for al-Shām, and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—went with him, together with several elders of Quraysh. When they drew near the monk’s hermitage they dismounted and unpacked their loads. The monk came out to them—something he had never done before, for they used to pass by him without his ever coming out or paying them the least attention.

While they were still unloading, the monk walked among them until he reached the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—took him by the hand and declared, “This is the master of all peoples; this is the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, whom Allah will send as a mercy to the worlds.” Some of the Quraysh elders asked him, “How do you know that?” He replied, “When you crested the pass, not a single tree or stone remained but that it fell in prostration— and they only prostrate before a prophet. I also recognize him by the seal of prophethood beneath the cartilage of his shoulder, shaped like an apple.”

The monk then went back and prepared a meal for them. When he brought it—while the Prophet was tending the camels—he said, “Send for him.” The Prophet came, a cloud shading him. As he approached, he found that the others had already claimed the tree’s shade, but when he sat down the shade inclined toward him. The monk exclaimed, “Look! The shade of the tree has turned toward him.”

Standing among them, he pleaded that they not take him to the Byzantines, for if the Byzantines saw him they would recognize him from the description and kill him. He then turned and saw seven men approaching from the Byzantines; the monk went out to meet them and asked, “What has brought you?” They replied, “We have come because the prophet who is to appear this month is expected. No road has been left unguarded; people have been sent along every route, and we have been informed that he is on your way.”