The life of the Prophet Muhammad - Ibn Kathir - volume 2 of 4

128 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
(SAAS) invited him to do so. 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy, however, criticized him for
this and he pledged that he would not accept Islam until the next year. But he
died in the month Dhn al-Qacda."'
Others, as related by Ibn al-Athir in his work Usad al-Gh~ba (The Jungle
Lions) state that when death was close for him, the Prophet (SAAS) invited him
to Islam and he was heard to say, "There is no god but God."
Imzm Ahmad stated, "Hasan b. Miisa related to us, that Hammad b. Salama
related to him, from Thabit, from Anas b. Malik, that the Messenger of God
(SAAS) visited an ansnr man and said, '0 khnl, "maternal uncle", say, "There is
no god but God."' He replied, 'Do you say khnl, maternal uncle or 'amm, paternal
uncle?' 'No, 1 say khdl,' he replied. The man asked, 'So it is best for me to say,
"There is no god but God?" The Messenger of God (SAAS) replied, 'Yes.'"
Ahad is alone in giving this hadith.
CIkrima and others related that when he died, his son wanted to marry his
father's widow, Kabisha, daughter of Ma'an b. cA$im. She asked the Messenger
of God (SAAS) about this and God revealed, "Do not marry those same women
your fathers married" (surat al-Nisa'; IV, v.22).
Ibn Ishaq stated, as did Sacid b. Y&ya al-Umawi in his work on the maghdzi, the
military campaigns, "This man Abn Qays became a monk during the jnhfliyya
period before Islam and adopted wearing a hair-cloth gown. He abandoned the
idols, washed after being in a state of ritual impurity and kept away from menstruating
women. He thought of adopting Christianity but then refrained. He
took a house and made it into a mosque where he allowed no menstruating
women entrance nor anyone in a state of ritual impurity. He said, 'I worship the
God of Abraham when he had abandoned and expressed hatred for the idols.'
"This went on until the arrival of the Messenger of God (SAAS). He then
accepted Islam and became a good Muslim.
"He was a respected elder and man of truth who glorified God in that jnhiliyya
period, before Islam, in which he lived. He spoke fine verses on the subject. It was
he who said,
'Abn Qays, about to leave, says, "Perfom all you can of
this my advice.
I commend God to you, righteousness, piety and honour, but
devotion to God comes first.
If your people lead, do no envy them; if you attain
leadership, then be just.
If a disaster should befall your people, then place
yourselves in front of your tribe.
If a disastrous loss afflicts them, keep them company and
bear up beneath whatever it is they place on you.
If hardship afflicts you, remain pure, and if wealth
should come to you, then be generous."'