After the First Pledge of 'Aqabah, in which twelve men from Madinah pledged their loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ, a crucial next step was needed. How was this fledgling community of believers in Madinah to grow? Who would teach them the Quran, lead the prayer and spread the message of Islam among the many clans that populated Madinah? The Prophet ﷺ sent one of his Companions ﵃, Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair ﵁, with the delegation so that he could teach them the Quran and the teachings of Islam. Because Mus’ab quickly gained renown in Madinah as a teacher of the Quran, the people there gave him the title: Al-Muqri’ (the reciter). Mus’ab ﵁ was needed to teach the Quran, but also to lead the prayer.
Although there was a new harmony in Madinah between the Aws and the Khazraj, their leaders feared that if someone from the Aws were to lead the prayer, this would anger the Khazraj and vice versa. It was therefore appropriate for an outsider, and one of the Companions ﵃ of the Prophet ﷺ at that, to lead the people in prayer to prevent conflicts.
Mus’ab ibn 'Umair
Who was this man whom the Prophet ﷺ chose for a mission upon whose success the entire future of the Muslim community depended? Mus’ab ibn 'Umair ﵁ came from one of the wealthiest families of Makkah. His mother, Khunnas bint Malik, was extraordinarily wealthy and was known for dressing her son in the finest fabrics that the trade caravans brought. Mus’ab was no ordinary young man. He was known throughout Makkah as the most refined, the best dressed and the most pleasantly scented young man in the city. When he walked through the streets, people turned around, not because of his message, but because of his appearance.
When Mus’ab ﵁ secretly embraced Islam, everything changed. His mother, who had lavished him with all her wealth, completely disinherited him and cast him out of the family home. From one day to the next, he went from luxury to hardship, from silk robes to patched clothing, from abundance to hunger. Yet he did not hesitate for a moment. The luxury he gave up did not outweigh the truth he had found. It was precisely this sacrifice, this willingness to leave everything behind for the sake of his conviction, that made him so suited for the task ahead.
The Prophet ﷺ did not choose Mus’ab ﵁ merely because of his lineage, but because of the character that this trial had forged. He was sincere in his faith, fervent in his devotion and wise in his dealings with people. He had memorised large portions of the Quran, possessed excellent manners and had a natural charisma that won over both tribal chiefs and ordinary people. Within a number of months, he ﵁ was able to spread Islam to the majority of the houses in Madinah. Through personal, face-to-face da’wah, he gained the support of the most important leaders of Madinah, such as Sa’d ibn Mu’adh and Usaid ibn Hudair. When these two leaders embraced Islam, many followed them in this.
He ﵁ was thus crucial in the spread of Islam in Madinah. He ﵁ would invite a clan leader to come to Islam, and as soon as that happened, his clan members would follow suit. As a da’i (inviter to Islam) in Madinah, Mus’ab was the practical application of the verse:
ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَـٰدِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
(O Muhammad), invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom (of the Quran) and well-considered words, and argue with them in the best manner. Verily, your Lord knows best who strays from His Path and He knows best who are the guided.
Surah An-Nahl 125
The Conversion of Usaid ibn Hudair and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh
Just as the Quraysh, the Aws and Khazraj also consisted of various clans. One of these clans was called Banu 'Abdul-Ashhal and this clan had two leaders: Sa’d ibn Mu’adh ﵁ and Usaid ibn Hudair ﵁. When Sa’d and Usaid were not yet Muslim and heard about Mus’ab ibn 'Umair ﵁ and his da’wah activities, Sa’d was furious. He summoned Usaid and gave him a clear order.
Sa’d: “May you be without a father! Go to these two men (Mus’ab and As’ad ibn Zurarah ﵁) who have come to our houses to mislead the weak. Drive them away and forbid them from coming to our houses. Were I not close with As’ad as you know, I would have settled this matter for you. As’ad is my cousin and I cannot show hostility towards him.”
Usaid grabbed his spear and went looking for Mus’ab ﵁ and As’ad ﵁. When Mus’ab and As’ad saw him approaching in the distance, As’ad immediately recognised the danger.
As’ad: “He is the leader of his people and he is coming to you. Be sincere towards Allah when you deal with him.”
Mus’ab: “If he sits down, I will speak with him.”
Usaid spotted his target, went to them and stood over them without introducing himself, without greeting them and in a belittling manner. In a gruff tone he asked what gave them the right to be there.
