‘Adi Ibn Hatim at-Ta’i

For the people of old Arabia, nothing was more beloved than a good story, poem or song. Certain famous people, who were known for having a special quality such as great bravery, or beauty, or generosity, had songs and stories and poems written about them.

These were passed on from person to person and became part of the language and culture of the Arabs.

One of those about whom people loved to write and hear was Hatim at-Ta'i. He was the best known of all the desert people for his extraordinary generosity.

Tales of his kindness to strangers and his willingness to give up all he had were even recited during his lifetime.

After he died, these stories continued to be told, and people even invented new tales about him.

Many of these stories about the generosity of Hatim at-Ta'i are still very much a part of Arab folklore and literature today.

When Hatim at-Ta'i died, he left a son named 'Adi to inherit the position as chief of the tribe. But 'Adi was not as generous as his famous father had been.

He took a quarter of the wealth of the people for himself, since this was the accepted custom of Arab chieftains of his day.

When Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared his mission, he began calling the Arabs to guidance and truth. Over time, the many Arab tribes slowly joined him, one after the other.

When Islam became established in the city of Madinah, the people of the desert (the bedouins) saw the growing power of the Muslims.

They made alliances with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and began to come into Islam at a greater rate. But not so the tribe of Ta'i.

'Adi saw in the remarkable leadership of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the end of his own power.

He was not willing to surrender his power to anyone else. He was not willing to surrender himself to Allah. So he came to despise Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), even though he had never met him.

This hostility lasted for nearly twenty years, until his heart was opened to the message of Allah; in the ninth year of the Hijrah. How 'Adi came to this remarkable change of heart is best told in his own words:

No Arab hated the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) more than I did. I was a chief of noble birth and I used to travel about among my people to collect a quarter of their stock.

I was a Christian and I was my own master in religious matters; I was a king among my people and I was treated like a king. I wanted no part of this "new prophet" and his new religion.

When the Muslims became stronger, and their warriors were everywhere, east and west in the Arab lands, I told one of my servants, "Get some of the best of my camels ready and tie them somewhere nearby. If you hear that a group of Muhammad's followers has come to this area, let me know immediately."

One day, the servant came to me saying that whatever I intended to do when Muhammad's troops arrived, I had better do it now.

He had seen battle flags way in the distance. He asked about them and was told it was the army of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

So I told him to get our camels ready and bring them to me. I took my whole family and left that land, which we all loved, and ran away, heading for Syria where we could live with other Christians.

I was in such a great hurry. When we had passed beyond the threatened area, I discovered that I had left a sister of mine with those who remained in Ta'i.

There was no way to go back, so I went forward to Syria and lived there with people of my religion.

What happened to my sister was exactly what I had expected and feared, except that the end of the story was not expected at all. I heard all about it from travelers and witnesses who were there.

First, news reached me in Syria that the army of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had taken my sister, along with other captives, to Madinah. There, they were all put in a place near the Masjid an Nabawi. I supposed they were being kept for ransom. From these captives, the Prophet heard about my flight to Syria.

When Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)  passed by the captives, my sister stood up politely and said, "O Rasulullah, my father has died, and the person responsible for me after him is no longer in at Ta'i, so I have no one to protect me and pay a ransom for my release. Please grant me mercy so that Allah will grant it to you."

"Who is that missing person of yours?" asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam),

"'Adi ibn Hatim," she replied.

"Ah, the one who ran away from Allah and His Prophet!" said Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Then he left her and went on his way.

The next day he passed by again. She repeated what she had said the day before and he repeated what he had said also.

The day after that he passed by again, but she didn't say anything because she had lost hope. But someone behind the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made her a sign to go and talk to him, so she did.

She said, "O Rasulullah, my father has died, and the person responsible for me after him is no longer there, so I have no one to protect me and pay ransom for my release. Please grant me mercy so that Allah will grant it to you."

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Come! I give you your freedom." She said, "I want to go to my family in Syria."

