Mafrūq exclaimed, “O man of Quraysh, by God, this is not speech uttered by the people of the earth; had it been, we would have recognized it.” Thereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited:
“Indeed Allah commands justice, excellence, and generosity toward relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed.” (Sūrat al-Naḥl 16:90)

Mafrūq said, “By God, O Qurashite, you are calling to the loftiest morals and the finest deeds. How deluded are the people who have denied you and sided against you!” Wishing to let another speak, he added, “This is Hāniʾ ibn Qabīṣah, our elder and the guardian of our faith.”

Hāniʾ said, “I have heard your words, O brother of Quraysh, and I deem them true. Yet I consider that abandoning our religion and following yours, on the strength of a single sitting whose beginning and end are both new to us—without reflection on your matter or thought for the outcome of what you invite to—would be a lapse in judgment, a rash impulse, and short-sighted regarding consequences. A slip comes from haste. Behind us are a people with whom we dislike to conclude any pact unconsulted. So you return and we return, you ponder and we ponder.” Then, desiring to include al-Muthannā ibn Ḥārithah, he said, “This is al-Muthannā, our elder and commander in war.”

Al-Muthannā said, “I have heard your statement and found it pleasing, O brother of Quraysh; what you have spoken delights me. Our reply is the same as Hāniʾ ibn Qabīṣah’s: for us to leave our faith and embrace yours on account of a single meeting with you would not be prudent. We dwell between two frontier zones—one is al-Yamāmah and the other al-Samāwah.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, “What are these two frontiers?”

Al-Muthannā replied, “One borders the open desert and the land of the Arabs; the other borders Persian territory and the rivers of Chosroes. We settled here under a covenant Khosrow exacted from us: that we would neither initiate disturbance nor harbor anyone who does. What you call us to may be something the kings detest. If it concerns the Arab side, the offender’s fault is pardonable and his excuse accepted; but if it touches the Persian side, the offender’s fault is not pardoned nor his excuse accepted. Should you wish us to aid and protect you from the direction of the Arabs, we are prepared to do so.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Your answer is not ill-mannered, for you have spoken truthfully. None can uphold the religion of Allah except one who safeguards it from every side.”

He then added, “Tell me: suppose it is only a little while before Allah grants you their lands, their wealth, and places their daughters at your couches—will you glorify and exalt Allah?” Al-Nuʿmān ibn Sharīk said, “By God, would that truly be yours, O brother of Quraysh!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then recited:
“O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner; and as one who calls to Allah by His permission, and as a radiant lamp.” (Sūrat al-Aḥzāb 33:45–46)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then rose, holding Abū Bakr’s hand.

ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then turned to us and said, “ʿAlī, what noble traits the Arabs possessed in the Age of Ignorance! By them they would keep one another in check in this worldly life.”