The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 368
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 368 Barā’ ‘Āmirī, who was a chieftain of the tribe situated in central Arabia known as the Banū ‘Āmir, presented himself before the Holy Prophet sa in order to meet him. The Holy Prophet sa very gently and kindly conveyed the message of Islām to him and at the outset he also listened to the address of the Holy Prophet sa with interest and attention, but did not accept Islām. Albeit, he submitted to the Holy Prophet sa , “Send a few Companions along with me to Najd, who can travel there and preach the message of Islām to the people of Najd. I am confident that the people of Najd will not reject your message. ” The Holy Prophet sa said, “I do not trust the people of Najd. ” Abū Barā’ responded, “Do not worry, I guarantee their security. ” Since Abū Barā’ was the chief of a tribe and was an influential man, the Holy Prophet sa took his word and dispatched a party of Companions towards Najd. 1 This is the narration as it is related by history. It is narrated in Bukhārī that a few people from the tribes of Ri‘l and Dhakwān, etc. (which were branches of the renowned tribe known as the Banū Sulaim) presented themselves before the Holy Prophet sa and claimed to accept Islām. Then they requested that a few men should be dispatched along with them to assist them against those people of their nation who were enemies of Islām (there is no elaboration as to the nature of the assistance they requested - missionary or military). Upon this, the Holy Prophet sa sent off this company. 2 Ibni Sa‘d has also recorded a narration in support of this, but has not given it preference over the other one. 3 However, unfortunately with respect to the details of Bi‘r-e-Ma‘ūnah, even the details as narrated in Bukhārī have become mixed to a degree, due to which all the relevant facts cannot be identified in full. 4 In any case, however, what is ascertained is that on this occasion, the people belonging to the tribes of Ri‘l and Dhakwān, etc. presented themselves before the Holy Prophet sa as well, and they requested for a few Companions to be sent along with them. One prospect for the reconciliation of both these narrations is that perhaps Abū Barā’ ‘Āmirī, chieftain of the ‘Āmir tribe, also came along with the people of Ri‘l and Dhakwān, and he spoke to the Holy Prophet sa on 1 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 601, Ḥadīthu Bi’ri Ma‘ūnah Fī Ṣafarin Sanata Arba‘in, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 275, Sariyyah Al-Mundhir bin ‘Amr, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Jihād Was-Siyar, Bābul-‘Auni Bil-Madad, Ḥadīth No. 3064 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatir-Rajī‘. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4090 3 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 276, Sariyyah Al-Mundhir bin ‘Amr, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 4 Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 7, p 483, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatir-Rajī‘ , Ḥadīth No. 4086, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi