—until Allah took him to Himself, and upon him be His blessings, mercy, and good pleasure.

When Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him, became caliph, he left a written injunction on his death-bed that they be cared for. Later they engaged in usury, so ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb expelled them from their land and wrote for them the following document:

“This is what ʿUmar, Commander of the Believers, has written for the people of Najrān: Whoever of them chooses to depart is secure under the protection of Allah; no Muslim shall harm them. I have ratified for them what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr promised them.

To proceed: If they come under the authority of any governor of al-Shām or of Iraq, let that governor allot them ample land. Whatever they cultivate of it shall be theirs—an endowment for them and for their descendants. Their land is thus inviolable: no one may lay claim to it, and they shall bear no levy.”