Reports on the people of Najran and what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended for them

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to perform mubahalah with the people of Najran, they agreed to pay him (peace and blessings be upon him) the jizyah. At this he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A bearer of glad tidings came to me with news of the destruction of the people of Najran had they gone through with the mubahalah, even the birds on the trees (or he said) even the sparrows on the trees." And when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was going to these people of Najran, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was holding the hands of Sayyiduna Hasan and Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both), and Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) was walking behind him (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to the people of Najran, who were Christians: "Whoever of you trades in usury (riba), there is no covenant (from us) for him."

It is narrated from Yahya bin Sa'id that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) exiled the people of Najran, the Jews and the Christians, and purchased their lands and their grapevines. Sayyiduna Umar made an arrangement (with the people) that if they themselves provided the oxen and the plough equipment, they would receive two-thirds (of the produce) and Sayyiduna Umar one-third, and if Sayyiduna Umar provided the seed, he would receive half. And Sayyiduna Umar made an arrangement with them over the date palms on the condition that one-fifth (of the produce) would be theirs and four-fifths Sayyiduna Umar's, and over the grapevines on the condition that their share would be one-third and Sayyiduna Umar's share two-thirds.

It is narrated from Salim that the people of Najran had reached forty thousand in number. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) feared that they would attack the Muslims. Then (as it happened) envy arose among them. The narrator says: They came to Sayyiduna Umar and said: "Envy has arisen among us, so exile us." The narrator says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had written a document for them that they would not be exiled. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar took this as an opportunity and exiled them. After that the people of Najran regretted it, so they came to him and said: "Release us (from this)." Sayyiduna Umar refused to release them. Then when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, they came to Sayyiduna Ali and said: "We ask you by the writing of your right hand and by your intercession with your Prophet to release us." But Sayyiduna Ali also refused and said: "Woe to you! Sayyiduna Umar was a man of sound judgement." Salim, the narrator, says: The predecessors held the view that if Sayyiduna Ali were to object to anything Sayyiduna Umar had done, he would have objected to him regarding the people of Najran.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that two bishops of Najran, al-Aqib and al-Sayyid, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "Send a truly trustworthy man with us." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I shall most certainly send with you a man of complete trustworthiness." So his (peace and blessings be upon him) Companions began waiting eagerly for this matter. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah! Stand up." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him with them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to (the people of) Najran, and they asked me: "You people recite: 'O sister of Harun' [Maryam: 28], yet there is an interval of a great many years between Musa and Isa?" I did not know the answer to their question, until I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and put this question to him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why did you not tell them that they used to name (their children) after the prophets and righteous people who came before them?"

It is narrated from Qatadah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the bishop of Najran: "O Abu al-Harith! Accept Islam." He replied: "I am already a Muslim." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said (again): "O Abu al-Harith! Accept Islam." He replied (again): "Indeed, I accepted Islam before you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You lie. Three things have kept you from Islam: your claim that Allah has a son, your eating swine, and your drinking wine."