“And what is it?” asked ʿAmr. Musaylima replied:

“O wabr (1), O wabr! You are nothing but coming to the water-hole and leaving it again, while all the rest of you is burrowing and boring (2).”

Then he said, “What do you think of that, O ʿAmr?” ʿAmr answered, “By Allah, you know full well that I know you are lying.”

Historians (3) relate that Musaylima tried to imitate the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When he heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had spat into a well and its water had increased, he spat into a well and its water dried up completely; he spat into another and its water turned brackish and bitter (4). He once performed ablution and used the rinse-water to irrigate some date-palms, which then withered and died. Children were brought to him so that he might bless them (5); he would stroke their heads, whereupon some of them lost all their hair (6) and others developed a lisp.

It is also said that he prayed for a man who was suffering from eye pain, wiped the man’s eyes, and the man went blind.

Sīf ibn ʿUmar (7) narrated—on the authority of Khalīd ibn Zafar al-Namrī, from ʿUmayr ibn Ṭalḥah, from his father—that he came to al-Yamāmah and said, “Where is Musaylima?” They replied, “Hush—[he is] the Messenger of Allah!” He said, “Not until I see him.” When Musaylima arrived he asked, “Are you Musaylima?” He said, “Yes.” He asked, “Who comes to you [with revelation]?” He said, “al-Raḥmān (8).” He asked, “In light or in darkness?” He answered, “In darkness.” He said, “I bear witness that you are a liar and that Muḥammad is truthful. Still, a liar from Rabīʿah is dearer to us than a truthful man from Muḍar.” This coarse Bedouin—may Allah curse him—then followed Musaylima until he was killed alongside him on the day of ʿAqrabāʾ; may Allah not have mercy on him.

The Apostasy of the People of Bahrain and Their Return to Islam (9)

Their story is as follows: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī to their king, al-Mundhir ibn Sāwā al-ʿAbdī, who accepted Islam at his hands and established Islam and justice among his people. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, al-Mundhir died shortly thereafter. ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ was with him during his illness, and al-Mundhir said to him, “O ʿAmr, did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) allow a sick person to dispose of any part of his wealth?” He replied, “Yes, one third.” He asked, “What should I do with it?” He answered, “If you wish, give it in charity to your relatives; if you wish, to the needy; and if you wish, make it an enduring charity, a perpetual and inviolable endowment after your death.” He said, “I dislike….”