So I hitched up my lower garment and set off as an emigrant,
pressing on toward you through the valleys after the ridges,
that I might keep company with the best of all men in soul and lineage—
the Messenger of the King of mankind, high above the firmaments.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Welcome, O ʿAmr ibn Murrah!”

I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Dispatch me to my people; perhaps Allah will favor them through me just as He has favored me through you.”

He sent me off and said, “Speak rightly, and do not be harsh, arrogant, or envious.”

I reached my tribe and proclaimed, “O sons of Rifāʿah—then O sons of Juhaynah! I am a messenger from the Messenger of Allah to you. I invite you to Paradise and I warn you against the Fire. I command you to spare blood, maintain family bonds, worship Allah alone, renounce idols, perform the pilgrimage to the House, and fast the month of Ramadan—one month out of twelve. Whoever answers the call shall have Paradise; whoever refuses shall have the Fire. O people of Juhaynah, Allah—praise be to Him—has made you the choicest of your stock. Even in your Jahiliyyah He caused you to loathe what others found enticing of sexual transgression—for you never married two sisters at once, nor did a man marry his father’s wife—and He made you detest vengeance killings in the sacred month. So respond to this Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from the line of Luʾayy ibn Ghalib. You will gain the honor of this world and the dignity of the Hereafter. Hasten, hasten to it, and you will have a distinction with Allah.”

They all accepted save one man who rose and said, “O ʿAmr ibn Murrah, may Allah make your life bitter! Do you bid us to abandon our gods and tear apart our unity by opposing the religion of our fathers for what this Qurayshī from Tihāmah preaches? Never—no welcome and no honor!” Then he declaimed:

“Murrah’s son has brought a discourse
unlike the speech of one who seeks reform.
I deem his words and deeds—though the days be long—
to prove but a passing gust.
Will you disparage the elders who have gone before?
Whoever attempts that will never find success.”

ʿAmr ibn Murrah retorted, “The liar—whether it is you or I—may Allah embitter his life, silence his tongue, and blind his sight!” He added, “By Allah, he did not die until his mouth caved in, he lost all taste for food, went blind, and became mute.”

ʿAmr ibn Murrah and those of his people who had embraced Islam then traveled to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He welcomed and greeted them, and he wrote for them a document whose text read: “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. This is a letter from Allah, dictated by the tongue of the Messenger of Allah…”