Book: Dalail an-Nubuwwah by Bayhaqi

Chapter on Mentioning Al-Uqbah and the Allegiance of Those Who Attended the Season from the Ansar at the Pledge of Allegiance

Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl al-Qattan from Baghdad narrated to us, stating: Abu Bakr ibn Attab informed us, saying: Al-Qasim ibn Abdullah ibn al-Mughirah narrated to us, saying: Ibn Abi Uways informed us, saying: Ismail ibn Ibrahim ibn Utbah narrated from his uncle Musa ibn Uqbah. Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us, stating: Ismail ibn Muhammad ibn al-Fadl al-Sha'raniyy reported to me, saying: My grandfather narrated to us, stating: Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Fulayh reported from Musa ibn Uqbah, from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri regarding the story of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) departure to Ta'if. He said: "So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) returned to Mecca, and when the season arrived, a group of Ansar performed Hajj, among them were Mu'adh ibn Afrā’, As'ad ibn Zurara, Rafi' ibn Malik, Thaqwan, Ubada ibn al-Samit, Abu Abd al-Rahman ibn Tha'labah, Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan, and 'Uwaim ibn Sa'idah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) met them and informed them of his news, the one which Allah had chosen [Additional material from S and H]. Al-Uqbah is a place on the left side of the road leading from Mecca to Mina. The season refers to the Hajj season, where famous markets like 'Ukaz were held and Arabs from all over used to attend, each tribe having its own designated dwelling place."

Guidance and Brotherhood: A Tale of Conversation and Conviction

By virtue of his nobility and prophethood, he recited the Quran to them. Upon hearing it, they were certain, and their hearts found peace in what they had heard. They recognized qualities in him unknown to the People of the Book, believed in him, followed him, and became instrumental in the good that Allah destined for him.

A Plea for Unity and Understanding

"You are well aware of the discord and bloodshed plaguing us," they declared. "We are eager to heed God's guidance and strive to counsel you sincerely. We suggest you stay on your mission in the name of Allah until we return to our people. There, we will recount your virtues, invite them to Allah and His Messenger. Perhaps Allah will reconcile and unite us. As we stand divided today, if you advance without reconciliation, we will not have a unified stance on you. However, we pledge to meet you in the coming year."

Acceptance and Unveiling Islam

The Messenger of Allah was content with their proposal. Upon their return, they secretly informed their people, proclaiming the message of Allah and His Messenger. Soon, almost every household among the Ansar embraced Islam. They then sent messengers to the Prophet, requesting a learned envoy to teach them the Book of Allah, knowing he was fit to be followed.

Appointment of a Guide

The Prophet dispatched Mus'ab ibn Umair, who resided with the Banu Taym under As'ad ibn Zurara. Calling people to Islam discreetly, Islam flourished amongst them, all while maintaining a secretive outlook. As'ad, accompanied by Mus'ab, eventually reached the well of Banu Marqah. Sending word to a group of Ansar, they arrived incognito, where Mus'ab imparted knowledge and recited verses, and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh recognized him, amidst the confusion over his identity. Boldly stepping forward with a spear in hand, he questioned Abi Umamah's presence - What warranted his bizarre and solitary appearance in their abode?

Story of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and the Conversion of Tribes

Someone mocked our weak by falsehood, and called them to it, and you did not help them from the neighbors, so they left and returned. Then they came back to the well of Bani Marq or close to it. They mentioned Sa'd ibn Mu'adh for the second time. He came to them and promised them a different promise than the first. When Sa'd ibn Zuraarah saw kindness in him, he said, "Listen to his word. If you hear something wrong, reject it with what is better. If you hear the truth, respond to it." Sa'd ibn Mu'adh asked, "What do you say?" Mus'ab ibn Umair recited Surah Ham and the Clear Book, "Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand."

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh replied, "I only hear what I know." Sa'd ibn Mu'adh guided them and did not openly show his Islam until he returned to his people. He invited Bani Abd al-Ashhal to Islam, and declared his Islam to them. He said, "Whoever has doubt about him, let him bring a better alternative." And indeed, a matter has come which will sadden the necks; the people of Bani Abd al-Ashhal accepted Islam along with Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. They were the first household of the Ansar to embrace Islam.

Later, the Banu Najjar expelled Mus'ab ibn Umair and intensified upon Sa'd ibn Zuraarah. Mus'ab ibn Umair then moved to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, continuing to invite people to faith, and through him, many noble households among the Ansar embraced Islam. Amr ibn al-Jamu'ah converted and their idols were broken. The Muslims were honored among the people.

