Episode 82: The Delegation of Najran
The Prophet’s Letter to Najran:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had sent a letter to the Bishop inviting him and his people to Islam. The Bishop was the religious leader but the ruler of Najran was Shurahbil.
The Bishop asked Shurahbil: what do you think we should do about this letter?
Shurahbil replied: you would know better, you are more knowledgeable in terms of religion. This man is inviting you to Islam and claiming to be a Prophet, you would be more knowledgeable about these matters than me.
The Bishop then said: I know that this is a time where a Prophet is supposed to come and all of the signs are that it is going to come from the Banu Ismail. He is the only one from Banu Ismail claiming to be a Prophet.
They decided to gather the general population of Najran and tell them about the letter.
They gathered one hundred thousand people from Najran and the Bishop addressed them saying: we received a letter from a man named Muhammad who is claiming to be a Prophet from Allah and all the signs point to the probability that he is most likely telling the truth.
The general public said to the Bishop: you are the most knowledgeable amongst us, you should decide what to do and whatever you decide, we will follow you.
The Bishop and Shurahbil decided to form a delegation consisting of both political and religious leaders and they planned to go to Madinah to meet the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Arrival of the Delegation of Najran to Madinah:
When they arrived in Madinah, their clothes were dishevelled from the long journey from Najran.
Before they entered Madinah, they took off their travelling clothes and wore some very exquisite clothing.
Their intention was to meet the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wearing these fancy clothes so the Prophet would see them and give them importance.
They went to the Prophet ﷺ and tried to speak to him but the Messenger of Allah didn’t even acknowledge them.
The delegation were very confused by this and they saw Ali ibn Abi Talib and asked: we came to meet Muhammad but he is not talking to us.
Ali ibn Abi Talib saw the way they were dressed and said: the Messenger of Allah probably saw the way you were dressed and it shows a type of arrogance wearing extravagant clothing like this, so that is probably why he did not want to talk to you. If you change your clothes back to what you were travelling with, then he will probably talk to you.
After hearing this, the delegation took off their extravagant robes and wore their humble, modest clothes that they had on during the journey and went back to the Prophet and spoke to him.
The Prophet ﷺ mentioned: the first time they came in wearing those luxurious silk robes, Iblis entered with them. They were not showing humility, rather they were showing pride.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was now ready to speak with them.
Discussion about Prophet Isa:
These Christians asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: what do you believe about Isa?
Allah SWT revealed Ayats in Surah Al-Imran – which tells the story of Maryam and how Isa (AS) was conceived and how he spoke in the cradle.
Allah SWT says: ‘Surely the likeness of Isa is as the likeness of Adam.’ (Quran, 3:59)
Allah SWT revealed these verses as a proof against the Christians and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recited verses from Surah Al-Imran to the delegation from Najran.
The Bishop and Shurahbil consulted with their delegation and they realised that what the Prophet was saying, made sense and all of the signs pointed to his truthfulness.
They were seriously considering accepting Islam but in the end, they decided not to accept the religion as they felt they could not leave their religion of Christianity.
Allah SWT says: ‘Tell whoever disputes with you on this matter after true knowledge has come to you: ‘Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and then let us pray together and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie.’ (Quran, 3:61)
The Challenge of a Mubahala (Challenge of Invoking the Curse of Allah):
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ challenged the Christian delegation to a Mubahala.
A Mubahala is a mutual agreement when two parties invoke in Allah’s curse on whoever is lying in a religious dispute.
The Prophet ﷺ got his daughter, Fatimah and his grandsons, Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn and was ready to call upon Allah and invoke His curse on whoever was lying. However, the Christian delegation got scared.
The Bishop said: we cannot accept this challenge because if we invoke the curse of Allah upon ourselves, and if he is really telling the truth, and he is the Messenger of Allah (and all the signs point that he probably is the Messenger of Allah) then we will be destroyed and our descendants will be destroyed.
They consulted amongst themselves and asked: what should we do?
They did not want to accept Islam but they also did not want to take part in this Mubahala.
The leader, Shurahbil told the delegation: we should go to Muhammad and say we do not want to accept Islam or do this challenge invoking the curse of Allah, but whatever you want to do with us, we will accept it.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then informed Shurahbil: maybe your people will not accept the decision I make.
Shurahbil reassured the Prophet, saying: I am the ruler of my people, if I accept something, they will all accept it. no one from my people will disagree with me.
Peace Agreement with Najran:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: My decision is, the people of Najran can live peacefully as Christians in Najran, but you will have to pay the Jizyah (tax) to the Muslims.
Shurahbil agreed and because of this peaceful resolution, the Prophet ﷺ sent ambassadors to teach the people of Najran the religion of Islam and to spread dawah.
Eventually, the people of Najran accepted Islam, including the leader, Shurahbil.
Delegation of Banu Bajila – Jarir ibn Abdullah:
Among the delegations that came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the tribe of Banu Bajila, from Yemen and this delegation was led by Jarir ibn Abdullah.
