The delegation of Banu Haneefa

The Banu Haneefa also visited the Prophet in 9 A.H. Seventeen of their people, including the infamous Musaylima the Liar, came to Madinah and embraced Islam in the presence of the Prophet . Some sources indicate that Musaylima accepted Islam along with the other members of the delegation. Other sources, however, assert that he stayed behind at the camp and did not become Muslim. He is also reported to have said that he would embrace Islam only if the Prophet made him successor.

Before the arrival of this delegation, the Prophet had a vision that a treasure had been brought to him. From this treasure, two gold bangles were placed on his wrists, and they proved to be very painful for him. He was told to blow on the two bangles, and when he did so, the bangles fell off. The Prophet interpreted the dream for his Companions: the bangles represented two false prophets that would appear after him.

The Prophet was walking with his Companion, Thabit bin Qays, when he met the first false prophet, Musaylima the Liar. Musaylima was with his comrades, and he said to the Prophet insolently, “If you like, I will let you remain the head of state; however, I will be your successor.”

The Prophet showed him the small date branch that he had in his hand and said, “I shall not give you even this date. You cannot escape Allah’s decree, and if you turn your back, Allah will destroy you. By Allah, you are the one whom I saw in a vision. This is Thabit bin Qays, and he will reply to you on my behalf.”

Upon the return of the delegation, Musaylima kept a low profile. After some time, however, he began claiming that the Prophet had agreed to share his mission with him. Claiming to be a prophet who also received revelations, he made wine and adultery lawful for his people. His people went through a great trial of faith, and several of them succumbed to his false doctrines, although the Prophet was still alive. In the midst of Musaylima’s so-called mission, the Prophet died, and it was left to his successor, Abu Bakr to punish Musaylima. Abu Bakr sent a detachment under Khalid bin Waleed to kill Musaylima and his men. After a fierce battle, the imposter was killed by Washi bin Harb, who in his pagan days had earned infamy by killing Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib. By Allah’s grace, the same Washi earned the honour of eliminating Musaylima, the false prophet.