And the account transmitted by Ibn Saʿd—from ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Madaʾinī, on the authority of his teachers—concerning the delegation of Najrān concurs with what Ibn Isḥāq records; for his statement, “fourteen of their nobles,” corresponds exactly to Ibn Isḥāq’s wording, passed down from Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar, who said:
“A delegation from Najrān—sixty mounted men—came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Among them were fourteen of their leading figures, and within those fourteen were three men to whom all their affairs ultimately returned.
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The first was al-ʿĀqib, the commander of the people, the man whose counsel they sought and whose opinion they never contravened; his personal name was ʿAbd al-Masīḥ.
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The second was as-Sayyid, their patron and the one responsible for their baggage and provisions; his name was al-Ayham.
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The third was Abū Ḥāritha ibn ʿAlqamah of the clan of Bakr ibn Wāʾil—their bishop, scholar, prayer-leader, and head of their seminaries. Abū Ḥāritha had attained great distinction among them, studying their scriptures until his knowledge of their religion became profound. Because of his learning and dedication, the Christian emperors of Byzantium honored him, enriched him, supplied him with servants, built churches for him, and bestowed numerous favors upon him.
When they set out from Najrān to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, he sat—