Islam and the Freedom of Conscience — Page 43
~ 43 ~ inquired, 'O Thum a mah, What are your intentions?' He said that he had already said what he had to say. The Holy Prophet sa ordered that Thum a mah be freed. Thum a mah went to a nearby date orchard and bathed there, he re- entered the mosque and recited the Shah a dah and said, 'O Muhammad sa by God I disliked your face the most in the world, but now it is so that your face is the most beloved to me. By God, I disliked your faith the most, but now it is so that my most beloved faith is the one you have brought. By God, I disliked your town the most, but now this is my most beloved town. Your horse-riders held me although I wanted to perform Umrah. What do you say about this?' The Holy Prophet sa gave him the glad-tiding, congratulated him for accepting Islam and ordered him to perform Umrah , saying that Allah would accept it. When he reached Mecca someone asked him if he had become a Sabian. He replied, 'No, I have believed in Muhammad sa , Prophet of God and by God, now not even a grain of wheat shall come your way from Yam a mah. 16 Another tradition relates that he was either beaten up or an attempt was made to beat him on which he had said that no grain would come and this would not happen until permission was given by the Holy Prophet sa. As a result, 16 S a hih Bukh a r i , Kit a bul ‐ Magh a z i , b a bo wafd ‐ e ‐ ban i H an i fah wa h ad i thu Thum a mah bin Ath a l