Seeds of faith sprout outside Makkah (2)

Tufayl bin Amr Dausi:

He was a prominent poet and a chieftain of the Daus tribe that lived on the outskirts of Yemen. Eleven years after the Prophet began his mission, Tufayl visited Makkah only to be warned by the Quraysh about the danger of Muhammad’s bewitching words. Tufayl went to the Ka’bah with cotton stuffed in his ears as a precaution against the Prophet’s preaching. He arrived at the Ka’bah to find the Prophet performing his prayers nearby. Overcome by curiosity, Tufayl decided to listen to Muhammad’s recitation. “I am a poet with a trained ear. I can determine if what Muhammad says is true or false. Only if his words are good shall I accept what he says.” He was amazed by the Prophet’s recitation.

Tufayl then followed the Prophet home and asked him to explain Islam to him. After the Prophet did so, Tufayl embraced Islam. He then told the Prophet that his people trusted him and would listen to what he had to say, and that he would invite them to Islam. He asked the Prophet to give him a sign by which the people would recognise the truth of his words. The Prophet prayed to Allah to give him such a sign, and when Tufayl went back to his people his face was radiant. His people were reluctant to accept Islam, but his father and wife readily became Muslim. By the time he migrated to Madinah, however, seventy or eighty families had accepted Islam, and they accompanied him on the journey to Madinah.

Dhimad Azdi:

A skilled exorcist, he hailed from the Azd Shanwah tribe of Yemen. When he came to Makkah, he heard a rumour that Muhammad was insane. He then approached the Prophet and offered to cure him. The Prophet responded by saying, “All praise be to Allah. We glorify Him and seek His help. He whom Allah has guided cannot be misled, and he whom Allah has led astray cannot be guided. I bear witnes that there is no god except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger.” Dihmad was so impressed with the Prophet’s speech that he repeated it thrice and said, “I have heard the speeches of sorcerers, soothsayers and poets, but never before have I heard anything like this.” He then asked the Prophet to extend his hand so that he could pledge his allegiance to him.