The delegation from Ta’if

As mentioned earlier, the Prophet laid siege to Ta’if after the battle of Hunayn, but he was unable to break through the gate of the city and decided to return to Madinah. Following on their heels was Urwa bin Mas’ood Thaqafi, one of the chieftains of Ta’if. He caught up with the troops just before they reached Madinah, and after meeting with the Prophet , he entered Islam.

Then he returned to Ta’if, confident that his people would embrace Islam once he explained its message to them. After all, his people had often declared he was dearer to them than their own families. Sadly, his people turned against him at his declaration of faith and rained arrows upon him until he lay dead.

Zeal for their pagan faith had its place, but soon the people of Ta’if realised the practical implications of holding out against the rising tide of Islam. They began to consider the problems they would face from the surrounding tribes that had embraced Islam and decided to negotiate with the Prophet. A delegation of six men headed by Abd Ya-Lail went to Madinah. It was Ramadan, 9 A.H., and when they reached Madinah, the Prophet pitched a tent for them in the corner of the mosque so that they could hear people reciting the Qur’an and witness how Muslims prayed.

Over several sessions of talks, the Prophet invited the visitors to accept Islam, but it was completely alien to their way of life. Finally, they said they would become Muslim if they did not have to perform five daily prayers. They also asked the Prophet not to outlaw adultery, wine, and usury for them. Lastly, they insisted on keeping their chief idol, “Lat.” Naturally, the Prophet rejected these conditions outright. Eventually, the delegation accepted Islam. Their only stipulation was that they would not have to destroy “Lat” with their own hands, and the Prophet agreed to this one request.

Uthman bin Abi Al-As Thaqafi was the youngest member of the delegation. He was usually left in the camp and spent his time learning the Qur’an from the Prophet and Abu Bakr . In this way he memorised a large part of the Qur’an without informing the other members of the delegation. To the surprise of the others, the young Uthman was appointed chief of the group. The Prophet nominated him to lead the others in prayer because of his knowledge and love of the faith and the Qur’an.

The delegation returned to Ta’if, but the members concealed their faith from their fellow tribesmen. They attempted to frighten people by painting a terrifying portrait of the Prophet : “We met a wrathful warrior who has come to power by the sword, and the people have accepted his supremacy. He treated us very brutally and threatened to destroy us in battle if we do not ban adultery, drinking and usury.”

At first, the people refused to be intimidated at the threat. Their pride bristled, and they declared their readiness to meet Muslims in battle to defend their false sense of honour. Later, however, the thought of being overpowered by an invading army filled them with terror, and they told their delegates to return to Madinah and acceded to the Prophet’s demands. The delegates then disclosed that they had already agreed to all of the Prophet’s demands and had embraced Islam. The people of Banu Thaqif were relieved at the news and they all became Muslim.

The Prophet sent Khalid bin Waleed, Muheera bin Shu’ba Thaqafi, and some other people from Ta’if to demolish the idol of “Lat.” With this literal and symbolic destruction of idolatry, Ta’if finally became part of the Islamic state.