of Allah.’ He then spoke, inviting us to Allah, recited the Qur’an, and urged us to embrace Islam. We responded with faith, affirming his truthfulness, and said to him, ‘Take from us a pledge for your Lord and for yourself.’ He replied, ‘I accept your allegiance on condition that you protect me from whatever you protect your own sons and wives.’
Al-Barrāʾ ibn Maʿrūr answered, ‘Yes, by the One who sent you with the truth, we will defend you from whatever we defend our own garments. So pledge with us, Messenger of Allah, for by Allah we are men of war and chain mail, an inheritance passed down from forefather to forefather.’
At that, Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihān interjected, ‘Messenger of Allah, we have treaties with other people that we are about to sever. If Allah grants you victory, might you return to your people and leave us?’ He said, ‘Rather, blood for blood and ruin for ruin. I am of you and you are of me. I will make peace with whomever you make peace, and I will fight whomever you fight.’
Al-Barrāʾ ibn Maʿrūr then said, ‘Extend your hand, Messenger of Allah, so that we may pledge our allegiance.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Bring forth twelve leaders (nuqabāʾ) from among you.’ They selected them, and they were:
• For Banū al-Najjār: Asʿad ibn Zurārah;
• For Banū Salamah: al-Barrāʾ ibn Maʿrūr and ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām;
• For Banū Sāʿidah: Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah and al-Munḏhir ibn ʿAmr;
• For Banū Zurayq: Rāfiʿ ibn Mālik;
• For Banū al-Ḥārith ibn al-Khazraj: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāhah and Saʿd ibn al-Rabīʿ;
• For Banū ʿAwf ibn al-Khazraj: ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit—some reports name Khārijah ibn Zayd in his place;
• For Banū ʿAmr ibn ʿAwf: Saʿd ibn Khaythamah;
• For Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal of the Aws: Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr and Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihān.
Al-Barrāʾ grasped the hand of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and struck it, becoming the first to pledge; the people then followed one after another until all had pledged. At that moment Satan cried out on the slope with—by Allah—the loudest voice I have ever heard, shouting, ‘O people…’