Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 18337 — When the news of the emergence

Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the news of the emergence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached us, I set out as a delegate on behalf of my people until I reached Madinah. I met his Companions before meeting him, and they said: Three days before you reached us, we were given the glad tidings of you by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); he had said: "Wa'il bin Hujr has come to you." Then I met him (peace and blessings be upon him). He welcomed me, seated me close to him, spread out his cloak and seated me on it. Then he called the people, and they gathered around him. Then he ascended the pulpit and had me ascend with him, and I was on a step below him. Then he praised Allah and said: "O people, this is Wa'il bin Hujr. He has come to you from a distant land, the land of Hadramawt, willingly, without any compulsion. He is the remnant of the sons of kings. O Wa'il, may Allah bless you, your children and your children's children." Then he came down and brought me down with him. He lodged me in a place far from Madinah, and ordered Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) to lodge me there. I set out and he set out with me, until, when we were on the way, he said: O Wa'il, the scorching sand has burnt the soles of my feet; let me ride behind you. I said: I do not begrudge you this she-camel, but you are not one of those who ride behind kings, and I dislike being reproached because of you. He said: Then give me your sandals so that I may protect myself with them from the heat of the sun. I said: I do not begrudge you these two pieces of leather, but you are not one of those who wear the clothing of kings, and I dislike being reproached because of you. When I intended to return to my people, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered three letters to be written for me. One of them was a letter for me alone, in which he gave me precedence over my people; one letter was for me and my household concerning our properties there (in Hadramawt); and one letter was for me and my people. In my own letter was: "In the name of Allah. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to al-Muhajir bin Abi Umayyah: Wa'il is appointed to collect (the zakah), and he shall be chief over the chiefs of Hadramawt, wherever they may be." In the letter for me and my household was: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to al-Muhajir bin Abi Umayyah: for Banu Ma'shar and Banu Dim'aj, the chiefs of Shanu'ah, concerning the dominion they already held: the pastures, the settlements, the sea, the salt and the protected grazing lands, and the wealth they inherited, and the water of the springs, and the wealth they have in Hadramawt, upper and lower. All this is theirs on the basis of covenant and protection; Allah is their protector, and the believers are helpers in this." In the letter for me and my people was: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Wa'il bin Hujr and the chiefs of Hadramawt: the command to establish the prayer and to pay the zakah, according to what is due on the livestock; and the owner has the right of (the zakah collector's) hospitality. In Islam there is no gathering (of livestock to evade zakah), no driving it far away, no exchange marriage of women, and no deception. For every ten sariyyahs (military detachments), as much dates as a bag can carry. Whoever practises ijba' (that is, sells the crop before it ripens) has dealt in usury (riba), and every intoxicant is unlawful." When Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) became ruler, he sent a man from Quraysh called Busr bin Artah and said to him: I have placed this region under you; set out with your army, and when you have left the passes of Syria behind, take up your sword and kill whoever refuses to give me the pledge of allegiance until you reach Madinah. Then enter Madinah and kill whoever refuses to give me the pledge of allegiance. Then go out to Hadramawt and kill whoever refuses to give me the pledge of allegiance. And if you find Wa'il bin Hujr alive, bring him to me. He did so, and found Wa'il bin Hujr alive, and brought him to Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that he be received and gave him permission, then seated him with himself on his throne. Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Is this throne of mine better, or the back of your she-camel? I said: O Commander of the Believers, I was then fresh from the Jahiliyyah and disbelief, and that (refusal) was the way of the Jahiliyyah. Today Allah has granted us Islam, and the way of Islam is what you have done. He said: Then what prevented you from helping us, when Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had taken you as a confidant and a son-in-law? I said: You fought a man who has more right to Uthman than you. He said: How can he have more right to Uthman than me, when I am closer to Uthman in lineage? I said: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established brotherhood between Ali and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both), and a brother takes precedence over a cousin; and I do not fight the Muhajirun. He said: Are we not Muhajirun? I said: Did we not keep away from both of you alike? And another proof: I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); he raised his head towards the east, and a great crowd was present. Then he turned his gaze back to them and said: "Trials will come to you like pieces of the dark night," and he described their matter as severe, imminent and evil. From among the people I said to him: O Messenger of Allah, what are the trials? He said: "O Wa'il, when two swords clash in Islam, keep away from both of them." (Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him) said: You have become a Shi'i! I said: No, rather I have become a sincere well-wisher of the Muslims. Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Had I heard and known this, I would not have brought you here. I said: Did you not see what Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) did at the time of the killing of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)? He pointed his sword towards a rock and struck it against it until it broke. He said: Those are people who turned against us. I said: Then what shall we do with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever loves the Ansar, it is out of love for me, and whoever hates them, it is out of hatred for me"? He said: Choose whichever land you wish, for you will not return to Hadramawt. I said: My clan is in Syria and my household is in Kufah. He said: One man of your household is better than ten men of your clan. I said: I did not go back to Hadramawt out of delight in it, and it is not fitting for an emigrant to return to the place from which he emigrated except for some reason. He said: What was your reason? I said: The saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the trials: "Where you differ, we will keep away from you, and where you unite, we will come to you." That is the reason. He said: I have appointed you governor of Kufah; go there. I said: It is not fitting for me to serve under anyone after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Did you not see that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted me and I refused, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted me and I refused, and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted me and I refused, yet I did not abandon my pledge of allegiance to them? A letter of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came when the people of our region apostatised, and I stood among them until Allah brought them back to Islam, without any office of authority. Then Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) called Abd al-Rahman bin Umm al-Hakam and said to him: Go, I have appointed you governor of Kufah, and take Wa'il bin Hujr with you; honour him and fulfil his needs. He said: O Commander of the Believers, you have thought ill of me. You order me to honour a man whom I have seen honoured by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), by Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and by you yourself? He said: Then go, knowing this about him. So he came with him to Kufah.