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

IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA'IL IBN KATHIR 257
Wthmm then spoke the following verses,
"0 festival idol, around whom assemble the chiefs of delegations come from far and
near,
You turn upside down if defeated; tell us why. Is this unimportant, or do you turn
in anger?
If this is for some sin we have committed, we will acknowledge it and give up this
sin,
But if you have been defeated and turned over in abasement, then among idols you
are no Lord, no master."
They then set the idol back in its position. When they did so, a great voice
rang out from inside the idol, saying,
"It fell over because of a newly born, light from whom illuminated all the mountain
sides of all the earth, in east and west,
To which all the idols, without exception, fell down and at which the hearts of all
the kings of the earth, without exception, trembled in fear.
And the 6res of all the Persians died down and went out, the king of the Persians
himself spending a night of great anxiety.
The soothsayers of the unknown having been abandoned by their spirits, from
them no infolmation coming, true or false.
0 Q?I~ayy, come back from your error, come over to Islam and to the wideapen
house."
When they heard this they conferred together in private and some of them
said, "Let us he truthfd to one another and keep our secret among one another."
All of them said, "Yes indeed!"
Waraqa b. Nawfal told them, "By God, you all know that your people have
no religion. They have made an enormous mistake and abandoned Abraham's
religion. What purpose is there in a stone you circumambulate that does not
hear, nor see, nor can do any good or harm? 0 my people, adopt a religion!"
The account proceeds, "And so thereupon they left, travelling all over asking
about the hantfiyya, the religion of Abraham, God bless hi."
As for Waraqa b. Nawfal, he became a Christian, studied the Scriptures and
so became very learned.
Wthmm b. al-Huwayrith travelled to the emperor, became a Christian and
lived there in high estate with him.
Zayd b. 'Amr b. Nufayl tried to leave but was gaoled. Eventually, however,
he did leave, travelling far and wide till he reached al-Raqqa, in the Arabian
peninsula. There he met a learned monk whom he told what he wanted to know.
Then the monk said, "You are seeking a religion to which you won't find anyone
to lead you. But the time is near for a prophet who will come forth from your
land and who will he sent with the hanzfiyya religion."