When Islam established itself in Arabia, defeating several attacks launched by its enemies to suppress its message and eliminate its followers, people in the rest of Arabia began to think about it. While the conflict was raging between the Muslims in Madinah on the one hand and the Quraysh in Makkah and the Jews in northern areas on the other, many Arabian tribes adopted a policy of wait and see. However, after the signing of the Al-Hudaybiyah peace agreement, which stipulated the end of all armed conflicts for a period of ten years, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent many of his companions to different parts of Arabia to explain the message of Islam. Many people also visited Madinah for trade or other purposes.
When such people learned about the message of Islam, many accepted it. Islam, as we know, has a simple, direct and logical message which is free of complexity and paradoxes.
To gauge the effect of the peace agreement on the spread of Islam in Arabia we may cite the fact that when the Prophet tried to visit Makkah in year 6 AH for Umrah, his companions numbered 1,400 men, but when two years later he set out for Makkah after the Quraysh had violated the treaty and attacked a tribe allied to him, his army included no less than 10,000 fighters.
The Prophet did not lose a chance to make Islam known to people. Whenever a visitor arrived in Madinah, he tried to speak to him and explain the message of Islam to him.
This resulted in Islam spreading to other parts of Arabia. In one such incident, the Prophet passed by Munqidh ibn Hayyan who used to visit Madinah for trade. This time, Munqidh had brought linen and dates to sell in Madinah after the Prophet had settled there.
When the Prophet passed by him, Munqidh stood up to greet him. The Prophet said: “Is that you, Munqidh ibn Hayyan? How are your people?” The Prophet asked him about the nobility of his tribe, mentioning them by name. This friendly welcome was effective in making Munqidh more receptive to what the Prophet had to say. Soon, Munqidh ibn Hayyan declared himself a Muslim and learned two surahs of the Qur’an, Al-Fatihah and Al-Alaq before he left to return home.
As he was about to depart, the Prophet gave him a letter to his tribe, the Abd Al-Qays. Munqidh, however, did not tell his people about the Prophet’s letter immediately on his arrival.
He waited for a suitable chance. His wife, whose father was the chief of the tribe, noticed his changed behavior. She said to her father: “I feel that my husband has changed ever since he came back from Yathrib (the old name of Madinah). He washes his limbs, and he turns toward a particular direction, bowing one time and placing his forehead on the floor another time. He has been doing this repeatedly ever since he came back.”
Her father, Mundhir ibn A’idh ibn Mundhir, was known for his wisdom and far-sightedness. He spoke to his son-in-law who explained to him what he learned from the Prophet about Islam. Mundhir felt the strong appeal of Islam. He took the Prophet’s letter and read it to his people. They responded positively and were speaking about the message of Islam.
They then decided to send a delegation to Madinah to meet the Prophet and learn more about Islam.
We also have a report that the Prophet had sent to Al-Ala’ ibn Al-Hadrami to come with a delegation of 20 men from the Abd Al-Qays tribe, and he complied with the Prophet’s instructions. Al-Ala’ ibn Al-Hadrami was the man who carried the Prophet’s letter to Al-Mundhir ibn Sawa, the ruler of the area known today as Al-Hasa in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. Al-Mundhir gave a positive response and became a Muslim. Al-Ala’ remained there explaining the message of Islam to the people in the area.
When the delegation approached Madinah, they were accommodated at its outskirts, in the home of Ramlah bint Al-Harith, where they stayed for ten days to rest.
They then got ready to meet the Prophet. When they approached, the Prophet said to those who were attending him: “This is the delegation of the Abd Al-Qays, the best people in the eastern area. They have been true to their pledges, entertaining no doubt, and choosing Islam without compulsion. All others were in conflict with Islam before they accepted it.”
A different report related by Ahmad mentions that when the delegation arrived, the Prophet said to the Ansar, his companions from Madinah: “Be hospitable to your brothers.
They are the closest to you in their attitude to Islam, and the nearest to you in physical appearance. They have accepted Islam out of free choice, without compulsion, while others refused to accept it until there were deaths among them.” The following morning the Prophet asked the Abd Al-Qays delegation about the Ansar’s hospitality. They said: “They are the best of brothers: they gave us comfortable beds, and good food. Before sleeping and early in the morning they have been teaching us God’s book and our Prophet’s Sunnah.” The Prophet was pleased with that, and he spoke to everyone of us, asking us about what we have learned.
Some of us learned the tashahhud, (which is said in the final part of prayers), or Al-Fatihah, and some learned a surah or two of the Qur’an, or one or two Sunnah practices. The Prophet then asked them about the dates produced in their area.
We see how the Prophet showed keen interest in his visitors and ensured that they were comfortable. In his earlier conversation with Munqidh, he showed his knowledge of his people, asking him about them one by one.
He also was keen to teach Munqidh enough of the Qur’an to enable him to pray, so that after accepting Islam, he would be able to practice it. He must have also taught him about Islamic values and practices. Otherwise his wife would not have noticed that the change in him was great if it was only for him praying regularly.
When she mentioned the prayer to her father, she only mentioned what was apparent in his behavior. However, the change goes further than that, because Islam is a complete way of life.
We will need to discuss the visit of the Abd Al-Qays delegation to the Prophet in more detail next week, God willing.
