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

among them, and because they do not behave with conceit." Then he said, '0
Salmm, those whom you accompanied, and your friend as well, were not
Christians; they were Muslims.' I replied, 'By Him who sent you with the truth,
he certainly did order me to follow you.' And when I said, 'But what if he tells
me to leave your religion and your practices?' he did say, 'Yes; do leave that, for
the truth, and what pleases God is whatever he orders you."'
In this passage there are many strange elements and some differences with the
text cited by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Ishaq's is stronger in its chains of
authorities, better in its narrative, and closer to that related by al-Bukh%i in his
~ahih collection. The latter relies on the hadith of Muctamar h. Sulayman h.
Tarkhm d-Taymi, from his father, from Aba 'Uthmm d-Nahdi, from Salman
al-Faisi. That account relates dozens of interactions, from master to master,
that is, from teacher to teacher, and from guide to guide. But God knows best.
Al-Suhayli said, "There were 30 changes in all, from one master to the next."
But God knows best.
Similarly the hz'z Abn Nu'aym abbreviated the account of Salmm's wnversion
in his work al-Dalz'zl (The Szgns). In it he gave many different chains of
authorities, and many different phrases. In some of these the name of the woman
who made the contract about him was named Halbasa. But God knows best.
An Account of certain strange events relating thereto.
Abn Nu'aym stated in al-Dalz'il that Sulaymm b. &mad related to hi, quoting
M+ammad b. Zakariyya' al-Ghalsbi, quoting d-'Ala' b. al-Fad1 b. 'Ahd
d-Malik h. Abii d-Sawiyya al-Minqari, as did 'Ahbad h. Kassib, from his father,
from Abii 'Atwaa al-Khuza'i, from Sacir b. Sawada al-'iimiri, who said, "I was
in love with one of the finest ladies of the tribe. For her I rode every kind of
mount, difficult and submissive alike, leaving no place untried in my hopes of
business and profit. I left Syria with goods and produce I wanted to sell to the
crowds of pilgrims and Arabs and so entered Mecca one very dark night. I
stayed until night was over and when I lifted my head I could see a pavilion over
against the top of the mountain quilted out of heavy cloth from al-Ta'if. Animals
were being slaughtered and others brought. People were eating and others encouraging
the cooks to hurry up. There, too, was a man calling loudly from a hilltop,
saying, '0 pilgrims, come on over and eat lunch!' There was also a little man
over on a path calling out, '0 pilgrims, if you have eaten, pass on till supper.' I
was amazed by what I saw and went over there seeking the group's leader. One
man saw what I wanted and told me, 'Straight ahead!'
"Then I saw an old man whose cheeks were very red and who seemed to have
a star shining forth from his forehead. He had twisted around his head a black