The delegation of Banu Abdul Qays

The people of Abdul Qays, who lived in eastern Arabia, were the first to embrace Islam outside Madinah. Thus, the first Friday prayers offered outside the Prophet’s Mosque were in the mosque of Abdul Qays, in the village of Jawathi, Bahrain.

The delegation of Banu Abdul Qays came twice, in 5 A.H. and in 9 A.H. The first delegation, comprising thirteen or fourteen people, saw the Prophet at the mosque, and jumping down from their mount right at the entrance of the mosque, they rushed to greet him.

However, one member of the delegation, Abdullah bin Auf Al-Ashj, who was the youngest of them all, did not rush toward the Prophet . He first made the camels kneel down and collected all of the goods from the saddlebags. He then took out clean clothes and put them on. The Prophet praised Abdullah’s behaviour and remarked: “You have two characteristics beloved by Allah and His Messenger. You are both far-sighted and patient.” Even before the arrival of this delegation, the Prophet had told his Companions: “A caravan will appear before you. Its members are the best among people of the east, and they willingly accepted Islam. They have exhausted their camels and their provisions. O Allah, forgive Abdul Qays.”

The Prophet said to the delegation upon its arrival, “Welcome! You will neither be disgraced nor ashamed.” They asked the Prophet to teach them something that they and their people could live by. The Prophet asked them to perform four duties: They were to bear witness (Shahaadah) that there was no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad was His Prophet and Messenger. They were also to establish prayer (Salaah), pay the obligatory yearly charity (Zakaah) and fast Ramadan (Sawm).

Since Hajj had not yet been made obligatory, the Prophet did not order the people of Banu Abdul Qays to perform it. They were also commanded to give one-fifth of any spoils obtained from war. They were forbidden to drink intoxicating beverages and were ordered to destroy the jars used for brewing such drinks. A second delegation of forty men from Abdul Qays came four years later. Accompanying the delegation was Jarud Ala Abdi, a Christian, who embraced Islam after meeting the Prophet.