followed his direction or command; his name was ʿAbd al-Masīḥ.

“As-Sayyid” was their Thimāl (1), the keeper of their baggage (2) and the one around whom they gathered.

“Abū Ḥāritha ibn ʿAlqama” was their bishop, their scholar, their prayer-leader, and the overseer of their school (3). Abū Ḥāritha enjoyed great prestige among them and had studied their scriptures thoroughly. The Christian emperors of Rome honoured him, endowed him with wealth, supplied him with servants, built churches for him, and showered him with favours because of what had reached them regarding his knowledge and devotion to their faith.

When they dispatched the delegation from Najrān to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abū Ḥāritha mounted his mule (4) and set out toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, accompanied (5) by his brother, a man called Kurz ibn ʿAlqama, who rode alongside him. The mule of Abū Ḥāritha stumbled, whereupon Kurz exclaimed, “May the outcast perish!”—meaning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abū Ḥāritha retorted (6), “Rather, may you perish!”

Kurz asked, “Why is that, my brother?”

He replied, “By Allah, he is indeed the Prophet we have been awaiting.”

Kurz said, “So what prevents you from following him when you know this?”

He answered, “Look at how these people have treated us: they have honoured us, enriched us (7), and shown us respect, yet they stubbornly oppose him. Were I to follow him, they would strip us of everything you see (8).”

His brother Kurz ibn ʿAlqama persisted (9) until, later on, he embraced Islam.