Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1198

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Musa ibn Isma‘il related to us: Yahya ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-‘Asari related to us: Shihab ibn ‘Abbad al-‘Asari related to us that a member of the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays heard him relate: When we set out on our delegation to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we traveled until we were near our destination. A man came to meet us, hurrying on a young camel. He greeted us, and we returned his greeting. Then he stopped and asked, ‘Which people are you?’ We said, ‘The delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays.’ He said, ‘Welcome, welcome! You are the ones I was seeking. I have come to bring you good news. Yesterday the Prophet told us that he had looked toward the East and said, “Tomorrow the best of the Arab delegations will surely come from this direction”—meaning the East. I spent the night eagerly preparing, and when morning came I saddled my mount and rode hard until the day was well advanced. I was about to turn back when I saw the heads of your mounts. Then I turned my mount around by its reins and hurried back along my own track until I reached the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with his Companions from the Emigrants and Helpers around him. I said, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! I have come to bring you good news of the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays.” He said, “How did you get here ahead of them, ‘Umar?” I said, “They are right behind me; they have come into view.” The man related this to the Prophet, who said, “May Allah give you good news of good.” The people took their places. The Prophet was seated; he placed the tail of his cloak beneath his hand, leaned on it, and stretched out his legs. The delegation arrived, and the Emigrants and Helpers rejoiced at their coming. When they saw the Prophet and his Companions, they urged their mounts onward in their joy and hurried toward them. The people made room, while the Prophet remained leaning as he had been. Al-Ashajj, however, stayed behind. He gathered their mounts, made them kneel, unloaded their baggage, collected their belongings, took out a travel case, removed his travel clothes, and put on a fine suit. Then he walked forward at an unhurried pace. The Prophet said, “Who is your chief, your leader, and the one in charge of your affairs?” They all pointed to him. He said, “This man, the son of your chiefs?” They replied, “His fathers were our chiefs in the Age of Ignorance, and he is our leader to Islam.” When al-Ashajj reached them, he was about to sit off to one side. The Prophet sat upright and said, “Here, al-Ashajj.” That was the first day he was called al-Ashajj. A female donkey had struck him with her hoof when he was still a weanling; thereafter, his face bore a mark like the moon. The Prophet seated him beside himself, treated him kindly, and recognized his merit above the others. The people turned to the Prophet, asking him questions, and he answered them. Toward the end of the conversation he asked, “Do you have any of your provisions with you?” They said, “Yes.” Each man hurried to his baggage and brought handfuls of dates. They were placed on a leather mat before him. In front of him was a palm stalk, less than two cubits long and more than one cubit. He would hold it in his hand and rarely be without it. He pointed with it to one heap of dates and said, “Do you call these al-ta‘dud?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “And do you call these al-sarafan?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “And do you call these al-barni?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “This is the best of your dates and the most beneficial for you.” One of the elders of the tribe added, “And the most blessed. We had only one khisbah, which we fed to our camels and donkeys. When we returned from that delegation, our desire for it grew, and we propagated it until our date harvests of it increased, and we saw blessing in it.”