(1) The Companion Wathila ibn al-Asqa ibn Kaab ibn Amir, from the clan of Layth ibn Abd Manat, accepted Islam before the Tabuk expedition and took part in it. Before converting he lived on the outskirts of Madinah; after his conversion he stayed among the Ahl al-Suffah (the poor Companions who lodged in the Prophet’s mosque). Following the Prophet’s death—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—he moved to Syria, fought in its campaigns, and witnessed the conquests of Damascus, Hims, and other towns. He died in Damascus in 85 AH/704 CE at the age of 105. See: Ibn Sad, al-Tabaqat al-kubra 7:407–408; Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah 3:626, no. 9087. (2) Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Etiquette, chapter “Tribal Partisanship,” hadith no. 5119 (5:341). Ibn Majah also transmits it through Fasilah from her father. Ibn Hajar and others state that Fasilah was the daughter of Wathila ibn al-Asqa. Her wording is: “I heard my father say: I asked the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—‘Messenger of Allah, is it asabiyyah (partisanship) if a man loves his own people?’ He replied, ‘No. Partisanship is when a man helps his people in wrongdoing.’” See: Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Tribulations, chapter on Partisanship, hadith no. 3949 (2:1302). On Fasilah’s lineage see: Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah 3:626, entry on Wathila ibn al-Asqa, no. 9087, where she is called Nasilah; in al-Taqrib Ibn Hajar rates her “acceptable, fourth tier” (2:593) and gives her the name Jamila. (3) The Companion Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Juashum ibn Malik ibn Amr ibn Taym ibn Mudlij, of the Kinani tribe Banu Mudlij, was among those who, before embracing Islam, set out to capture the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and Abu Bakr during the Hijrah in order to hand them over to Quraysh. When his horse’s forelegs sank into the ground he recognized it as a miracle, concealed news of the refugees, and received from the Prophet a written guarantee of safety. He accepted Islam after the battle of Hunayn. The Prophet told him: “What will you do when you wear the bracelets, belt, and crown of Kisra?” After Persia was conquered, Umar produced those very items and placed them on Suraqah, fulfilling the Prophet’s prophecy, and proclaimed, “Praise be to Allah who stripped them from Kisra ibn Hurmuz and placed them on Suraqah ibn Malik, a Bedouin from Banu Mudlij.” Suraqah was also a poet. He died in 24 AH/645 CE. See: Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah 2:264–266.