By Abdul-Wahid Hamid
In the sixth year after the hijrah (the migration to Medina), the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, decided to expand the scope of his mission. He sent eight letters to rulers in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam. One of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.
In the sixth year after the hijrah (the migration to Medina), the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, decided to expand the scope of his mission. He sent eight letters to rulers in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam. One of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.
Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Haneefi was one of the most
powerful Arab rulers in the pre-Islamic era. This is not surprising since he
was a chieftain of the Banu Hanifah and one of the rulers of al-Yamamah whose
word no one dared to challenge or disobey.
When Thumamah received the Prophet’s letter, he was
consumed by anger and rejected it. He refused to listen to the invitation of
Truth and goodness. More than that, he felt a strong desire to go and kill the
Prophet and bury his mission with him.
Thumamah waited and waited for a convenient time to
carry out his design against the Prophet until eventually forgetfulness caused
him to lose interest. One of his uncles, however, reminded him of his plan,
praising what he intended to do.
In the pursuit of his evil design against the Prophet,
Thumamah met and killed a group of the Prophet’s companions. The Prophet
thereupon declared him a wanted man who could lawfully be killed on sight.
Not long afterwards, Thumamah decided to perform umrah
(the lesser pilgrimage). He wanted to perform Tawaf (circumambulation) around
the Kaabah and sacrifice to the idols there (The people of Mecca, before
becoming Muslims, placed hundreds of idols in the Kaaba). So he left
al-Yamamah for Mecca. As he was passing near Medina, an incident took place
which he had not anticipated.
Groups of Muslims were
patrolling the districts of Medina and outlying areas on the lookout
for any strangers or anyone intent on causing
trouble. One of these groups came upon Thumamah and apprehended him,
but they
did not know who he was. They took him to Medina and tied him to one of
the
columns in the mosque. They waited for the Prophet himself to question
the man
and decide what should be done with him.
Just as he was about to enter the mosque, the Prophet saw
Thumamah, so he asked his companions,
“Do you know whom you have taken?”
“No, messenger of God,” they replied.
“This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Haneefi,” he said. “You
have done well in capturing him.”
The Prophet then returned home to his family and said,
“Get what food you can and send it to Thumamah ibn
Uthal.”
He then ordered his camel to be milked in order to
provide him with milk. All this was done before he met Thumamah or had spoken
to him.”
The Prophet then approached Thumamah hoping to encourage
him to become a Muslim.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked.
“If you want to kill in reprisal,” Thumamah
replied, “you can have someone of noble blood to kill. If, out of your bounty,
you want to forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money as ransom, I shall
give you whatever amount you ask.”
The Prophet then left him for two days, but still
personally sent him food and drink and milk from his camel. The Prophet then went
back to him and asked,
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
Thumamah repeated what he had said a couple of days
beforehand. The Prophet then left and came back to him the following day.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
He asked again, and Thumamah repeated what he had said the
previous day once more. Then the Prophet turned to his companions and said,
“Set him free.”
Thumamah left the
mosque of the Prophet and rode out on
the trail to Mecca until he came to a palm grove on the outskirts of
Medina near al-Baqee (a place of luxuriant vegetation which later became
a cemetery for
many of the Prophet’s companions). He watered his camel and took a
complete
bath there. Then he made his way back to the Prophet’s mosque. There,
he
stood before a congregation of Muslims and said:
“I bear witness that there is no true god but Allah
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger.”
He then went to the Prophet and said:
“O Muhammad, by God, there was never on this earth
a face more detestable than yours. Now, yours is the dearest face of all to me.
I have killed some of your men,” he continued, “I am at your mercy. What will
you have done to me?”
“There is now no blame on you, Thumamah,” replied
the Prophet. “Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new
beginning.”
