The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 1 of 4

104 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
I'm not one of those who saw you or heard of you, agqessed against you, and
followed someone other than you. I now follow a religion of which you have
knowledge. But I have come to you and here I am, abandoning it for your religion.
Will that not have faults, sins, and misdeeds forgiven and please the Lord?'
"The Messenger of God (SAAS) replied, 'I will guarantee you that! So
sincerely express your belief in the unity (i.e. monotheism) and give up the
religion of Christianity.'
"Al-Jmd replied: 'By my father and my mother, extend your hand, for I bear
witness that there is no God but God alone and that He has no associate; and I
testify that you are Muhammad, His slave and His Messenger.'
"And so be accepted Islam, as did some of his people.
"And the Prophet (SAAS) was pleased at their accepting Islam and treated
them with such honour and generosity as to make them very happy and
delighted.
"Then the Messenger of God went over to them and asked, 'Does any one of
you know Quss b. Sa'ida al-Iyzdi?'
"Al-Jmd replied: 'By my father and mother, we all know him. And I am
one who knows a lot about him. Quss, 0 Messenger of God, was a fine Arab
knight. He lived 600 years, of which he spent five lifetimes living in the wastelands
and deserts, crying out the glory of God like Jesus did. He settled
nowhere, had no home to shelter him and no neighbour to appreciate him. He
dressed in hair-cloth and outdid the fasting ascetics. He never tired of his
monastic ways, on his journeys living off ostrich eggs and befriending lions,
enjoying the darkness, observing and considering, thinking and experiencing.
"'He therefore became one whose wisdom was legion, awe-inspiring things
being discovered through him, and he attained the leadership of the disciples of
Christ in reputation.
"'He was the first Arab to acknowledge God and to accept His unity. He
devoted himself firmly to God, becoming fully convinced of life after death and
of judgement. He warned of the evil of refusal and enjoined amion before it was
too late. He reminded of death and spoke of his acceptance of fate without either
anger or pleasure. He visited graves and preached of resurrection day. He spoke
verses in elegy. He gave thought to the fates and informed about the heavens and
about nature. He talked of the stars and discussed the water. He described the
seas and informed of ancient relics. He orated while ridmg and exhorted with
perseverance. He admonished against grief and against an excess of anger. He
wrote many sermons and made mention of all things terrible. He spoke compellingly
in his orations, gave explanation in his writings, expressed fear of time,
cautioned against weakness, exalted God's power, avoided any blasphemy,
expressed yearning for the pure faith, and called for immersion in religious life
and thought.