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The
Rightly Guided Nature
In the land of Daws, he grew up in a
noble, respected family. He was gifted
with. poetry, and his fame and
excellence spread among the tribes.
During the season of 'Ukaadh, when Arab
poets came from all directions and the
people gathered and assembled to show
off their poetry, At-Tufail used to take
his place in the forefront.
He
used to frequent Makkah at times other
than ‘Ukaadh. Once he visited Makkah
when the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) had just started declaring his
mission and the Quraish feared that
Af-Tufail would meet him and convert to
Islam and then put his poetic gift at
the service of Islam. That would be a
curse upon the Quraish and their idols.
On account of this, they circled around
him and prepared for him a hospitality
that included every kind of joy,
comfort, and ease. Then they went on to
warn hun about meeting the Messenger of
Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
They said to him, "He has charming
speech like magic and he makes division
between a man and his son, and a man and
his brother, and a man and his wife. I
fear for you and your people from him.
So do not talk to him nor listen to any
talk from him."
Let us
listen to At-Tufail himself telling the
remainder of the story: So by Allah,
they were still insisting on my not
listening to anything from him and not
meeting him. And when I went over to the
Ka'bah, I filled my ears with cotton so
as not to hear anything he had to say
when he spoke. There I found him
standing praying at the Ka" bah, so
I stood close to him. Allah refused
nothing but He made me hear some portion
of what he was reading. I heard a fine
speech, and I said to myself, "Oh,
may I lose my mother! Indeed I am an
intelligent poet. I would not fail to
recognize the good from the ugly. What
is it that hinders me from listening to
the man and what he says? If that which
he brings is good,1 should accept it,
and if it is bad...."
I
stayed until Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam) departed to his house. I
followed him until he entered his house,
so I entered behind him and said to him,
"O Muhammad, verily your people
have told me such-and-such about you. By
Allah, they kept making me afraid of you
until I blocked my ears with cotton in
order not to hear your words. But Allah
willed that I hear, so I heard a fine
speech. Set forth to me your
message."
So the
Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
presented to me Islam and recited to me
from the Qur'aan. By Allah, I had never
heard a speech better than it, nor a
matter more just than it. So, I
surrendered and bore witness to the
truth.
I
said, "O Messenger of Allah, indeed
I am a person of credibility among my
people and I am returning to them to
invite them to Islam, so call on Allah
to make a sign for me that will be a
help for me in that which I call them
to." He said, "O Allah, make
for him a sign."
Allah
has spoken appreciatively in His book <
Those who listen to the speech and
follow the best part of it > (39:18).
We
have met one of those great people and
he is, indeed, a true picture of the
image of the rightly guided nature.
So, no
sooner had he heard it than he accepted
the message of some of the blessed
guiding verses which Allah had revealed
to the heart of His Messenger (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam) until all his hearing
was opened and all his heart, until he
stretched out his right hand to swear
the oath of allegiance. Not only that,
but he immediately took upon himself the
responsibility of inviting his people
and kin to this religion of truth and
the straight path.
For
this reason, as soon as he reached his
country and house in the land of Daws,
he confronted his father about that
which was in his heart concerning the
principles of faith and perseverance. He
called his father to Islam after
speaking to him about the Messenger who
calls to Allah. He spoke to him about
his greatness, about his purity and
honesty, and his father became a Muslim
immediately. Then he went to his mother,
and she became a Muslim. Then to his
wife, and she became a Muslim. When he
was sure that Islam had swept over his
household, he moved on to his tribe
and" to all the inhabitants of Daws.
However, no one from among them accepted
Islam except Abu Hurairah (May Allah be
pleased with him).
They
went on disappointing him and turning
away from him until he ran out of
patience with them, so he rode his
beast, cutting through the desert,
returning to the Messenger of Allah to
complain to him and to take more and
more of his teachings. When he arrived
in Makkah, he hastened to the house of
the Messenger, driven by his yearning to
see him. He said to the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam), "O Messenger of
Allah, indeed adultery and usury have
beaten me in our fight over Daws. So,
call on Allah to destroy Daws."
Suddenly, At-Tufail was baffled when he
saw the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) raise his hands to the sky while
saying," O Allah, guide Daws and
bring them to Islam as Muslims."
