Friday

At-Tufail ibn Amr ad-Dawsi - Leading the hand of Abu Hurairah RA to Islam



At-Tufail ibn Amr was the chief of the Daws tribe in pre-Quranic times and a distinguished Arab notable known for his manly virtues and good works. He fed the hungry, comforted those in distress and granted asylum to refugees. He was also keenly interested in literature and was himself a sharp and sensitive poet capable of expressing the most delicate emotions. He was also considered a great intellectual of his people & a source of pride for his people. The Quraish recognized Tufail’s status among his people




Tufail left the hearths of his village in Tihama in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and set out for Makkah. The struggle between the noble Rasulullah SAW and the disbelieving Quraish was already at its height. Each wanted to gain support for his cause and recruit helpers. Rasulullah SAW, sought help from his Lord. His weapons were faith and truth. The disbelieving Quraish resisted his message with every weapon, and attempted to keep people away from it by all the means at their disposal.

Tufail found himself entering this battle without any preparation or warning. He did not come to Makkah to get involved in it.  Indeed he was not aware of the struggle that was taking place.

Let Tufail himself take up the story from this point:
I approached Makkah. As soon as the Quraish leaders saw me, they came up to me and gave me a most hearty welcome and accommodated me in a grand house. Their leaders and notables then gathered and said:
"O Tufail, you have come to our town. This man who claims that he is “The Rasul of Allah SWT” has ruined our authority and shattered our community. We are afraid that he would succeed in undermining you and your authority among your people just as he has done with us. Don't speak to the man. On no account listen to anything he has to say. He has the speech of a wizard, causing division between father and son, between brother and brother and between husband and wife."

They went on telling me the most fantastic stories and scared me by recounting tales of his incredible deeds. I made up my mind then not to approach this man, or speak to him or listen to anything he had to say.
 

The following morning I went to the Sacred Mosque to make Tawaf around the Kaabah as an act of worship to the idols that we made pilgrimage to and glorified. I inserted a piece of cotton in my ears out of fear that something of the speech of Rasulullah SAW would reach my hearing. As soon as I entered the Mosque, I saw him standing near the Kaabah. He was praying in a fashion which was different from our prayer. His whole manner of worship was different. The scene captivated me. His worship made me tremble and I felt drawn to him, despite myself, until I was quite close to him.

Notwithstanding the precaution I had taken, Allah’s willed that some of what he was saying should reach my hearing and I heard a speech that was so beautiful that I said to myself, "What are you doing, Tufail? You are a perceptive poet. You can distinguish between the good and the bad in poetry. What prevents you from listening to what this man is saying? If what comes from him is good, accept it, and if it is bad, reject it."

I remained there until Rasulullah SAW left for his home. I followed him as he entered his house, and I entered also and said, "O Muhammad, your people have said certain things to me about you. By Allah, they kept on frightening me away from your message so that I even blocked my ears to keep out your words. Despite this, God caused me to hear something of it and I found it good. So tell me more about your mission."

Rasulullah SAW did and recited to me Surah Al-Ikhlas and Surah Al-Falaq. I swear by Allah SWT, I had never heard such beautiful words before. Neither was a more noble or just mission ever described to me. Thereupon, I stretched out my hand to him in allegiance and testified that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.  This is how I entered Islam.

I stayed on for some time in Makkah learning the teachings of Islam memorizing parts of the Quran. When I decided to return to my people, I said, "O Rasulullah. I am a man who is obeyed in his tribe. I am going back to them and I shall invite them to Islam . . ."

When I returned to my people, my father, who was quite old then, came up to me and I said, 'O Father, let me relate my news to you. I am no longer from you and you are not of me.''
"Why so, my son?" he asked.
"I have accepted Islam and now follow the religion of Muhammad SAW I replied.
"My son," he said, "your religion is my religion."
''Go and wash your sell and cleanse your clothes," I said. "Then come that I may teach you what I have learnt."
My father did and I explained Islam to him and he became a Muslim.
"Then came my wife and I said, "Let me relate my news to you. I am no longer of you and you are not of me."
"Good heavens! Why so?" she exclaimed.
"Islam has separated us," I explained. "I have become a Muslim and follow the religion of Muhammad."
"Your religion is my religion," she replied.
'Then go and purify yourself, not with the water of Dhu Shara, the idol of the Daws, but with pure water from the mountain. "
"Good gracious! Do you fear anything from Dhu Shara?"
"Damn Dhu Shara, I told her to cleanse and wash there, far away from people. I guarantee you that this dumb stone won't do a thing to you."
She went and washed and I explained Islam to her and she became a Muslim. I then invited the Daws as a whole to become Muslims. 

