to him and his message. As they were about to go back, the Prophet sent with them one of his companions, Musab ibn Umair, to carry out further advocacy of Islam, and to educate the new Muslims there in their new faith and to teach them the Qur’an.
Musab ibn Umair was a dedicated worker with the right temperament to mix with strangers and invite them to adopt Islam as a religion and a way of life. He was also to assess the general situation and the feasibility of an exodus of the Makkan Muslims to Madinah. He might also have had further instructions. It is noticeable that in the contacts that had taken place so far between the Prophet and the people of Madinah, the tribe of Khazraj figured more prominently than the Aws. This is probably due to the fact that the first six who met the Prophet and accepted Islam belonged to the Khazraj. It was only natural that they would concentrate their efforts within their own tribe. Hence it was not surprising that the 12 who entered into the covenant of support with the Prophet the following year included ten from the Khazraj and only two from the Aws. Hence, Musab might have been instructed to try to redress this imbalance. The last thing the Prophet wanted was that Islam should contribute to the division among the people of Madinah. He was eager that Islam should be a unifying force.
Musab stayed with Asaad ibn Zurarah, a Khazraji with immediate relatives from the Aws. Asaad supplied him with all the information he needed about the people of Madinah. We will look now at one example of the main achievements made through their joint efforts.
One day Asaad took Musab to an orchard that belonged to the clan of Abd Al-Ashhal, a branch of the Aws tribe. They were joined there by a few Muslims. Saad ibn Mu’adh and Usaid ibn Hudair, the two most prominent figures of that clan, were still following the Arabian version of paganism. Learning about the presence of Asaad and Musab, Saad addressed Usaid: “Go to these two men who have come here to spread their ideas among our simple people and tell them not to come to us again. Had Asaad not been my own cousin, I would have spared you the trouble. As it is, I feel somewhat uneasy about turning him away myself.”
As Usaid approached the two men, Asaad said to Musab: “This man is the chief of his people. Make a sincere effort with him.”
Musab answered: “I will certainly try if he agrees to sit down with us.”
Usaid adopted a tough attitude, making plain his objection to their approaches to the “simple” people. He followed that with a threat: “Stay away from us if you care for your own safety.”
Musab said: “Would you like to sit down with us and listen to what we have to say? If you find it reasonable, you accept it. If not, we will not bother you with it again.”
Usaid said: “Fair enough.”
As Musab explained the basic principles of Islam and recited a passage from the Qur’an, Usaid’s face shone with admiration. When Musab had finished, he said, “This is a fine word indeed. What do you do if you want to adopt this religion?”
Musab explained and Usaid immediately made the necessary ablution and declared that he believed in the oneness of God and that Muhammad was His Messenger.
Usaid then said: “I am sending you a man who would be joined by all his people, if he decided to follow you. He is Saad ibn Muath.”
As Usaid drew nearer to Saad, the latter remarked that a total change had come over Usaid’s face. Usaid, however, reported to him that he did not find the two men doing anything wrong. He also reported that another clan was plotting to kill Asaad in order to get at Saad himself. According to Arabian tradition, Saad should extend full protection to his cousin. Failing to do so, he would be disgraced. Usaid mentioned this in order to get Saad to go and speak to the two Muslim men himself.
Angry, Saad said: “I will go myself and tell them to keep away from us.”
As he drew closer to them, he suddenly realized that Usaid wanted him to speak to them. He, however, started with some harsh words. Musab made the same offer he made earlier to Usaid, requesting him to sit and listen. If there were anything he disliked, they would keep it away from him. Thus, Saad sat down to listen as Musab recited some verses from the beginning of Surah 43, The Adornment, and explained the basic principles of Islam.
Musab and Asaad realized that they had won their man long before he uttered a word. The expression on his face as he listened to the Qur’an said it all. As Musab finished, Saad indicated his acceptance of Islam. Like Usaid before him, he made his ablution, purified his clothes and declared his belief that “there is no deity other than God, and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.”
Going back to his people and joined by Usaid, Saad ibn Mu’adh knew exactly what to do. He simply addressed his people, asking them: “What is your opinion of me?”
They answered: “You are our master and the wisest of our men.”
“Then take this from me,” he said. “I forbid myself all communication with you all, men and women, until you believe in God and His Messenger.”
That very evening, every man and woman of the Abd Al-Ashhal clan became a Muslim.
It may be said that Saad’s method involved using too much pressure on his people. But there are certain points to remember here. The first is that such a practice was not uncommon in the tribal Arabian society. The chief of the tribe would indicate the importance of a certain issue by giving such a warning. Secondly, Saad wanted his people to take the matter seriously, asking about Islam and making sure that they understood it. Thirdly, he did not threaten them with any type of persecution; he only said that he would boycott them. Finally, they were certain that he would not have made such a demand unless what he asked them to do was to their great advantage. As future events would show, Saad was one of the most dedicated servants of Islam, and his clan among the best of its defenders.