Story of the Ansar in the First Pledge of Aqabah

Musab ibn Uqbah narrated that Ibn Shihaab mentioned the story of the Ansar in the first trip. Ibn Ishaq also mentioned this incident, stating that the Prophet wanted to spread Islam and elevate his status. He went to meet a group of Ansar at Aqabah, where twelve men pledged allegiance, including Asad ibn Zurarah and Ubada ibn al-Samit. Later, the Prophet sent or accompanied by them Musab bin Umair. This story is narrated authentically with the permission of Allah.

Journey to Spread Islam

When Allah desired to manifest His religion and honor His Prophet, the Prophet Muhammad went on a journey to meet a group of Ansar. While at Aqabah, he encountered a group from the Khazraj tribe, whom Allah intended good for. This journey marked a significant step in the early days of Islam.

Encounter with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)

When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) met them, he asked, "Who are you?" They replied, "A group from Al-Khazraj." He asked, "Are you allies of the Jews?" They answered, "Yes." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Why don't you sit down so I can talk to you?" They agreed and sat with him. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) then invited them to Islam, recited the Quran to them, and informed them that the Jews who were among them were people of the Book and knowledge. The Aws and Khazraj, on the other hand, were involved in polytheism and idolatry. When disputes arose between them, the Jews would say that a Prophet was coming and they would follow him to exterminate their enemies just as 'Ad and Iram were destroyed.

Acceptance of Islam

After the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) talked to them and invited them to Allah, some of them said to others, "This is the Prophet who was promised to you by the Jews. Do not let them get to him before you do." When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) invited them to Allah and offered them Islam, they accepted and said, "We have cut ties with our people, and no enmity remains between us. May Allah bring us together under your guidance. We will endorse your message and convey it to our people. If Allah unites them under you, there will be no one more honored than you."

Conversion and Departure

After embracing Islam and declaring their belief, the six men from Al-Khazraj, including As'ad ibn Zurarah, Abu Umamah, Awf ibn Malik ibn Rifa'ah, Rafi'ah ibn Malik ibn Al-Ajlan, and Qutbah ibn Az-Ziad, returned to their land, convinced of the truth they had accepted.

The Pledge of Allegiance at Al-Aqabah

Amir ibn Hadeedah, Uqbah ibn Amir ibn Ziyad, and Jabir ibn Abdullah mentioned their lineages except that I shortened it. He said: When they arrived in Al-Madinah to their people, they mentioned to them the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and invited them to Islam, until it spread among them. There was not a house in the dwellings of the Ansar except that it contained a mention of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

When the following year arrived, twelve men from the Ansar came to meet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, at Al-Aqabah, the first Al-Aqabah. They pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, based on the pledge of women, even before warfare was made obligatory upon them: As'ad ibn Zurarah, Awf and Mu'adh ibn Harith, Rafi ibn Malik, Dhakwan ibn Abd Qais, Ubadah ibn As-Samit, Yazid ibn Tha'labah, Abbas ibn Ubaidah ibn Nadalah, Uqbah ibn Amir, Qutbah ibn Amir, Abu Al-Haytham ibn At-Tayyihan, and Awaim ibn Sa'idah as their allies.

Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Muqri' Al-Isfarayini informed us, saying: Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq told us, saying: Yusuf ibn Ya'qub Al-Qadi narrated to us, saying: Nasr ibn Ali informed us, saying: Wahb ibn Jarir ibn Hazim narrated to us, saying: My father informed me, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, who said: Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatadah told me that a man from his people mentioned that while a group of them had stoned the Jamarah and departed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, intercepted them and asked, "Who are you?" They said, "From Khazraj." He narrated the incident in a manner similar to the narration of Yunus, except that in the list of six, Awf ibn Affra replaced Awf ibn Malik, and Mu'adh ibn Affra' replaced Mu'adh ibn Malik, and Uqbah ibn Amir was mentioned instead of Uqba ibn Amir.

