Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 14190 — A short while after the calamity

Muhammad bin Ja'far bin al-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: A short while after the calamity that befell Quraysh at Badr, Umayr bin Wahb al-Jumahi sat with Safwan bin Umayyah in the Hijr. Umayr was one of those who used to harm the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his (peace and blessings be upon him) Companions in Makkah, and the Companions suffered severe hardship from them. His son Wahb bin Umayr was among the captives of Badr. The narrator said: The two of them mentioned the slain of Quraysh who had been thrown into the well, and Safwan said: "By Allah, there is no good in life after them." Umayr bin Wahb said: "You have spoken the truth. By Allah, were it not for a debt upon me which I have no means to repay, and dependants whom I fear would be ruined after me, I would go to Muhammad myself and kill him. And I have a pretext for it: my son is a captive with them." Safwan seized the opportunity and said: "Your debt is upon me; I will pay it off for you. Your dependants will be with my dependants; as long as they live, they will receive nothing less than my dependants." Umayr said: "Keep my affair and yours hidden." Safwan said: "Very well." Then Umayr had his sword sharpened and poisoned, and set out for Madinah. Meanwhile Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting in Madinah with some Muslims, recalling the day of Badr, the blessing of Allah upon them, and the victory over their enemy that Allah had shown them, when suddenly his eye fell on Umayr bin Wahb, who, with his sword slung on, was making his mount kneel at the door of the mosque. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This dog, the enemy of Allah, Umayr bin Wahb, has come for nothing but evil. He is the one who stirred up trouble between us on the day of Badr and estimated our numbers for the enemy." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, this enemy of Allah, Umayr bin Wahb, has come with his sword slung on." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bring him in." Sayyiduna Umar went forward until he seized the strap of his sword at his neck and led him along by it, and he said to some men of the Ansar who were with him: "Go in to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), sit near him and be on guard against this dog, for he is not to be trusted." Then he brought him in to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), with Sayyiduna Umar holding the strap of his sword. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let him go, O Umar. Come closer, O Umayr." He came closer and said: "An'imu sabahan" (Good morning), and this was the way they greeted one another in the Age of Ignorance. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has honoured us with a greeting better than yours, O Umayr: al-Salam, the greeting of the people of Paradise." He said: "By Allah, O Muhammad, you have only recently come to know this greeting." He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What has brought you here?" He said: "I have come for this captive who is with you; treat him well." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then why is this sword on your neck?" He said: "May Allah ruin these swords; did they benefit us at all?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell me the truth, what have you come for?" He said: "I have come only for this." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Rather, you and Safwan bin Umayyah sat in the Hijr and mentioned the slain of Quraysh thrown into the well of Badr, and you said: 'Were it not for my debt and the responsibility of my dependants, I would go out myself and kill Muhammad.' So Safwan took on your debt and the responsibility of your dependants on condition that you kill me, but Allah stands between you and that." Umayr said: "I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah. O Messenger of Allah, we used to deny you regarding the news of the heavens and the revelation, yet this was a matter at which no one was present except me and Safwan. By Allah, I know that no one but Allah informed you of it. So all praise is for Allah who guided me to Islam and set me on this path." Then he bore the testimony of truth. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Give your brother understanding of his religion, teach him to recite the Qur'an, and free his captive for him." Then Umayr said: "O Messenger of Allah, I strove hard to extinguish the light of Allah and was severe in harming those who followed the religion of Allah. I would like you to permit me to go to Makkah and call them to Allah and to Islam; perhaps Allah will guide them. Otherwise, I will harm them just as I used to harm your companions over their religion." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him permission, and he went to Makkah. When Umayr bin Wahb had set out, Safwan began saying to Quraysh: "Rejoice at an event that is about to come to you and will make you forget the battle of Badr." And he kept asking riders about him, until a rider came and told him that he had embraced Islam. So he swore that he would never speak to him and never benefit him in any way. When Umayr reached Makkah, he stayed there calling people to Islam and severely harming whoever opposed him, and many people became Muslims at his hands.