Tufail Ibn 'Amr Ad-Dawsi

“O Allah, give him a sign” Muhammad Rasulullah.

Tufail ibn 'Amr ad-Dawsi was the chief of the Daws tribe. He was known for his hospitality; Tufail would have food served to anyone who visited his home, and his door was open to everyone. He always fed the hungry, comforted the frightened, and protected whoever sought protection. He was known to be a very kind and generous man.

Tufail was also a very sensitive poet. He had a keen sense for the Arabic language and words, and could feel deeply what a writer was trying to convey, whether it was a good expression or a bitter one. Therefore, the spoken word had a powerful influence on him.

Tufail left his home in Tihamah to travel to Makkah. At the time he was traveling, the struggle between the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the unbelievers of Quraish had already begun. Both parties were trying to gain more allies. Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) was preaching for Allah and his weapons were the Truth and the Holy Qur'an. The unbelievers were resisting by all means, and using every weapon from words to swords to fire.

Tufail found himself caught in the middle of this struggle. He had not intended to get involved in any kind of conflict when he left for Makkah. Tufail was not even aware of the friction between Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) and the Quraish, but soon his interactions with the two sides would prove to be very significant. He would be affected by the conflict so much that his life would be changed forever.

Tufail related the story of how the conflict affected him:

As soon as I came to Makkah, I was generously received by the chiefs of Quraish, and was extravagantly honored by them. Soon after my arrival, they all came to me together and said, "Tufail, you are a visitor to our city so let us give you our news. A man named Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah has been pretending to be a prophet of Allah. He has left from under our authority and is trying to split our community. We are afraid he will do to you and to the chiefs of your tribe what he has done to us. If you run into him while you are here, don't talk to him, and don't listen to anything he has to say, because when he speaks he is like a sorcerer."

By Allah, they went on telling me about his "sorcery," scaring me so much that I decided not to approach that man, or talk to him, or listen to him.

The next morning I went to make Tawaf around the Ka'bab, to glorify the idols we used to worship. I put cotton in my ears so that not a word of Muhammad's teachings would reach my hearing.

But as soon as I got into the sacred area I found the Prophet (Peace be upon him)  standing in front of the Ka'bab, making a prayer that didn't look like the ways of our traditions. I was much taken by this scene. I found myself walking nearer and nearer to him until I was quite close to him, despite my will. It was the will of Allah that I should hear some of what he was saying -it was so beautiful that I told myself, "Woe to you, Tufail! You are an intelligent poet; you are able to differentiate the good from the bad. Why don't you listen to the man? If what he says is good, accept it, and if it's bad, reject it!'

I stood there until the Prophet (Peace be upon him) left for his house. I followed him. When he entered the house, I followed him in and said, "Muhammad, your people told me many bad things about you. They scared me so much that I put cotton in my ears to prevent myself from hearing you. But the will of Allah let me hear your speech and I found it good. So please explain to me what this is all about."

He explained it to me and read Surah al-Ikhlas and Surah al-Falaq. I swear, I've never heard anything better than that nor have I met someone more fair on this earth. On the spot, I gave him my hand and pronounced the Shahadah that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger, and I became a Muslim.

I stayed in Makkah for a while to learn the teachings of Islam and to memorize what I could of the Qur'an. When I decided to go back to my people, I said, "0 Messenger of Allah, I have influence upon my people. I am going back to them and I shall invite them to Islam. Pray to Allah that He gives me a sign to help me in inviting them." So he (Peace be upon him) prayed, "O Allah, give him a sign." So, I went back to my people.

When I was about to reach my land, I felt a light falling between my eyes just like a lamp. I said, "O Allah, put it somewhere else but not my face, for I am afraid my tribe might think it is a penalty for leaving their religion." So the light moved to the tip of my Whip, and it shone on the people as if it were a suspended lamp.

When I saw my elderly father, I said, "Don't approach me, Father. I am no longer from you, and you're not from me."

He said, "Why, son?"

I said, "I have become Muslim and I follow the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah of Makkah."

He said softly, "Son, your religion is my religion!"

Delighted at these words I said, "Go, wash yourself, put on clean clothes, then come to me so I may teach you what I have been taught!"

So he went and did so. Then he came back and I explained Islam to him and he became a Muslim.

Then my wife came, so I said, "Don't come to me, for I am no longer from you, and you are no longer from me."

She said, "By the gods, why so?"

I said, "Islam has separated us. I am a Muslim now and I follow the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah of Makkah."

She likewise said, "Then your religion is my religion!"

I said, "Go, purify yourself with the waterfall near the idol of our god Dhu ash-Shara."

She said, "Do you fear something from the god Dhu ash-Shara?"

I said, "I fear neither you nor Dhu ash-Shara. I simply told you to go and wash yourself there because it is far away from the people. I promise you, that piece of rock won't do you any harm."

So she went, washed and came back. I explained Islam to her and she became Muslim.

Then I invited all of the Daws tribe to Islam but they reacted slowly. Only Abu Hurairah was quick to respond to the invitation.

I returned to Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), at Makkah, and Abu Hurairah was with me. Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) asked me, "What news do you bring, my Tufail?"

I said, "I left my people with covered hearts and firm disbelief. Sins and disobedience have won over the Banu Daws."

Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) stood up and made Wudu and raised his hands to the sky. Abu Hurairah said, "When I saw that, I was afraid that he would pray to destroy my people and they would be ruined, so I whispered, 'O, my people!'"

But Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) kept saying, "O Allah, guide the Datos, guide the Datos, guide the Daws." Then he turned to me and said, "Go back to your people, treat them gently, and invite them to Islam."

I stayed with the Daws inviting them to Islam until the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) immigration to Madinah. After the battles of Badr, 'Uhud and the Trench I came to Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) with eighty families from Daws who had entered Islam and become good Muslims.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was pleased with us and gave us a portion of the booty of the town of Khaibar. So we said: "O Messenger of Allah, make us the right wing of your army in every battle and accept our slogan, 'At Your Command.'"

I stayed with Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) until Allah gave him the conquest of Makkah, and I asked him then, "O Rasulullah, send me to Dhul Kaffain, the idol of the Daws, so that I may burn it."

Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) gave me permission, and I went to the idol with a group of my people. When I arrived there, intending to burn it, men, women and children gathered around me. They expected to see me struck by lightning when I tried to destroy Dhul Kaffain. But I went straight to the idol, right in front of its worshippers, and began putting fire around it, chanting, O Dhul-Kaffain, we're not your worshippers. We were born long before you were. I am filling your heart with fire!

As the fire devoured the idol, it devoured the remaining Shirk of the tribe of Daws. The whole tribe observed the helplessness of their idol. They all embraced Islam together and they all became Muslims.

May Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) reward Tufail ibn 'Amr ad-Dawsi for his efforts to spread the message of Islam.