First Hand Account of Pledging Allegiance to the Prophet Muhammad

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz narrated to us, saying: Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, stating: Ahmad ibn Abd Al-Jabbar relayed to us, saying: Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Yazid ibn Abi Habib informed us, from Marthad ibn Abdullah Al-Yazani, from Abu Abdullah As-Sunabihi, from Abdur-Rahman ibn Usaylah, who said: Ubada ibn As-Samit narrated, saying: “We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, on the night of the first Aqabah. We were twelve men, and I was one of them. We pledged not to associate partners with Allah, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to kill our children, not to fabricate falsehood that we would spread with our hands and feet, not to disobey in matters of righteousness, before warfare was obligatory. If we fulfill this, paradise is ours; and if we fall into any shortcoming, the matter is with Allah: if He wills, He will forgive, and if He wills, He will punish."

Corroborated Account of the Pledge

Abu Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl Al-Qattan informed us, stating: Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, saying: Ya'qub ibn Sufyan conveyed to us, saying: Al-Hasan ibn Ar-Rabi narrated to us, saying: Ibn Idris related, from Ibn Ishaq, who asserted: Yazid ibn Abi Habib reported to us, from Marthad ibn Abdallah Al-Yazani, from Abdur-Rahman ibn Usaylah As-Sunabihi, from Ubada ibn As-Samit, saying: “We were twelve men at the first Aqabah. He mentioned the narration in a similar vein, without the segment: 'before warfare was obligatory.' Jareer ibn Hazim also mentioned it in reference to Ibn Ishaq."

Further Testimonies on the Pledge

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz narrated to us, saying: Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ya'qub reported to us, stating: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad As-Saydalani, Muhammad ibn Nuaym, Muhammad ibn Shadhan, and Ahmad ibn Salamah informed us, stating: Qutaybah ibn Saeed said: Al-Layth narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, from Abu Al-Khayr (Marthad), from As-Sunabihi, from Ubada ibn As-Samit, saying: “I am among the pioneers who pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family." The full account will be detailed in the following annotation.

Translation of Classical Islamic Arabic Text

We pledged allegiance to him on the condition that we do not associate anything with Allah, and that we do not steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill a soul whose sanctity has been declared by Allah except with justice, and that we do not engage in plunder, nor disobey. He promised us Paradise if we do so. If we deviated from this in any way, the decision rests with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic."

Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in Sahih from Qutaybah bin Sa'id. Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Muqri informed us that Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated to him, who was told by Yusuf ibn Ya'qub, who was told by Nasr ibn Ali, who was told by Wahb, who was told by his father, from Ibn Ishaq, saying:

"Then they returned, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent along with them Mu'adh ibn Zuhair. Ibn Ishaq said: 'Asim ibn Umar narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent him after them. They had written to him: 'Islam has spread among us, so send us a man from your companions who can teach us the Quran, educate us in Islam, establish us in his Sunnah and laws, and lead us in prayer.' So Mu'adh bin Jabal was sent and would stay with Abu Umamah As'ad bin Zurarah. Mu'adh was known in Madinah as the reciter, while Abu Umamah would take him to the homes of the Ansar, inviting them to Islam and educating those who converted.'

Ibn Ishaq said: 'Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr and 'Ubaydullah ibn al-Mughirah narrated this."

Story of Mus'ab ibn 'Umair

It was narrated by Ibn Ishaq that when the people departed from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he sent Mus'ab ibn 'Umair with them. Ibn Ishaq further narrated that Asim ibn 'Umar ibn Qatadah said that Mus'ab used to lead them in prayer, and some from the tribes of Aws and Khazraj disliked being led by others from the tribes. When they returned to the Messenger of Allah, he sent Mus'ab with the twelve men who had given him the pledge of allegiance at Al-Aqabah to Medina to teach the people there and to educate them in the Quran.

Mus'ab's Mission

Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr claimed ignorance about what the first pledge of allegiance was. Ibn Ishaq clarified that indeed, there were two pledges. His residence was under As'ad ibn Zurarah, and he was known as the Quran teacher in Medina. One day, As'ad took him to the house of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, entering through a wall belonging to the Banu Zafar, a village of Banu Zafar, which was lower than the village of Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh overheard them and instructed to rebuke him on their behalf.

Dialogue between Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr and Usayd ibn Hudayr

Usayd ibn Hudayr: Let us be spared the man we dislike, for it has reached me that this strange man has come along with him who amuses our fools and weaklings. If it weren't for the kinship between you and me, I would have done away with that.

Usayd took the sword and went out until they came to him. When As'ad ibn Zurara saw him, he said to Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr: "This, by God, is the chief of his people. May God test you with him in a good test."