They were all slow in responding, except Abu Hurairah RA. He was the quickest to respond to the invitation of Islam. The next time I went to Makkah, Abu Hurairah RA was with me.

"What have you left behind?' Rasulullah asked me.
“The veil over their heart obscuring the truth and firm disbelief". Sin and disobedience have won over the Daws."
Rasulullah SAW thereupon stood up, made wudu and prayed with his hands raised to the heavens. Abu Hurairah RA remarked, “When I saw Rasulullah SAW like this, I was afraid that he was praying against my people and that they would be destroyed."
But Rasulullah SAW, "O Lord guides the Daws, guide the Daws, and guide the Daws." Then Rasulullah SAW turned to me and said:
"Go back to your people, befriend them, treat them gently and invite them to Islam."


I stayed in the land of the Daws inviting them to Islam until after the hijrah of Rasulullah SAW to Madinah and after the battle of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq had taken place. Then I went to Rasulullah SAW. With me were eighty families who had become Muslims and who were strong in their faith. Rasulullah SAW was pleased with us and he gave us a portion of the booty after the battle of Khaybar. We said to him, "O Rasulullah, make us the right wing of your army in every battle and make our efforts acceptable."

Tufail RA stayed with Rasulullah SAW until the liberation of Makkah. After the destruction of the idols there, Tufail RA asked Rasulullah SAW to send him to put an end to the worship of Dhu-l Kafayn, the chief idol of his people. Rasulullah SAW gave him permission.

Rasulullah SAW was a very eloquent man. Rasulullah SAW was able to say a whole lot with very little words; there are 2-worded hadith, & one of these hadith alone would take hours to explain

The Qur’an tells us;
“We did not teach him poetry because it was not appropriate for him. Muhammad is the vessel & medium for divine revelation, so to not create any doubt about what is divine revelation vs. what is his poetry, Allah sealed the deal & did not teach His Prophet poetry.”
Rasulullah SAW didn’t even like to make his supplication rhyme. He didn’t like overdoing things in making things rhyme & make it sound poetic. Rasulullah SAW didn’t forbid poetry, but he was just naturally eloquent.

Tufail RA recalled, “I stayed with Prophet at Khyber until Allah gave the Prophet victory over Makkah. I asked the Rasulullah to send me to the tribe that worships Dhil Kafain so that I can destroy that idol.”

Rasulullah SAW sent Tufail RA to that place. Tufail RA has been holding it in for 8 years (a model of patience) & now wants to wreak some havoc
Subhannallah wa bihamdi, subhanallah al adheem
Light on tongue, heavy in deeds, beloved to Ar-Rahman


Another version about Tufail RA embraces Islam.

After Rasulullah SAW recited the Qur’an, Tufail RA said, “Wallahi, the Quraish were wrong. I’ve never heard anything so beautiful & balanced (intellectually correct & pure) than the Qur’an.”

Tufail RA said to Rasulullah SAW, “Make dua that Allah SWT provides for me some type of miracle that will help me invite my people toward Islam.”

Rasulullah SAW made dua, “O Allah, make a sign for him.”
Tufail RA then left for his city. All of a sudden, light shone from his forehead.

Tufail made dua, “O Allah, not in my face. Don’t put that sign on my face because my people will think that something bizarre is going on with me.”

He had a walking (traveling) staff. The top of his walking staff began to glow with noor. Tufail RA got back home, & the first person he met was his father. Tufail RA then went back to Makkah, to meet with Rasulullah SAW.

Tufail RA recalled, “I was basically beat by fornication (the people of Daws care more about their decadent lifestyle).” The people of Daws were obsessed with alcohol and fornication
Tufail RA said, “O Rasulullah, make dua upon the people of Daws. Pray against these people. Pray for the destruction of these people.”

Rasulullah SAW raised his hands to make dua. Some narrations say that the Sahabah who were there say that they were terrified for the people of Daws.

Your choice for the Right Way...
But when Rasulullah SAW parted his lips, he said, “Oh Allah, guide the people of Daws. Bless the people of Daws with guidance.”

Rasulullah SAW said, “Be very gentle. Be very kind with them. Give them time. Nurture their Iman.”

