Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 34090 — Reports on Tubba of Yemen

Abu Mijlaz said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "I wish to ask you about three things." He said: "You are asking me, although you yourself recite the Qur'an?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Ask." He said: "First about Tubba', who was he? And about Uzayr, who was he? And about Sulayman (peace be upon him), why did he look for the hoopoe?" He said: "Tubba' was a man of the Arabs who gained the upper hand over the people and captured some young men of the scholars. He took them into his company, and he would converse with them and they with him. His people said: 'Tubba' has abandoned your religion and has followed the young men.' So Tubba' said to the young men: 'You hear what these people are saying?' They said: 'The fire will judge between us and them; it will burn the liar and the truthful one will be saved.' The people said: 'Very well.' So Tubba' said to the young men: 'Enter this fire.' They hung their scriptures around their necks and entered it, and it parted for them until they had crossed it. Then he said to his people: 'Enter it.' When they entered it, the fire scorched their faces and they turned back. He said: 'You will have to enter it.' So they entered it, and it parted for them, but when they reached the middle of it, the fire surrounded them and burned them. At this, Tubba' accepted Islam, and he was a righteous man. And as for Uzayr, his story is that when Bayt al-Maqdis was left in ruins, knowledge was effaced and the Torah was torn to pieces, he lived alone in the mountains. He would go to a spring and drink from it. One day he came to it and a woman appeared to him. When he saw her he turned back. When thirst distressed him he came again and saw that the woman was weeping. He said: 'For whom are you weeping?' She said: 'I am weeping for my son.' He said: 'Did he provide for you?' She said: 'No.' He said: 'Did he create anything?' She said: 'No.' He said: 'Then do not weep for him.' She said: 'Who are you? Do you wish to go to your people? Enter this spring and you will reach them.' So he entered it. The further he went into it, the more his knowledge increased, until he reached his people, and Allah returned his knowledge to him. Then he revived the Torah and brought knowledge back to life." After this, Abdullah bin Salam said: "This is the story of Uzayr. As for Sulayman (peace be upon him), he halted at a place on a journey and did not know how far off the water was. He asked: 'Who has knowledge of this?' The people told him: 'The hoopoe.' It was then that he looked for it."