Conversion to Islam

Usayd: "Why have you brought this strange man to us who makes fun of our fools and weaklings?" Mus'ab: "Sit and listen. If you are pleased, accept what he says; if not, what you dislike will be removed from you."

Mus'ab then spoke to Usayd, presented Islam to him, recited the Quran, and Usayd recognized Islam on his face before even speaking a word to simplify things. Usayd then said, "How beautiful and noble is this! What will you do when you enter this religion?" They replied: "Perform ablution, purify your clothes, testify to the truth, and pray two units of prayer." Usayd followed the instructions.

Declaration of Support

Usayd: "Behind me is a man from my people. If he follows you, no one from his people will disagree with you thereafter."

usayd then went to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. When Sa'd saw him approaching, he said, "By God, Usayd ibn Hudayr has come back without a reason. What have you done? Usayd: "They have scorned me, and I have heard that Banu Haritha want to kill As'ad ibn Zurara to get back at you, because he is your cousin." Upon hearing this, Sa'd, angry, took the sword from Usayd and said, "I do not find you any good." Sa'd went out, and when As'ad saw them, he said to Mus'ab: "This, by God, is the leader of those behind him. If he follows you, none from his people will oppose you. Trust in God with him." Mus'ab then asked if he could speak to him.

Encounter with Sa'd ibn Zuraarah

When he stood before them, he said: "O As'ad! What prompted you to accuse me of what I detest, even though it is slanderous? By Allah, if it weren't for the kinship between us, you would not have desired this from me." As'ad replied: "Sit down and listen. If you are pleased with something, accept it. And if you dislike it, you are excused from what you dislike." Sa'd said: "You have been just to me." He then focused his attention and sat down. Mus'ab spoke with him and presented Islam to him. He recited the Qur'an to him. We recognized Islam in him before he even spoke so that his face would be eased.

Acceptance of Islam

He then said: "This is good. How will you act when you enter this religion?" They advised him: "Perform ablution, purify your clothes, testify to the truth, and pray two units. Sa'd stood up and performed the actions. He then took his stick and departed from them to his people.

Return to Bani 'Abd al-Ashhal

When the men of Bani 'Abd al-Ashhal saw him, they said: "By Allah, Sa'd has returned to us with a different countenance than he left with." When he stood before them, he said: "O People of Bani 'Abd al-Ashhal, what is your opinion of me?" They replied: "By Allah, you are our best and most esteemed in our view." Sa'd then said: "The conversations of your men and women about me are forbidden until you believe in Allah alone and testify to the truth of Muhammad, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him and his family. By Allah, by the end of that day, there was not a man or woman in the house of Bani 'Abd al-Ashhal except that they were Muslim."

Preaching Islam

Mus'ab ibn 'Umair went to the house of As'ad ibn Zurarah. As Yunus narrates: "He stayed with him, inviting people to Islam until there was not a house among the dwellings of the Ansar that did not have Muslim men and women except for the houses of Bani Umayyah ibn Zayd, Khattamah, Wa'il, and Waqif. Mus'ab ibn 'Umair then returned to Mecca."

Mus'ab ibn Umair: The First Friday Congregation in Madinah

It was narrated that Mus'ab ibn Umair was the first to gather the Muslims for Friday prayers in Madinah before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Abu 'Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us that Abu al-'Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us from Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jabbar, who narrated from Yunus, who narrated from Ibn Ishaq, who narrated from Muhammad ibn Abi Umamah ibn Sahl, from his father, who said: "Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka'b ibn Malik told me, 'I was leading my father when he became blind. Whenever I took him to the Friday prayer and he heard the call to prayer, he would seek forgiveness for Abu Umamah As'ad ibn Zurarah. I stayed for a while to hear that from him. I then mentioned this to him and he said: 'O my son, As'ad was the first to gather us in Madinah before the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the valley of Al-Khadimah in the aftermath of the defeat of the Banu Bayadahat. I asked, 'How many were you then?' He said, 'Forty men.' I said, 'It is possible that this contradicts the statement of Ibn Shihab.' It seems that Mus'ab gathered them with the help of As'ad ibn Zurarah and Ka'b supported him in that. Allah knows best.

Note: The term 'Al-Hazm' refers to low-lying land. 'Niqi' al-Khadimah' is a place name.

Refer to the source for more details: Ibn Hisham's biography (1:42-43), Ibn Sa'd's 'Tabaqat' (1:219), Al-Tabari's 'Tarikh' (2:353), and more.