Then he turned to Af-Tufail and said to
him, " Return to your people, call
them and be lenient with them."
This
scene filled the soul of At-Tufail with
awe and filled his spirit with peace. He
thanked Allah with the deepest praise
for making this human merciful Messenger
his teacher and instructor, and for
making Islam his religion and his joy.
He returned to his land and people, and
there he went on calling to Islam
gradually and leniently,just as the
Messenger had advised him.
During
the period he spent among his people,
the Messenger emigrated to Al-Madiinah
and the battles of Badr, ‘Uhud and
Khandaq took place. While the Messenger
of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
was in Khaibar, after Allah had given
the Muslims victory over it, a full
procession including 80 families from
Daws approached the Messenger saying,
"There is no god but Allah and
Allah is the Greatest." They sat
before him giving the oath of allegiance
one after the other.
When
this lavish spectacle of theirs and
their blessed oath was over, Af-Tufail
Ibn 'Amr sat alone by himself
reiterating his memories and
contemplating his steps along- the way.
He remembered the day he came to the
Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
asking him to raise his hands to the sky
saying, "O Allah, destroy Daws."
Yet, the Prophet supplicated and humbly
prayed to Allah on that day with another
prayer which aroused his amazement.
"O Allah, guide Daws and bring them
to Islam as Muslims." And Allah had
guided Daws and brought them as Muslims.
And here they were, 80 families of them,
consisting of the majority of its
inhabitants, taking their place in the
pure ranks behind the trustworthy
Messenger of Allah.
Af-Tufail
continued his work with the believing
community, and on the day of the
Conquest of Makkah, he entered it with
tens of thousands of Muslims. They never
withdrew in pride and strength but with
their foreheads bowed in adoration,
glorifying and thanking Allah Who
rewarded them with victory and a clear
help.
At-Tufail
saw the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam) destroying the idols
of the Ka'bah and purifying it with his
own hands from the impurity which had
lingered for so long. Immediately
afterwards, he remembered an idol
belonging to ‘Amr Ibn Humamah.
Whenever he stayed over as his guest, he
used to show it to him, so he became
fearful in its presence and pleaded to
it. Now the opportunity had come for
Af-Tufail to erase the sin of those days
from his soul. He approached the
Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam),
requesting permission to go bum the idol
of Humamah called "The Two
Palms", and the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam) gave him permission.
Af-Tufail
went over and lit the fire on it and
every time the flame went down, he
stoked it again to a blazing fire. All
the while he said,
O Idol
of Two Palms, I am not one of your
worshipers.
Our origin is older than your origin. I
have filled fire in your heart.
Thus
did Af-Tufail live with the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam), praying behind him,
learning from him, and fighting with
him. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) was transported to the most
exalted horizon. However, At-Tufail saw
that his responsibility as a Muslim did
not end with the death of the Messenger,
but rather it was about to start.
Therefore, no sooner had the apostasy
wars erupted than At-Tufail prepared for
them and embarked courageously on their
hardships and terrors with a yearning
for martyrdom. He participated in the
apostasy wars, battle after battle.
In the
Battle of Al-Yamaamah, he went out with
the Muslims accompanied by his son 'Amr
Ibn At-Tufail. At the beginning of the
battle he advised his son to fight the
army of Musailamah the Liar, like one
who desires death and martyrdom.
He
told him that he felt he would die in
this battle, and thus his sword carried
him. He plunged into the fight in a
glorious performance. He did not defend
his life with his sword but he defended
his sword with his life. So, when he
died his body fell down, but the sword
remained sharp and intact so that
another hand whose owner had not yet
fallen could strike with it.
In the
battle, At-Tufail Ad-Dawsiy was
martyred. His body fell down under the
flurry of stabs and strikes while he was
waving to his son, who was unable to see
him admist the crowd.
He was
waving to him as if he were calling him
to follow and join him. And he did
actually follow him, but after a while.
In the Battle of Yarmuuk in Syria, 'Amr
Ibn At-Tufail went out to fight and died
as a martyr. At the time his spirit was
coming out of his breast, he extended
his right hand and opened his palm as if
he would shake the hand of someone else.
And who knows? Perhaps at that time he
was shaking the spirit of his father.
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