Usaid: “What brings you here and why do you take advantage of the weak among us? Leave us if you value your lives.”
Mus’ab: “Will you not sit and listen? If the matter pleases you, accept it. If it does not please you, we will stop that which displeases you.”
Usaid: “You have spoken justly.”
Usaid thrust his spear into the ground and sat down beside Mus’ab ﵁ and As’ad ﵁. Mus’ab spoke with Usaid about Islam and recited the Quran for him. Mus’ab ﵁ and As’ad ﵁ later narrated about Usaid ﵁:
By Allah, we saw Islam in his face even before he spoke, from the goodwill that he radiated.
When Mus’ab ﵁ had finished his explanation, Usaid, deeply moved by what he had heard, asked how he could enter this religion.
Usaid: “How wondrous and beautiful is this speech! How does one enter this religion?”
Mus’ab and As’ad: “Wash yourself and purify your clothes; then make the testimony of truth (that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah) and pray.”
Usaid ﵁ washed himself, purified his clothes and made the testimony, then stood up and performed the prayer. When Usaid ﵁ had finished his prayer, he told Mus’ab ﵁ and As’ad ﵁ about Sa’d ibn Mu’adh and that if he were to follow them, none of his people would remain behind. Usaid would send him to them.
He pulled his spear from the ground and departed towards Sa’d and his people at their gathering place. When Sa’d saw Usaid approaching from a distance, he immediately noticed that something had changed.
Sa’d: “I swear by Allah that Usaid ibn Hudair has returned with a different face from the one he left with a while ago. What have you done?”
Usaid: “I spoke with the two men and by Allah I saw nothing wrong with them. I forbade them from spreading their ideas and they said: We will do what pleases you. But then I was told that the sons of Harithah (another clan from Madinah) were on their way to As’ad ibn Zurarah to kill him. They are doing this because they found out that he is your cousin and they want to make clear to you that they are breaking their alliance with you.”
Sa’d: “It seems to me as though you have accomplished nothing!”
Sa’d grabbed his spear on his way to his cousin to defend him. As’ad ﵁ saw him approaching and whispered to Mus’ab.
As’ad: “By Allah, the one coming to you now is the leader of the people he has left behind. If he follows you, they will all be united as Muslims.”
Sa’d came storming in, his face flushed with anger, his spear threatening in his hand.
Sa’d: “By Allah, O father of Umamah, were it not that you and I are related, you would never have expected such hope from me. Do you think it is normal to enter our houses with that which displeases us?”
Mus’ab: “Will you not sit and listen? If the matter pleases you, accept it. If it does not please you, we will stop that which displeases you.”
Sa’d: “You have spoken justly.”
Sa’d too thrust his spear into the ground and sat down beside Mus’ab ﵁. Mus’ab ﵁ presented Islam to Sa’d and recited a portion of Surah Az-Zukhruf. Just like Usaid before him, the change in Sa’d was visible even before he spoke a word. He had the same look of goodwill. He too washed himself, purified his clothes, pronounced the testimony and performed the prayer.
He returned to his people who had gathered. They expressed their trust in Sa’d, that he was their leader, the best among them and the most blessed leader they had. By nightfall, every man and woman of his clan had become Muslim. It was not long before every house (except those of the Jews and a few individuals) contained Muslims.
The Return of Mus’ab
In the 13th year of the Prophetic Mission, just before the start of the Hajj season, Mus’ab ﵁ returned to Makkah. The man who returned was barely recognisable as the same refined young man who had departed over a year earlier. His clothes were worn and patched in multiple places, his sandals had seen better days, his face bore the marks of months of tireless effort. When the Prophet ﷺ saw him, his eyes filled with tears. He remembered how Mus’ab had once been the best-dressed young man in all of Makkah, and how he had now given up everything for the cause of Allah ﷻ. His mother, who had disowned him when he became Muslim, wept at the sight of his condition. But Mus’ab ﵁ had no concern for his appearance. He carried something that no wealth could buy: the news that Madinah was ready.
He ﵁ told the Prophet ﷺ how Islam had fully reached the Aws and Khazraj and that they were ready for a new pledge. Given their numbers and unity, they were capable of protecting the Prophet ﷺ. More than 70 Muslims from Madinah were on their way to perform the Hajj and to meet the Prophet ﷺ in secret.