and he was being brought up in the household of Qays, a relative on his mother’s side.

Qays related:
“I was a merchant, and I once arrived at Minā during the days of the Ḥajj. Al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was also a trader, so I went to him to buy and sell. While we were engaged in business, a man came out of a tent and began to pray, standing facing the Kaʿbah. Then a woman came out and prayed, and a youth emerged and stood praying with him.

I said, ‘O ʿAbbās, what religion is this? We have no idea what it is!’ ʿAbbās replied, ‘This is Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh. He claims that Allah has sent him and that the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar will be opened for him. The woman is his wife Khadījah bint Khuwaylid—she has believed in him. The youth is his cousin ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib—he too has believed in him.’

ʿAfīf commented, ‘If only I had accepted the faith that day, I would have been the second person to do so.’

Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd corroborated the report from Ibn Isḥāq, adding: ‘A man came out of a nearby tent, looked toward the sky, and when he saw that the sun had declined from its zenith, he stood up to pray.’ He then mentioned Khadījah standing behind him.

Ibn Jarīr also narrates: Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd al-Muḥāribī told us, saying, ‘Saʿīd ibn Khuthaym related to us from Asad ibn ʿAbdah al-Bajalī, from Yaḥyā ibn ʿAfīf, from ʿAfīf:

‘I came to Makkah in the pre-Islamic period and lodged with al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. When the sun had risen high and I was looking at the Kaʿbah, a young man approached, lifted his gaze toward the heavens, then faced the Kaʿbah and stood before it. Before long a boy came and stood at his right, and shortly thereafter a woman came and stood behind them. The young man bowed, and the boy and the woman bowed with him; he rose, and they rose with him; then he prostrated, and they prostrated with him.

I said, “O ʿAbbās, what an extraordinary sight!” He replied, “Indeed, it is extraordinary! Do you know who this is?” I said, “No.” He said, “This is Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, my nephew. Do you know who the boy is?” I said, “No.” He said, “This is ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. And do you know who the woman standing behind them is?” I said, “No.” He said, “This is Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, the wife of my nephew. He has told me that your Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, has commanded him to do what you see them doing. By Allah, I do not know of anyone on the entire face of the earth who is upon this religion besides these three.”’

Ibn Jarīr further reports: ‘Ibn Ḥumayd told us; ʿĪsā ibn Sawādah ibn al-Jaʿd narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir narrated…’