Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 99
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 99 Prophet occupied in Prayer in a corner. The sight attracted him and he approached closer to the Holy Prophet. His ears were still filled with cotton, yet he could hear an odd word or two. He then reflected, ‘After all, I am an intelligent person and can di stinguish between right and wrong. What harm could I suffer if I were to listen to this person and determine whether he is in the right or not?’ Upon this, he pulled out the cotton from his ears and threw it away and listened to the recitation of the Holy Quran by the Holy Prophet. When the latter had finished his supplications and began to walk away, Tufail came up to him and requested him to tell him something of his mission. The Holy Prophet recited a passage of the Holy Quran to him and called him to th e Unity of God. He was so deeply affected that he immediately affirmed his faith in Islam. He then said to the Holy Prophet, ‘I am respected in my tribe and they listen to me. I beg you to pray that God Almighty may guide them to Islam through me. ’ The Hol y Prophet supplicated, as he desired. When he arrived among his tribe, he explained to his wife and his father what had happened in Mecca and invited them to embrace Islam. They responded to his invitation and made their affirmations of Islam. Tufail then addressed himself to his tribe and invited them to Islam, but they rejected his invitation and adopted a hostile attitude. On this, Tufail returned to the Holy Prophet and told him that his people had refused to accept Islam and had become hostile and he r equested that the Holy Prophet should curse them. The latter raised his hands in an attitude of Prayer and supplicated, ‘Allah do Thou guide Daus. ’ He then directed Tufail to go back and continue to summon his people to Islam courteously and