They entered Madinah on the day of Jummah and it was time for the Khutbah.
The Prophet ﷺ was delivering the Khutbah when Jarir ibn Abdullah entered the Masjid and all of the companions present were looking at him.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went silent and Jarir ibn Abdullah was confused by this.
As he was moving to find a place to sit, everyone was staring at him and he sat down and asked someone: why is everyone looking at me? Did the Prophet say something about me?
The man replied: Yes, the Prophet had just said before you entered, someone is going to enter through that door right now and he is the best person from Yemen.
This is why all the companions were looking at the door, waiting for someone to come in.
Jarir was very happy with the way the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ honoured and treated him.
Jarir ibn Abdullah said: anytime I ever asked permission to enter and meet the Prophet, I was always given permission. And every time the Prophet saw me, he would always smile.
Jarir told the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: I have one problem, I can’t balance well on a horse and I fall off the horse regularly.
The Prophet ﷺ made a special Dua for him, saying: O Allah, make him firm and make him a person who guides others and is guided himself.
Allah SWT accepted this Dua and from that point on, Jarir ibn Abdullah was able to ride a horse and he never fell down off it again.
Jarir was a very handsome man and Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say about him: he is the Yusuf of this Ummah.
Acceptance of Islam:
Most of the delegations accepted Islam in the ninth year of Hijrah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would send teachers from his companions in Madinah to go to the tribes and delegations, who had accepted Islam and to teach about the religion to enhance their knowledge.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent Abu Musa al-Ash’ari and Mu’adh ibn Jabal as teachers.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal’s Knowledge and Mission:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ first came to Madinah, Mua’dh was only eighteen years old.
At this point, he was under the age of thirty and the Prophet entrusted this young man with such an important responsibility.
The Prophet’s Love for Mu’adh:
Mua’dh was very beloved to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who said about him: Mu’adh ibn Jabal is the most knowledgeable companion when it comes to knowing what is halal and haram.
On one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ went to Mu’adh and said: surely, I love you!
Mu’adh loved the Prophet ﷺ so much that he would make sure that he attended the Jamaat of Isha with him, who would lead the Isha prayer in Masjid al-Nabawi and Mu’adh would pray behind him.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal would then go back and lead his people as an Imam for the Isha prayer.
Incident of Mu’adh Elongating the Prayer:
On one occasion, when Mu’adh ibn Jabal was leading the Isha prayer, he started reciting the whole of Surah al-Baqarah.
One of the men who was praying behind Mu’adh found the prayer too long, so he finished the prayer on his own and left.
The people notified Mu’adh about this man, who then said: this is a Munafiq!
When this news reached the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he was angry at Mu’adh.
The Prophet ﷺ addressed him and said: have you become a fitnah for the people, you are making the prayer so long that you are making it difficult for them. This is a fitnah for them!
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said this in a harsh manner to Mu’adh, which showed that the relationship between them was very close as the Prophet could be harsh with him, and Mu’adh would not take any personal offence to it.
The Prophet Sends Mu’adh to Yemen:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent Mu’adh ibn Jabal to Yemen to teach the Yemenis about the religion of Islam.
Mu’adh was getting ready to leave Madinah and as he was about to leave, the Prophet was there to bid him farewell.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to him: O Muadh, perhaps you will not meet me again after this year. Perhaps when you come back from Yemen, you will only see my Masjid and my grave.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal started to cry a lot and the Prophet ﷺ was also very emotional.
Mu’adh was looking towards him but the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would look away.
Mu’adh’s Return to Madinah (After the Death of the Prophet):
Eventually, when Mu’adh ibn Jabal returnd to Madinah, the words of the Prophet came true.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had passed away and Mu’adh just found what had remained, his Masjid and his grave.
Surah An-Nasr and the Completion of the Mission:
Allah SWT then revealed Surah An-Nasr when all of these tribes accepted Islam.
Allah mentions in this Surah: ‘When the help of Allah comes and the victory, and you see the people entering Islam in huge crowds, Glorify the praise of your Lord and ask your Lord for His forgiveness. Surely He is the one who accepts repentance and forgives.’ (Quran, 110: 1-3)
Abu Bakr’s Reaction to this Surah Being Revealed:
When this Surah was revealed, Abu Bakr started to cry a lot as he realised that this Surah was a sign that the mission of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was nearing its completion, and he knew the Prophet did not have much time left in this Dunya.
The Growth of the Muslim Population:
The Muslim population had grown immensely as a few years before this, at Hudaybiyyah, there were only fourteen hundred Muslims but two years later, when Makkah was conquered, this number increased to ten thousand Muslims.
Now in the tenth year, two years after the conquest of Makkah, there were at least one hundred thousand Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had completed his job and now the time was coming for Allah SWT to take the soul of the greatest man to ever walk on this Earth.