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

328 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
"The Prophet (SAAS) then left and I went with them. Abn Bakr opened a
gate and began picking some grapes from Ta'if for us. And that was the first
food I ate there. I stayed some time in Mecca.
"Then the Messenger of God (SAAS) told me, 'I have been directed to go to
a land of palm trees, none other than Yathrib, I believe. Will you go and inform
your people about me? Perhaps God will benefit them through you, and give you
reward among them too.'
"So I left and rejoined my brother Anis. He asked me, 'What did you do?'
'What I did was, I accepted Islam and believed.'
"He commented, 'I've nothing against your religion. I too accept Islam and
believe.'
"We then went to our mother and she said, 'Well, I've nothing against your
religion. I accept Islam and believe.' We then packed up and rejoined our uihe
of Ghifzr, and some of them accepted Islam before the Messenger of God
migrated to Medina. Khufaf h. Ayma' b. Rakh~a the Ghifari led them as he was
their chief at that time. The remainder of them said, 'If the Messenger of God
(SAAS) comes, we will accept Islam.'
"And the Messenger of God (SAAS) did come and the remainder of them did
accept Islam. Then the Aslam trihe arrived and said, '0 Messenger of God, we'll
accept Islam just as our Ghifar brothers did.'
"The Messenger of God (SAAS) commented, 'God has ghafara, "forgiven",
Ghafar, and God has salama, "made peace with", Aslam!'"
Muslim related this from Hudba b. Khalid from Sulaymzn b. al-Mughira in
much the same words. The story of Abii Dharr's acceptance of Islam is also told
in another way, along with strange additions. But God knows best.
The account of the acceptance of Islam by Salmm aalFarisi has been given
previously in the hook recounting the miraculous signs of the mission of the
Prophet (SAAS).
An Account of the acceptance of Islam by Dimiid.
Muslim and al-Bayhaqi related a hadith of Dawad b. Abn Hind, from 'Amr b.
Sacid, from Sacid h. Jubayr, from Ibn 'Abhs, who said that Dimad came to
Mecca, he being a man of the Azd trihe from Shanii'a. He used to say incantations
to protect people from those winds. He overheard some Meccan fools saying,
"Muhammad is crazy." He asked them, "Where is this man? Perhaps God will
cure him at my hands."
He recounted, "I met Muhammad and said, 'I use incantations against
these winds. And God cures at my hands whomever He wishes. Do come
along.'