Thumamah ibn Uthal (RA)
The Prophet’s Invitation:
In the sixth year after the Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ decided to expand the religion of Islam.
He sent eight letters to the rulers in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam, one of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.
Thumamah was one of the most powerful Arab rulers before Islam and was the leader of the tribe of Banu Hanifa.
Thumamah ibn Uthal’s Hostility Towards Islam:
When Thumamah received the Prophet’s letter, he became very angry and rejected it.
He refused to accept the invitation of Islam and decided to kill the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instead.
Thumamah waited for an appropriate time to carry out his plan against the Prophet and he also killed some of his companions.
Capture of Thumamah ibn Uthal:
not long after this incident, Thumamah decided to perform Umrah and he wanted to perform tawaf around the Kabah and provide a sacrifice to the idols there.
As he was passing near Madinah, a group of Muslims saw Thumamah and captured him, not knowing who he was.
The Muslims took him to Madinah and tied him to one of the pillars in the mosque. They waited for the Prophet to question the man and decide what should be done with him.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was about to enter the mosque, he saw Thumamah and asked his companions: Do you know whom you have taken? The companions replied: No, O Messenger of Allah.
The Prophet said: This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi, you have done well in capturing him.
Treatment of Thumamah ibn Uthal in Madinah:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then returned home to his family and said: Get what food you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal.
The Prophet’s Approach to Thumamah:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then approached Thumamah, hoping that he would accept Islam. He asked him: What do you have to say for yourself?
Thumamah said: If you want to kill in reprisal, you can have someone of noble blood to kill. If, out of your bounty, you want to forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money in compensation, I shall give you whatever amount you ask.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then left him for two days. However, he still personally sent him some food, drink and milk from his camel.
Eventually, the Prophet went back to him and asked again: What do you have to say for yourself Thumamah repeated what he had previously stated.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then left and came back to him the following day and asked once more: What do you have to say for yourself?
Once again, Thumamah ibn Uthal did not change his response.
The Prophet Sets Thumamah Free:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ turned to his companions and said: Set him free.
Embracing Islam:
Thumamah ibn Uthal than left the mosque of the Prophet and rode on his camel until he came towards the outskirts of Madinah. He watered his camel and washed himself before making his way back to the Prophet’s Mosque.
When Thumamah returned, he accepted Islam and went to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, saying: O Muhammad, by Allah, there was never on this earth a face more detestable than yours. now, yours is the dearest face of all to me. I have killed some of your men, I am at your mercy. What will you have done to me?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: There is now no blame on you, becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new beginning.
Thumamah was very happy to hear this and said: By Allah, I shall place my whole self, my sword, and whoever is with me at your service and at the service of your religion.
This incident between the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Thumamah is mentioned in a Hadith collected by Sahih Bukhari.
First Muslim to Perform Umrah with Talbiyah:
Thumamah said: O Rasulullah, when your horsemen captured me I was on my way to perform umrah. What do you think I should do now?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ commanded him: Go ahead and perform your Umrah but perform it according to the laws of Allah and His Messenger.
The Prophet taught Thumamah about how to perform Umrah according to Islamic rules.
When Thumamah reached the valley of Makkah, he shouted: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayka Laa shareeka Laka labbayk. Innal hamda wan ni’mata Laka wall mulk. Laa shareeka Lak. (Here I am at Your command O Lord, Here I am. Here I am. no partner has You. Here I am. Praise, bounty and Dominion belong to You. no partner has You.)
Thumamah ibn Uthal was the first Muslim ever to enter Makkah reciting the talbiyah.
The Reaction of the Quraysh:
The Quraysh heard the sound of the talbiyah and were angered by this, so they went with their swords with the intention of punishing the one who was reciting this.
As they came closer to him, Thumamah raised his voice even higher while reciting the talbiyah.
One of the Quraysh men was angered by this and was about to shoot Thumamah with an arrow. The other members of the Quraysh grabbed him and said: Woe to you! Do you know who this is? He is Thumamah ibn Uthal, ruler of Yamamah. By Allah, if you should harm him, his people would cut our supplies, with dire consequences for us.
The Quraysh went to Thumamah and said: What’s wrong with you, Thumamah? Have you given in and abandoned your religion and the religion of your forefathers?
Thumamah replied: I have not given in, but I have decided to follow the best religion. I follow the religion of Muhammad. I swear to you by the Lord of this House that after my return to al-Yamamah, no grain of wheat or any of its produce shall reach you until you follow Muhammad.
The Economic Boycott of Quraysh:
Thumamah ibn Uthal returned to Yamamah and ordered his tribe to stop distributing supplies to the Quraysh.
This boycott greatly impacted the Quraysh economically.
The Quraysh’ Letter to the Prophet:
The Quraysh then wrote to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ saying: Our agreement with you (the treaty of Hudaybiyyah) is that you should maintain the bonds of kinship but you have gone against that. You have cut the bonds of kinship. You have killed and caused death through hunger. Thumamah ibn Uthal has cut our supplies and inflicted harm on us. Perhaps you would see fit to instruct him to resume sending us what we need.
The Prophet Orders for the Boycott to End:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ immediately sent a messenger informing Thumamah to lift the boycott and resume sending supplies to the Quraysh.
Thumamah ibn Uthal then obeyed the command of the Prophet and allowed supplies to be sent back to Makkah.
Opposition to Musaylimah the False Prophet:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ died, many Arabs left the religion of Islam.
Musaylimah, the false prophet, began calling the the tribe Banu Hanifa to believe in him as a Prophet.
Thumamah confronted him and said to his people: O Banu Hanifa, beware of this grievous matter. There is no light or guidance in it. By Allah, it will only bring distress and suffering to whoever joins this movement and misfortune even to those who do not join.
Thumamah continued: O Banu Hanifa, two prophets do not come at the same time and there shall be no Prophet after Muhammad and no Prophet to share in his mission.
Thumamah ibn Uthal read out verses from the Quran: O Banu Hanifa: ‘two prophets do not come at the same time and there shall be no Prophet after Muhammad and no Prophet to share in his mission. (Quran, 40: 1-3)
Thumamah asked: can you compare these words of Allah with the words of Musaylimah?
Thumamah ibn Uthal Against the Apostates:
Thumamah ibn Uthal formed an army of those who remained as Muslims and they fought bravely against the apostates.
Hadiths Regarding Thumamah ibn Uthal:
Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent some horsemen towards the area of Najd, and they brought back a man from Banu Hanifa who was called Thumamah bin Uthal, the chief of the people of Al-Yamamah. Then, he was tied to one of the pillars of the Masjid. (Ibn Majah)
Abu Hurayrah also said: Thumamah bin Uthal went to fetch some water that was near the Masjid and performed Ghusl, then he entered the Masjid and said: ‘Ashhadu an la ila ha ill-Allah was ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh (I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).
Thumamah then said: O Muhammad, by Allah! There was no face on the face of the Earth that was more hateful to me than your face, not now your face has become the most beloved of all faces to me. You cavalry captured me and I want to perform Umrah. What do you think?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave him glad tidings and told him to perform Umrah. (An-Nasa’i)