THE TRIBE OF YATHRIB
Islam is a natural religion that knocks at the door of everyone’s heart. What is needed is to present it in a style that addresses people’s minds.
Islam is a natural religion. It knocks at the door of everyone’s heart. If there is no psychological obstacle, man is compelled to accept it. He surrenders to its veracity. One historical example of this is provided by Aws and Khazraj, the two tribes living in Madinah at the time of the Prophet.
During the Makkan period, an individual named Suayd ibn as-Samit came to Makkah from Madinah on a pilgrimage. His tribesmen used to call him Al-Kamil (the perfect one) because of his toughness, his poetry, his sense of honour, and his lineage.
The Prophet met him in Makkah and presented the message of Islam to him. Suayd said, “Perhaps you have something such as I have.” The Prophet asked what that was. He replied, “The wisdom of Luqman.” The Prophet said, “Present it to me.” So, he recited some of Luqman’s aphorisms. On hearing these words, the Prophet said, “These words are fine, but what I have is better still—a Quran which God has revealed to me—a guidance and a light.” And the Prophet recited a passage from the Quran to him and invited him to accept Islam. Suayd replied that these were better words. (Sirah Ibn Kathir, Vol. 2, 174)
Sometime later, Abul Haiser Anas ibn Rafe came to Makkah, accompanied by some men of the Aws Tribe. At that time, the Aws and Khazraj were at war, and this group had come to seek the support of the Quraysh against the Khazraj. When the Prophet heard about their visit, he came to see them. He sat with them and asked them if they would like to obtain something more profitable than the object of their present errand. They asked him what that was. Then the Prophet told them that he was God’s messenger and had been sent to humanity to call on them to worship God and not associate anything with Him. Then he read a passage to them from the Quran. Having heard this, one of the young members of this delegation, Ayaz ibn Muaz, said, “By God, this is something better than what we came here for.” But he did not accept Islam because his people opposed him. Then he went back to Madinah. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23619)
Later on, at the time of the pilgrimage, different Arab tribes came to Makkah. The Prophet used to go to these tribes and present Islam to them. At Al Aqaba, he met six men of the Khazraj, one of them being Asad ibn Zurara. After a preliminary conversation with them, the Prophet presented Islam to them and recited a passage from the Quran. These people had heard from the Jews that a final prophet would soon be sent. So, when the people of the Khazraj heard the message of the Prophet, they said to one another, “This is the very Prophet the Jews told us about. Don’t let them get to him before us.” Thereupon they accepted his teachings and became Muslims. (Sirat Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 429)
