Al-Adab al-Mufrad

Shihab bin ‘Abbad ‘Asr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that he heard some people from the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays saying: When we made the final decision to go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and our delegation set out towards him, and we were about to arrive, we met a man who was urging a slow she-camel to run fast. He greeted us with salam, and we replied to his greeting. Then he stopped and asked: Who are you people? We said: This is the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays. He said: Welcome, I was looking for you. I have come to give you glad tidings. Yesterday, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us while he was looking towards the east: “Tomorrow, surely from that direction, that is, from the east, a delegation will come, and it will be the best delegation of the Arabs.” I spent the night restlessly, and as soon as morning came, I saddled my mount. I rode very fast until the sun rose, and I was about to return (thinking the delegation would be late), when I saw the heads of your mounts from afar. Then he turned the reins of his mount and hurriedly rode back until he reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was sitting among the Ansar and Muhajirin. He said: May my parents be sacrificed for you! I have come to give you the glad tidings of the arrival of the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O ‘Umar! Where did you meet them?” He said: They are just behind me, about to arrive. When he informed him of this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “May Allah give you glad tidings as well.” The Companions sat properly in their places. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated. He placed the edge of his cloak under his hand and, leaning on it, stretched out both his legs. So when the delegation arrived, the Muhajirin and Ansar were very pleased. When the members of the delegation saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions, in their joy they left their mounts untied and hurried to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Companions made room in the gathering, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained seated as before. Sayyiduna Ashajj (may Allah be pleased with him) stayed behind, and his name was Mundhir bin ‘A’idh bin Mundhir bin Harith bin Nu’man bin Ziyad bin ‘Asr. He gathered all the mounts, made them sit, unloaded them, and collected the luggage. Then he took out his bag, removed his travel clothes, put on a new garment (hullah), and came walking calmly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Who is your chief, leader, and person in authority?” All the people pointed towards him (Ashajj). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Is he from the children of your chiefs?” The people said: His forefathers were our chiefs in the time of ignorance, and he is now our chief, who has brought us to Islam. When Sayyiduna Ashajj (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived and intended to sit aside, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up straight and said: “Ashajj! Come here.” This was the first day he was called by the title Ashajj. The reason was that in childhood, a donkey had kicked him, leaving a mark on his face like the moon. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) seated him by his side and spoke to him with great affection. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recognized the virtue he had over his people. Then the people began to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) questions, and he answered them. At the end of the conversation, he said: “Do you have provisions for the journey?” They said: Yes, and quickly got up, and each person brought a few dates from his belongings, making a pile of dates. So they were placed before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a leather mat, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a stick that was less than two hands long and longer than one hand. He used to lean on it and often kept it nearby. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to the pile of dates with that stick and said: “Do you call these ‘ta‘dudh’?” They said: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you also call them ‘sarfan’?” They said: Yes! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you call them ‘barni’?” They said: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is considered the best among your dates and ripens very well.” Some elders of the tribe also narrated these words: “And this variety is superior to others in terms of blessing.” This type of date was considered cheap among us, which we used to feed to camels and donkeys. When we returned from this journey, our desire for barni dates increased, and we planted its trees until our fruits became of this type of date, and we saw blessing in them.