He said: “He then rewarded us generously, treated us nobly, and let us depart. When we came to Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may Allah be pleased with him—we related to him what we had seen, what he had said to us, and the gift he had given.

He said: Abū Bakr wept and remarked, ‘Poor man! Had Allah willed good for him, He would have granted it.’ He then added, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has informed us that they, as well as the Jews, find the description of Muhammad ﷺ in their scriptures.’ (1)

Al-Wāqidī said: ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā al-Ḥakīmī told me, on the authority of his father, from ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah, who said:

‘I heard Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl say, “I am awaiting a prophet from the descendants of Ishmael, from the clan of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. I doubt I shall live to see him, yet I believe in him, affirm him, and bear witness that he is a prophet. (2) If you live long enough to meet him, convey my greetings to him, and I will describe him to you so that he will not be unknown to you.”

I said, “Please do.”

He replied, “He is a man who is neither tall nor short, neither very hairy nor scant of hair; a gentle redness never leaves his eyes; the Seal of Prophethood lies between his shoulders; and his name is Aḥmad. This town is both his birthplace and the site of his first mission, yet his people will drive him out of it and detest what he brings, until he emigrates to Yathrib, where his cause will prevail. Beware that you not be deceived about him. I have travelled through every land in search of the religion of Abraham, and everyone I asked—Jew, Christian, or Magian—told me, ‘That religion is behind you,’ (3) and they described him just as I have described him to you, saying, ‘No prophet remains after him.’”’

ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah said: ‘When I embraced Islam, I informed the Prophet ﷺ of Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl’s words and conveyed Zayd’s greetings to him. He returned the greeting, prayed for mercy upon him, and said, “I have seen him in Paradise, trailing long garments.” (4)