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

IMAM ABU ALFIDIT' ISMA?L IBN KATHIR 253
Main went on: "And so God alleviated my suffering and Wman became
fertile. I married four noble women, learned by heart a portion of the Qur'an,
and God granted me my son Hayym." He then recited the verses:
"My mount galloped towards you, 0 Messenger of God, traversing the deserts
from Wmm to al-'Arj,
So that you would intercede for me, 0 you who are the best of those who walked on
earth; and God would forgive me, and I return victorious.
To people whose religion I contradict; their beliefs and likes are different from
mine.
I was a man crazy over wine and women all my youth, until my boyhood almost
wore out;
He substituted fear and anxiety for the wine, and gave me chastity for immortality,
and reinforced my virtue.
So my interest and intent turned to the holy fight, and to God I direct my fasting,
to God my pilgrimage."
He went on, L'So when I came back to my people, they censured me and
cursed me, and set one of their poets to attack me. And I realized that if I
responded in like kind, I would only harm myself.
"So I moved away from them. Then a great delegation of them came to me; I
had been formerly in charge of their affairs. They told me, '0 Cousin, we hate
what has happened. If you can put it all aside, then return and be in charge of
our affairs. And we'll not bother you or whatever is in your religion.'
"So I did return with them and spoke the lines,
'Your hatred for us is bitter in taste, whereas our dislike for you, 0 my people,
tasted like buttermilk;
Time (fate) would not notice if your faults were laid out, but all of you when our
faults are extolled are keenly aware;
Our poet does not answer you hack, while your poet is eloquent and flamboyant in
cursing us.
Towards you, you should know, there is in (our) hearts only irritation, while in
yours there is hatred and loathing."'
M%in ended: "Then God led them all to Islam."
The hrfi~ Abii Nu- related from a hadirh of 'Ahd All* b. Muhammad b.
Wqayl, from Jzbir b. 'Abd Allxh, who said, "The first news of the mission of the
Messenger of God (SAAS) in Medina was as follows. A certain woman of
Medii had a channel who would come to her in the form of a white bird. It
alighted on a wall they had and she asked it, 'Why don't yon come on down so
that we can talk together and exchange news?' It replied, 'A Prophet has been
sent in Mecca who has prohibited fornication. And so our pleasure is prevented."'