The Conversion of the Two Sons of Saʿya and of Asad ibn ʿUbayd

Yūnus ibn Bukayr and Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim relate—on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar ibn Qatādah told me, from an elder of Banū Qurayẓah—that the elder said: “Do you know how Thalabah and Asad, the two sons of Saʿya, together with Asad ibn ʿUbayd, came to embrace Islam? They were men from Hudl, neither of Qurayẓah nor Naḍīr; indeed, they held a higher lineage than that.” I replied, “No, I do not know.” He continued:

“A Jewish man from Syria once arrived among us, known as Ibn al-Haybān, and we never met anyone better than him. Whenever the rain was withheld we would ask him, ‘Pray for rain on our behalf.’ He would answer, ‘By Allah, not until you give a charity of one ṣāʿ of dates or one mudd of barley.’ We would comply, and he would then lead us out to the open ground beyond our lava plain. By Allah, he would not leave his spot before the wadis ran past us in full flood. He did this more than once or twice.

“When death approached him he said, ‘O community of Jews! Do you know what has driven me from the land of wine and plenty to this land of hardship and hunger?’ We replied, ‘You know best.’ He said, ‘I have come out in anticipation of a prophet who is about to be sent. This town will be his place of emigration. He will be commissioned to shed blood and to take captives; do not let that deter you from following him, and make sure you reach him before others do.’ Then he died.”

Yūnus ibn Bukayr adds in his version: “On the very night Qurayẓah was conquered, those three—still young men—said, ‘O community of Jews! This is the man Ibn al-Haybān told you about.’ They were asked, ‘Who is he?’ They replied, ‘By Allah, he is exactly as he described him.’ They then came down from the fortress, embraced Islam, and left their property and families behind. When the fortress fell, all of it was restored to them.”