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, "But you must not leave before you find some trustworthy man from your tribe who can take you to Syria. Whenever you find him, let me know."

When the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) left, she asked who the man was who had signaled her to talk to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).  

one more time. She was told that he was 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.

She stayed there in Madinah until she recognized some travelers passing on their way north. Then she went to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, "O Rasulullah, some of my people have come. They are trustworthy and they can take me with them."

So the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave her clothes, a camel and enough money for the trip and she left with her people.

We kept seeking news of her, waiting for her arrival. We couldn't believe that Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)  had treated her so gently, knowing my hostility towards him. He could have kept her for a high ransom, or made her a slave.

By Allah, I was sitting with my family when I saw a woman coming towards us riding in a covered seat on her camel. I said, "This is the daughter of Hatim," and so she was.

As soon as she saw me, she said, "You cut the bonds of kinship and you are unfair. You took your own family and your children and abandoned your father's children!"

I said, "O little sister, don't say such hurtful things! You're right and I have no excuse!" I kept trying to apologize to her, and make up with her, until at last things were reconciled between us. She got down from her camel and stayed with us.

She told her story. I knew she was a wise woman, so I asked her about Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

I wanted to know her opinion of him. She said, "I think that you must join him quickly. If he is a Prophet, the people near him will be preferred. If he is just a king, you will never be humiliated there, being who you are."

I prepared myself and left south for Madinah. I reached the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) with no guarantee of protection. I knew that he had said, "I hope Allah will put the hand of 'Adi in my hand."

I entered the Masjid and gave him my greetings. He said, "Who is this man?"

I said, '''Adi ibn Hatim at-Ta'i."

He stood up, held my hand, and took me home with him. On our way, an old frail woman with a little boy stopped him with a complaint. He spoke with her for some time, until her problem was solved.

I then thought to myself, "By God, this is no king."

Then we went to his home. There he took a leather pillow stuffed with dry grass, gave it to me, and said, "Sit on this!"

I was ashamed and said, "No, you sit on it." He said, "No, you."

I obeyed and sat on it while Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sat on the ground since there was no other pillow in his home.

I told myself, "By God, this is not the way a king behaves!"

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) turned to me and said, "You are not a very good Christian are you?" said very humbly, "Why do you say that?"

"Weren't you taking a quarter of the belongings of the people for yourself, although that is forbidden in your religion?"

I said, "Yes," and then I knew that he was a prophet sent by Allah, for how else could he know that I did such a thing?

Then he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Maybe, 'Adi, what you see of the poverty of the Muslims is keeping you from entering Islam. By Allah, soon so much money will flow in that there won't be any to take it.

"Or maybe, 'Adi, what is keeping you is the small number of Muslims and the great number of their enemies. By Allah, soon you will hear that a woman can come from a village in Iraq to visit the Ka 'bah on her own and no one will bother her.”

"Or maybe you see power and authority with the great emperors. By Allah, soon you will hear that Muslims have conquered Iraq with its castles and that the treasures of Khosraw son of Hormuz belong to them."

I said, "The treasures of Khosraw son of Hormuz?" He said, "Yes, the treasures of Khosraw son of Hormuz."

Thereupon I made the Shahadah and became Muslim.

'Adi ibn Hatim at-Ta'I lived a long time after that and he used to say, "Two of the Prophet’s predictions have come true, and the third yet remains.

By Allah, I swear it too will come true.

"I have seen women coming from Iraq to Makkah on camels, on their own, unafraid to make the Hajj, fearing nothing but Allah.”

"And I was among the first troops that attacked Khosraw and opened the treasures of his castles. I swear by Allah, the third is coming!"

The third prediction of the Blessed Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came to pass at the time of the pious Khalifah 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz.

The Muslims' wealth was so abundant that they used to call for poor to take Zakah and nobody came to take it.

May Allah bless 'Adi ibn Hatim at-Ta'i and reward him for his ability to see the Truth.