he was sent they rejected him. (1) Concerning them the Exalted One says: “But as for those whose faces have turned dark, it will be said: ‘Did you disbelieve after you had believed? Then taste the punishment for what you used to deny.’” [Āl ʿImrān 3:106]

Ibn Saʿd said: Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl b. Abī Fudayk (2) related to us, from Mūsā b. Yaʿqūb al-Zamaʿī, from Sahl, the freedman of ʿUtaybah, that he had been a Christian, an orphan reared in his uncle’s care, and that he used to read the Gospel. He said: “I took one of my uncle’s codices and read it until I came to a leaf whose unusual thickness (3) caught my attention. It had been stuck together, so I separated it and there I found the description of Muhammad ﷺ: he is neither short nor tall, fair-skinned, with the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders; he often sits clasping his knees; he does not accept charity; he rides the donkey as well as the camel; he milks the sheep; he wears a patched shirt; he descends from the line of Ishmael and his name is Ahmad. My uncle then came in, saw the page, struck me and said, ‘Why did you open that page?’ (4) I replied, ‘It contains the description of the Prophet Ahmad.’ He said, ‘He has not yet appeared.’ (5)”

Wahb said: Allah revealed to Isaiah: “I am sending forth a Prophet by whom I shall open deaf ears and sealed hearts. I will make tranquillity his garment, righteousness his emblem, God-fearingness his inmost being, wisdom his intellect, loyalty and truthfulness his nature; forbearance, forgiveness and beneficence his character; justice his conduct, truth his law, guidance his leader, and Islam his religion.”