I said to myself, “By Allah, this man is no king.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then walked on with me until we entered his house. He picked up a leather cushion stuffed with palm-fiber, tossed it to me and said, “Sit on this.” I replied, “Rather, you sit on it.” He said, “No, you sit on it.” So I sat down, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat on the ground. Again I thought to myself, “By Allah, this is not how kings behave.”

He said, “Come now, ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim—were you not a Rakūsiyy? (1)” I answered, “Yes.” He said, “And did you not take the mirbāʿ—the quarter share—from your people?” I replied, “Indeed I did.” He said, “That was not lawful for you in your own religion.” I said, “By Allah, it was not!” At that moment I knew he was a Prophet sent by Allah, one who is given knowledge of what people do not know.

He continued, “Perhaps, ʿAdiyy, what keeps you from entering this religion is what you see of your companions’ poverty. By Allah, the time draws near when wealth will pour forth among them until no one can be found to accept it. Or perhaps you are held back by the great number of their enemies and the smallness of their band. By Allah, very soon you will hear of a woman who sets out from al-Qādisiyyah on her camel and reaches this House, fearing no one. Or perhaps you hesitate because you think rule and authority belong to others; by Allah, the day is coming when you will hear of the white palaces of Babylon opened up for them.”

So I embraced Islam.

Later ʿAdiyy would say, “Two of these promises have already come to pass, and the third will surely be fulfilled. I have seen the white palaces of Babylon conquered, and I have seen a woman ride from al-Qādisiyyah to this House without fear until she performed the pilgrimage. By Allah, the third will also come to pass: wealth will overflow until no one can be found to take it.”

Ibn Isḥāq records this narrative without an isnād, though it is supported by other reports.

Imām Aḥmad (2) transmitted: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, Shuʿbah related to us, I heard Simāk ibn Ḥarb say that he heard ʿAbbād ibn Ḥubsh relate from ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim:

“The cavalry of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived while I was at ʿAqrab (3). They seized my aunt and some other people. When they were brought before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ they were lined up in front of him. She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, the delegate is far away and our offspring have perished. I am an old woman with no one to serve me; so grant me your favor—may Allah grant you His favor.’ He asked, ‘Who is your delegate?’ She replied, ‘ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim.’ He said, ‘The one who fled from Allah and His Messenger?’ She repeated her plea, and he released her.

“When she turned to leave, a man walking beside him—she thought it was ʿAlī—said, ‘Ask him for a mount.’ She asked, and he ordered that she be given one.

“My aunt came to me and said, ‘You have acted in a way your father never would have! Go to him, whether in hope or in fear, for so-and-so went to him and received something, and so-and-so went to him and received something.’

“So I went to him. I found a woman and children—or a child—close to him, and I realized that he was not a king like Chosroes, nor…"