Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā, ʿUthmān ibn al-Ḥuwayrith ibn Asad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā, and ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Jaḥsh ibn Riʿāb ibn Yaʿmar ibn Ṣabra ibn Barra ibn Kabīr ibn Ghanm ibn Dudān ibn Asad ibn Khuzaymah—whose mother was Ummaymah bint ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and whose sister was Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, married after His freedman Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, as will be detailed later—once joined Quraysh at an idol by which they used to slaughter for one of their festivals.

When they had assembled, some of those men withdrew privately and said to one another, “Let us speak frankly and keep each other’s confidence.” One of them declared, “By Allah, you know our people are on nothing. They have missed the religion of Abraham and opposed it. What is an idol that is worshipped? It can neither harm nor benefit. Seek a way for yourselves!”

So they set out, travelling through the land in search of the People of the Scripture—Jews, Christians, and others—seeking al-Ḥanīfiyyah, the religion of Abraham. As for Waraqah ibn Nawfal, he embraced Christianity, became firmly grounded in it, and followed the sacred books of its adherents until he acquired extensive knowledge from the People of the Book.

Among them none was more upright in word and deed than Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl. He distanced himself from idols and parted from the religions of the Jews, Christians, and all other communities save the Hanifiyyah, the religion of Abraham. He affirmed the oneness of Allah, repudiated whatever was worshipped besides Him, and would not eat the sacrifices of his people, openly declaring his dissociation from what they practiced.

Al-Khaṭṭāb persecuted him severely until Zayd withdrew to the upper part of Mecca. Khaṭṭāb then appointed some Quraysh youths and the most foolish among them, saying, “Do not let him enter.” Thus Zayd only entered the city secretly; whenever they became aware of him, they expelled and harmed him, fearing he might spoil their religion or that someone would follow him in what he espoused.

Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah said: I heard a trustworthy source relate that Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl used to censure the sacrifices of Quraysh, saying, “The sheep—Allah created it, sent down water for it from the sky, and produced vegetation for it from the earth—so why do you slaughter it invoking a name other than Allah?” He said this in rejection and grave disapproval of their practice.

Yūnus related from Ibn Isḥāq: Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl had determined to leave Mecca, so he set out across the land seeking al-Ḥanīfiyyah, the religion of Abraham. Whenever his wife, Ṣafiyyah bint al-Ḥaḍramī, saw that he had risen to depart and intended it, she would inform Khaṭṭāb ibn Nufayl. Zayd then set off for Syria, searching among the People of the Scripture for the original religion