وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ : بَعَثَتْ بَنُو سَعْدِ بْنِ بَكْرٍ ضِمَامَ بْنَ ثَعْلَبَةَ وَافِدًا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَقَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ ، فَأَنَاخَ بَعِيرَهُ عَلَى بَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ عَقَلَهُ ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - جَالِسٌ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ - وَكَانَ ضِمَامٌ رَجُلًا أَشْعَرَ ذَا غَدِيرَتَيْنِ - فَأَقْبَلَ حَتَّى وَقَفَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ : أَيُّكُمُ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " أَنَا ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ " . قَالَ : مُحَمَّدٌ ؟ قَالَ : " نَعَمْ " . قَالَ : ابْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ ، إِنِّي سَائِلُكَ وَمُغْلِظٌ فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ ، فَلَا تَجِدَنَّ فِي نَفْسِكَ . قَالَ : " لَا أَجِدُ فِي نَفْسِي ، فَسَلْ عَمَّا بَدَا لَكَ " . قَالَ : أَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ إِلَهِكَ وَإِلَهِ مَنْ قَبْلَكَ وَإِلَهِ مَنْ هُوَ كَائِنٌ بَعْدَكَ ، آللَّهُ بَعَثَكَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا ؟ قَالَ : " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " ، فَقَالَ : أَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ إِلَهِكَ وَإِلَهَ مَنْ هُوَ كَائِنٌ بَعْدَكَ ، آللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ أَنَّ تَأْمُرَنَا أَنْ نَعْبُدَهُ لَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا ، وَأَنْ نَخْلَعَ هَذِهِ الْأَنْدَادَ الَّتِي كَانَ آبَاؤُنَا يَعْبُدُونَ مَعَهُ ؟ قَالَ : " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . قَالَ : فَأَنْشُدُكَ اللَّهَ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ مَنْ قَبْلَكَ وَإِلَهَ مَنْ هُوَ كَائِنٌ بَعْدَكَ ، آللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ أَنَّ تُصَلِّيَ هَذِهِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ ؟ قَالَ : " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . قَالَ : ثُمَّ جَعَلَ يَذْكُرُ فَرَائِضَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَرِيضَةً فَرِيضَةً : الزَّكَاةَ ، وَالصِّيَامَ ، وَالْحَجَّ ، وَشَرَائِعَ الْإِسْلَامِ كُلَّهَا ، يُنَاشِدُهُ عِنْدَ كُلِّ فَرِيضَةٍ كَمَا نَاشَدَهُ فِي الَّتِي قَبْلَهَا ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ : إِنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ، وَسَأُؤَدِّي هَذِهِ الْفَرَائِضَ وَأَجْتَنِبُ مَا نَهَيْتِنِي عَنْهُ ، لَا أَزْيَدَ وَلَا أَنْقُصُ . قَالَ : ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ رَاجِعًا إِلَى بَعِيرِهِ . قَالَ : فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - حِينَ وَلَّى : " إِنْ صَدَقَ ذُو الْعَقِيصَتَيْنِ يَدْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ " .
قَالَ : فَأَتَى بَعِيرَهُ فَأَطْلَقَ عِقَالَهُ ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ حَتَّى قَدِمَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ فَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَيْهِ ، فَكَانَ أَوَّلُ مَا تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ أَنْ قَالَ : بِئْسَتِ اللَّاتُ وَالْعُزَّى . قَالُوا : مَهْ يَا ضِمَامُ ، اتَّقِ الْبَرَصَ وَالْجُذَامَ ، اتَّقِ الْجُنُونَ . قَالَ : وَيْلَكُمْ ، إِنَّهُمَا وَاللَّهِ مَا يَضُرَّانِ وَلَا يَنْفَعَانِ ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ رَسُولًا ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابًا اسْتَنْقَذَكُمْ بِهِ مِمَّا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ ، وَإِنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّمُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ، وَقَدْ جِئْتُكُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ بِمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِهِ وَنَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ . قَالَ : فَوَاللَّهِ مَا أَمْسَى فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ وَفِي حَاضِرِهِ رَجُلٌ وَلَا امْرَأَةٌ إِلَّا مُسْلِمًا . قَالَ : يَقُولُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ : فَمَا سَمِعْنَا بِوَافِدِ قَوْمٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ضِمَامٍ .
قُلْتُ : عَزَاهُ صَاحِبُ الْأَطْرَافِ إِلَى أَبِي دَاوُدَ ، وَلَمْ أَجِدْ فِي أَبِي دَاوُدَ إِلَّا طَرَفًا مِنْ أَوَّلِهِ .
رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالطَّبَرَانِيُّ فِي الْكَبِيرِ ، وَرِجَالُ أَحْمَدَ مُوَثَّقُونَ .
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Banu Sa'd bin Bakr sent Dimam bin Tha'labah as a delegate (that is, as a representative) to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), made his camel kneel at the door of the mosque and then tied it, then entered the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was at that time seated among his Companions. Dimam was a man with abundant hair, and he wore two braids. He came and stopped beside the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was among his Companions, and asked: Which of you is the son of Abd al-Muttalib? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am the son of Abd al-Muttalib. He asked: Are you Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: Yes! He said: O son of Abd al-Muttalib! I want to ask you something, and my tone may be harsh while asking, so do not take it ill. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I will not take it ill; ask whatever seems fitting to you! He said: I ask you, adjuring you by Allah, who is your God, the God of those before you and the God of all who will come after you: Has Allah Almighty sent you to us as a Messenger? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah knows; yes! He said: I ask you, adjuring you by Allah, who is your God and the God of everyone who will come after you: Has Allah Almighty commanded you to command us that we worship Him alone and associate no one with Him, and that we abandon these false deities whom our forefathers used to worship alongside Allah Almighty? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah knows; it is so. He said: I ask you, adjuring you by Allah, who is your God, and the God of those before you and of all who will come after you: Has Allah Almighty commanded you that you must offer these five prayers? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah knows; yes! The narrator says: Then that man mentioned the obligations of Islam one by one; he mentioned zakah, fasting, Hajj and all the basic rulings of the Shari'ah, and while mentioning each obligation he adjured the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by Allah, just as he had adjured the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when asking about the obligation before it. When he had finished this, he said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. I will carry out these obligations from now on, and I will avoid the things you have forbidden me; I will make no reduction or addition in these rulings. The narrator says: Then he turned to go to his camel. The narrator says: When he turned away, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If this man with the braids is truthful, he will enter Paradise. The narrator says: That man came to his camel, untied its rope, then set off from there until he came to his people. The people gathered and came to him, and the very first thing he said was: How evil are al-Lat and al-Uzza! Those people said: Stop, O Dimam! Beware of leprosy and elephantiasis! Beware of madness! He said: Woe to you! By Allah, these two can neither cause any harm nor bring any benefit. Allah Almighty has sent a Messenger and revealed a Book to him, so that through that Messenger He may save you from the thing (that is, polytheism) in which you are caught up. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He alone, He has no partner, and that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger. I have brought to you from him what he has commanded you and what he has forbidden you. The narrator says: By Allah! Before evening came that day, every man and woman present there had become Muslim. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: We have not heard of any delegate of a people who was more excellent than Dimam. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) The author of "al-Atraf" attributed this narration to Imam Abu Dawud, but I did not find this narration in Sunan Abi Dawud; I found only its opening part.
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it, and the narrators of Imam Ahmad have been declared trustworthy.