Tufail RA recalled, “I continued to stay & invite my people to Islam until Rasulullah SAW migrated to Madinah. Not only did he migrate to Madinah, but 2 years passed , Battle of Badr happened, & another year passed and the Battle of Uhud happened, 2 years passed & Battle of Trench happened, until I reached Rasulullah SAW at Battle of Khaibar (5 and ½ years into the Madinah era).”

Tufail RA had been living and preaching amongst his people for eight years This is the same guy who went home and returned to Makkah 2 days later, with the mentality, that’s it. They’re done; just make dua that Allah SWT destroys this people. Let’s just cut our losses. You got me, my dad, my wife; the three of us are good to go. You can’t win ‘em all. This same guy went back and stayed with his people for over 8 years, preaching to them in baby steps, inviting them to Islam and guiding them in their new religion.

Tufail RA then arrived in Madinah with 70-80 baytamin Dawsen (70 families of tribe of Daws; perhaps 500 people).”

These 500 people recognized Allah SWT. And now 8 years later, he raised up to 500 new Muslims.

Tufail RA recalled, “I stayed with Rasulullah at Khaibar until Allah SWT gave Rasulullah SAW victory over Makkah. I asked the Rasulullah SAW to send me to the tribe that worships Dhil Kafain so that I can destroy that idol.”

Rasulullah SAW sent Tufail RA to that place. Tufail RA has been holding it in for 8 years (a model of patience) and now wants to wreak some havoc.

Tufail RA had a son that time as well. Tufail RA had a dream, in which his head had been shaved. A bird came out from his mouth. Then he was entered back into the womb of a woman. Tufail’s son is in the dream. They’re trying to reach to each other, but are unable to. Interpretation of the dream was realized as Tufail was dying. Tufail was injured in a battle, died as a syahid.

His shaved head meant that he receive a fatal wound
Bird being released from his mouth meant his soul leaving
Entering the womb meant he would enter earth (grave)
Being unable to reach his son meant that his son was also injured in that battle, but recovered and died in another battle as a syahid.

Back in Tihama among the Daws, men, women and children of the tribe had gathered and were agitated that the idol was going to be burnt. They were waiting to see if any evil would befall Tufail RA should he harm Dhu-l Kafayn. Tufail RA approached the idols with the worshipers around it. As he set fire to it, he proclaimed:

"O Dhu-l Kafayn, of your worshipers 
I certainly am not.
Fire have I inserted into your heart."

Whatever shirk remained in the Daws tribe went up in the flames that burnt the idol. The whole tribe became Muslims. Tufail RA remained a lieutenant of Rasulullah SAW until the noble messenger passed away. Tufail RA then placed himself in the service of the Khalifah Saidina Abu Bakr RA, the successor of Rasulullah SAW. During the Riddah wars, he led a contingent of his people against the impostor, Musailamah.
In the battle of Al-Yamamah that followed, the dear companion of Rasulullah SAW, Tufail ibn Amr RA fought hard but eventually fell as a martyr on the battlefield.


Tufail RA - As explained by Professor Abdullah Hadi.





Hadith from Tufail Ar Dausi (Dawsi)

Found In: Sahih Muslim Chapter No: 1, Faith (Kitab Al Iman)
Hadith no: 211
Narrated: Jabir
That Tufail son of Amr al-Dausi came to Rasulullah SAW and said: Do you need strong, fortified protection? The tribe of Daus had a fort in the pre-Islamic days. Rasulullah SAW declined this offer, since it (the privilege of protecting the Rasulullah) had already been reserved for the Ansar. When Rasulullah SAW migrated to Medina, Tufail RA son of Amr also migrated to that place, and there also migrated along with him a man of his tribe. But the climate of Medina did not suit him, and he fell sick. He felt very uneasy. So he took hold of an iron head of an arrow and cut his finger-joints. The blood streamed forth from his hands, till he died. Tufail son of Amr saw him in a dream. His state was good and he saw him with his hands wrapped. He (Tufail) said to him: What treatment did your Allah accord to you? He replied. Allah granted me pardon for my migration to Rasulullah SAW: He (Tufail) again said: What is this that I see you wrapping up your hands? He replied: I was told (by Allah): We would not set right anything of yours which you damaged yourself. Tufail narrated this (dream) to Rasulullah SAW. Upon this he prayed: O! Allah, grant pardon even to his hands.
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