Those people who accepted the Prophet’s call and adopted Islam felt a total change in their lives. They recognized the great difference between addressing worship to statues made by fellow human beings and a new faith that gave them a rationally perfect concept of God, the Creator of the universe and all that exists in it including themselves. They also realized that Islam gave them a new set of values and principles that were to remold not only their personal lives, but the life of their community, and human life in general. They also valued the fact that they were receiving through the Prophet direct guidance from God, so that their community would set the example to be followed by future Muslim generations. Hence, they were keen to call on others to follow their lead and accept Islam.
We saw last week how Saad ibn Muadh insisted that everyone in his clan should become a Muslim. We also learned how Abu Bakr chose the most intelligent of his visitors to speak to them about Islam and managed in a short period to win over five of the most dedicated servants of Islam. Many others did the same, speaking to relatives and friends, explaining the great difference Islam brought into their lives.
Tulayb ibn Umayr was one of the early Muslims. His mother was Arwa bint Abd Al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s own aunt. Although she and the Prophet’s other aunts loved him and recognized his virtues, some of them were not among the very early Muslims. Hence Tulayb felt that his mother should have a different attitude. He said to her one day: “I have followed Muhammad and submitted myself to God, the Lord of all the worlds.” She said: “You could not have chosen a better person to support and help than your cousin. By God! Had we been able to do what men can do, we would have followed and defended him.”
Tulayb said to her: “What then stops you from following him and becoming a Muslim? Your brother, Hamzah, has already done that.”
She said: “I am waiting to see what my sisters will do, and I will join them.”
Tulayb said: “Then I am asking you by God to go to him, declare your belief in him and that there is no deity other than God.”
She said: “I certainly believe that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.”
We can only think that Arwa’s delay was due to what she said about waiting for her sisters to make up their minds. But her son wanted her to take the lead, because if everyone waits for the other, nothing could be done. No doubt Tulayb wanted his mother to enjoy all the goodness that Islam brings into one’s life.
Many others felt that the first person they should bring into Islam was their mothers, but not everyone was as quick to achieve success in this effort. Abu Hurayrah was one who joined Islam in the later part of the Prophet’s life. He lived with his mother, but she was unwilling to become a Muslim. This grieved Abu Hurayrah greatly because he loved his mother and was a dutiful son. Every time he tried to persuade her to become a Muslim, she took a hostile attitude.
One day she even spoke to him very rudely. He went to the Prophet with tears in his eyes. He said to him: “Messenger of God! I have been trying to convince my mother to become a Muslim, but she has always refused me. Today, I repeated my efforts, but she spoke ill of you and I was aggrieved. Please pray to God to guide my mother to Islam.”
The Prophet prayed: “My Lord! Guide Abu Hurayrah’s mother to Islam.”
Realizing that God granted every prayer the Prophet said, Abu Hurayrah was delighted. He went home with great hopes. As he approached his home, he found that the door was closed, and his mother heard him approaching. She told him not to enter. As he stood at the door, he heard her using water. She then put on her dress, but omitted to put on her scarf as she hurried to open the door. As she saw him, she said: “I bear witness that there is no deity other than God, and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.”
Abu Hurayrah reports: “I went back to the Prophet with tears of joy in my eyes, just like I was earlier tearful with grief and I said to him: ‘I have brought you the good news that your prayer has been answered. God has guided my mother and she is now a Muslim.’ I then said: ‘Messenger of God! Pray to God that believers, every believer, man or woman, should love me and my mother.’ He prayed: ‘My Lord! Make this servant of Yours and his mother loved by every believer, man or woman.’ Therefore, any believer who hears of me will love me.”
This is indeed a fact. There have been at different times people who criticized Abu Hurayrah, but the ones who presented themselves as Muslims among these were always suspect in their attitude to Islam.
In these two examples, it was the man that came first to Islam and then brought the woman that was dearest to him. Sometimes the reverse was true, with the woman being a believer first. One such woman was Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, a widow with very good reputation. Both she and her sister were very close to the Prophet. A man known as Abu Talhah proposed to marry her. He was a highly respectable person, but not a Muslim. She said to him: “Abu Talhah! Do you know that the deity you are worshipping originates as a plant coming out of the earth?”
When he confirmed this, she said: “Are you not ashamed to worship a tree? If you become a Muslim, I will ask you no dowry other than that.”
He said: “Let me think this over.”
He went away, and a few days later came back to her. He said: “I bear witness that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.”
She called on her son, Anas ibn Malik, and told him to act on her behalf in her marriage to Abu Talhah.
Abu Talhah was a committed Muslim. He did not adopt Islam merely to marry the woman he chose. As he learned more about Islam he was very firm in his belief. During the Battle of Uhud, when most of the Muslim army was in chaos with many Muslims on the run, he remained close to the Prophet defending him with all his power, risking his own life in doing so. Thus, Umm Sulaym was able to gain a man of good character for Islam.
