One characteristic feature of the Arabs at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was their keen interest in their ancestry. There were several major tribes, each branching out into scores of clans and sub-clans. They were mostly illiterate people. Those who could read and write among them were very few. Nevertheless, they attached great value to fine expression, which led to the emergence of many a fine poet among them. Poetry was the medium of communication between them, as it was easy to memorize. It was the vehicle by which their news traveled. Their interest in their ancestry meant that everyone could know his position with regard to his family, clan and tribe. There were many people among them who gave much time and effort to learning the ancestry of all Arabs. This meant also learning how tribes and clans intermarried so as to be allied. Thus, knowledge of ancestry was a sort of keeping historical records of the Arabs. One of the most well versed in Arab ancestry was Abu Bakr.
Ali ibn Abi Talib mentions that he went out once with the Prophet and Abu Bakr in an effort of advocacy among Arabian tribes. They stopped at a place where some people were seated with an air of serenity. They had some of their elders who looked highly respectable. Abu Bakr, who was always ready to come forward, asked them to identify themselves, and they said: “We belong to the clan of Shayban ibn Thaalabah.” He looked at the Prophet and said to him: “There is none that is better placed with regard to being honored among their people.” Among them were Mafrooq ibn Amr, Hani’ ibn Qabeesah, Al-Muthanna ibn Harithah and Al-Nu’man ibn Shareek. Mafrooq, who was the most eloquent among them and had two long bunches of hair above his forehead, dropping down over his chest, was the nearest to Abu Bakr. The latter asked him about their numbers. Mafrooq said: ‘We are more than one thousand, and one thousand will not be beaten on account of their numbers.” Abu Bakr asked: “How are you looked at by others, with regard to your strength?” Mafrooq said: “We have to do our best, and each people will reap the results of their efforts.” Abu Bakr then asked: “And how about war against your enemy?” Mafrooq’s answer was: “We are most angry when we are in confrontation with others, and we are at our most determined when we get angry. We prefer our horses ahead of our children, and our weaponry ahead of our milk-producing camels. Victory is granted by God, and He sometimes gives it to us and at others gives it against us. Are you Quraysh’s man?” Abu Bakr said: “If you have heard of God’s Messenger, then here he is.” Mafrooq said: “We have heard that he says so.”
Mafrooq then turned to the Prophet and asked him: “What do you stand for, Brother of Quraysh?” God’s Messenger came forward and sat down, while Abu Bakr stood behind him stretching his robes over him to give him shade from the sun. The Prophet said: “I call on you to believe that there is no deity other than God, the One God who has no partner, and that I am God’s Messenger. I will also ask you to provide me with shelter, protection and support so that I could deliver the message God has assigned to me. The Quraysh people have joined ranks in opposition to God’s message, denied His Messenger, and preferred falsehood to the truth. But God is certainly in no need of anyone and He is the One to be praised.” Mafrooq asked him: “And what else do you call for, Brother of the Quraysh?” The Prophet recited the following verses:
“Say: Come, let me tell you what your Lord has forbidden to you: Do not associate partners with Him; (do not offend against but, rather,) be kind to your parents; do not kill your children because of your poverty - We provide for you and for them; do not commit any shameful deed, whether open or secret; do not take any human being’s life - which God has made sacred, except in the course of justice. This He has enjoined upon you so that you may use your reason. Do not touch the property of an orphan before he comes of age, except to improve it. Give just weight and full measure. We do not charge a soul with more than it can bear. When you speak, be just, even though it be against one of your close relatives. Be true to your covenant with God. This He has enjoined upon you so that you may bear it in mind. Know that this is the way leading to Me, a straight path. Follow it, then, and do not follow other ways, for they cause you to deviate from His way. All this He has enjoined upon you so that you may remain God-fearing. (6: 151-153)”
Mafrooq said: “And what else, Brother of Quraysh? By God, this is not the word of human beings, for if it were, we would have known it.” The Prophet recited the following verse from the Qur’an: “God enjoins justice, kindness (to all), and generosity to one’s kindred; and He forbids all that is shameful, reprehensible conduct and all transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed.” (16: 90) Mafrooq said: “By God, you call for the best standards of morality, and the best types of deeds. Those who deny you and stand in opposition to you are indeed misguided.” He apparently wanted Hani’ ibn Qabeesah to be involved, so he said: “However, here is Hani’ ibn Qabeesah, our elder who is entrusted with our religious affairs.”
Hani’ addressed the Prophet saying: “I have listened to what you have just said, Brother of Quraysh, and I believe what you say. However, to my mind, if we were to abandon our faith and follow yours on the basis of a single meeting between us, we would be taking things in haste. We need to think about your message and reflect on the likely outcome of our actions. Mistakes are made when things are decided in haste. Back home we have people whom we do not like to commit to a course of action without consultation. Therefore, we and you go back to our respective places, and we will reflect on the matter, while you also reflect.” However, he looked as though he wanted to involve Al-Muthanna in the discussion. Therefore, he added: “Here, however, is Al-Muthanna ibn Harithah, our elder and war commander.”
Al-Muthanna said: “I have listened and admired what you said, Brother of Quraysh. However, our answer is what Hani’ ibn Qabeesah has said to you. Our land is between two bodies of water: Al-Yamamah and Al-Samamah.” The Prophet asked him what these two were. Al-Muthanna said: “On one side we have hills and the rest of Arab land, and on the other there is Persia with its rivers. We have given pledges to the Persian Emperor that we would never take a serious step or give support to someone who comes up with something unknown. This message you are advocating may be something that kings do not like to hear. What happens on the Arab side of us is pardonable and can be justified, but what takes place on the Persian side is not. If you wish us to support you against what may come from the Arab side of our area, we will do that.”
The Prophet said to them: “You have not given a bad reply when you stated your situation truthfully. A person who wants to support God’s religion should be well aware of it in its totality.” The Prophet then got up, holding Abu Bakr’s hand, and we went forward to meet the Aws and the Khazraj.
This is how Ali reports this encounter which shows this tribe appreciating the Prophet’s message and recognizing that it could not have come from any human being, but stopping short of pledging their support in full. We also note that Hani’ was the one who expressed their reluctance to take a positive step toward Islam. This is not surprising since he was the one in charge of their religious affairs. He must have wondered what would happen to their entire setup should they follow Islam. Hence, he wanted time to reflect. We also note that the major Arabian tribes operated a system whereby their major affairs were decided by consultation. No one could take a major decision on his own, not even the chief of the tribe.
But we should say that this tribe was to become Muslim. Al-Muthanna, described by his colleagues as their war commander and who was the last to speak on this occasion, was one of the commanders of Muslim forces engaged in the early encounters against the Persian Empire, scoring great successes. Indeed, his contribution represented a major part of the efforts that led to the liberation of Iraq first and the eventual collapse of the Persian Empire at the hands of the Muslim community.
