The Deputation of Najran
Volume 1, Parts II.74.100
The narration is connected with the narration of ‘Ali Ibn Muhammad alQurashi; they said:
The Apostle of Allah wrote to the people of Najran. Thereupon a
deputation consisting of fourteen members of their Christian nobles
waited on him. Among them were al-‘Aqib, whose name was ‘Abd alMasih and who was a person from Kindah, Abu al-Harith Ibn ‘Alqamah,
a person from banu Rabi’ah, his brother Kurz, al-Sayyid and Aws sons of
al-Hàrith, Zayd Ibn Qays, Shaybah, Khuwaylid, Khalid, ‘Amr and
‘Ubayd Allah. There were three persons to arrange their affairs and
al-‘Aqib was their chief and whom they consulted and whose advice they
followed. Abu al-Harith was their bishop, scholar, leader and manager of
their schools. Al-Sayyid was in charge of their journey. Kurz the brother
of Abu al-Harith went before them reciting:
We (some people) are coming to you in haste and their sheep cast
down its young in embryo.
Their religion is opposed to the religion of Christians.
He approached the Prophet, may Allah bless him, then the
deputation arrived after him. They entered the mosque and their
garments were of hibrah cloth and their sheets had the patches of silk.
They stood in the mosque to offer prayers facing towards the east. The
Apostle of Allah said: Let them (pray). Then they came to the Prophet,
may Allah bless him, and he turned his face and did not talk to them.
‘Uthman said to them: It is because of your dress. They went back and
next morning they came in the dress of the monks and greeted him. He
responded and invited them to embrace Islam. They declined so there
ensued a long discourse and argumentations. He recited the Qur’an
before them and said to them: If you contradict what I say then come on,
we will curse each other. On this they retired, then ‘Abd al-Masih and
two wise men of them came in the morning before the Apostle of Allah,
may Allah bless him, and said: We think it proper not to curse each
other. You may order us as you like and we shall obey you and shall
make peace with you. Thereupon he concluded peace with them on the
condition of receiving two thousand garments, one thousand in Rajab
and one thousand in Safar, (or) one ugiyah (of silver) for every garment.
If there be a conflict with al-Yaman they will lend thirty coats of arm,
thirty spears, thirty camels and thirty steeds. For the Najran and their
neighbours there is the protection of Allah and the guarantee of
Muhammad, the Prophet, the Apostle of Allah, over their souls, creed,
land, property, those of them who are not present and those who are
present and their churches. No bishop will be changed from bis
bishopric, no monk from his monastery and no testator (waqif) from the
property of his endowment. I make them witnessee to it, among them
Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb, al-Aqra’ Ibn Habis, and al-Mughirah Ibn
Shu’bah. Then they returned to their land. Al-Sayyid and al-‘Aqib did
not stay there but for a short while. Then they returned to the Prophet,
may Allah bless him, and embraced Islam. He (Prophet) lodged them in
the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.
The people of the Najran stood by what the Prophet wrote to them
till Allah seized his soul, may Allah’s blessing, mercy, pleasure and peace
be on him. Theh Abu Bakr the True ruled and at the time of his death he
left a will in their favour. Then they started (indulging in) receiving usury
so ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattáb expelled them from their land, and wrote to
them: This is what ‘Umar the Commander of the faithful wrote to (the
people of) Najran. He who goes in exile under the protection of Allah. No
Muslim will harm them honouring what the Apostle of Allah and also
Abu Bakr had written for them. After that, the amirs of Syria and the
amirs of ‘Iraq should liberally bestow land on those who approach them.
If they work on them, they will be free lands (sadaqah) for them and their
descendants. No body is allowed to encroach on their land to oppress
them. After that, if there be a Muslim with them he should help them
against one who oppresses them. These are the people who are under the
guarantee and the jizyah due from them is redeemed for twenty four
months after their arrival there. They will not be taxed, except for fiefs
on which they work, they will not be oppressed nor treated harshly.
‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan and Mu’ayqib Ibn Abi Fatimah were witnesses.
Thereupon some of them came in ‘Iraq and settled at al-Najraniyyah in
the suburbs of al-Kufah.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 