Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the tribe of Banu Sa’d bin Bakr sent Dhamam bin Tha’labah to present himself before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He came, made his camel sit at the door of the Prophet’s Mosque, tied it, and entered the mosque. At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Dhamam was a strong man, and he had a lot of hair on his head, which he had tied into two braids. He came walking and stopped by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “Who among you is Ibn Abd al-Muttalib?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I am.” He asked, “Is your name Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied in the affirmative. Dhamam said, “O Ibn Abd al-Muttalib! I want to ask you some questions. It is possible that there may be some harshness or severity in them, so please do not mind.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I do not mind. Ask whatever you wish to ask.” Dhamam said, “I swear by Allah, Who is your Lord, the Lord of those before you and those who will come after you, did Allah send you to us as a Messenger?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Yes!” Then Dhamam said, “I ask you by Allah, Who is your Lord, the Lord of those before you and those who will come after you, did Allah command you to order us to worship Him alone and not associate anything with Him, and to abandon all those deities and partners whom our forefathers used to worship?” He replied, “Yes!” Then Dhamam, using the same oath, asked, “Did Allah command you to order us to perform these five prayers?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Yes!” Then Dhamam asked, one by one, about the obligations of Islam, such as zakat, fasting, Hajj, and all other laws, and each time he would make the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) swear in the same words. When Dhamam finished, he said, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. I will continue to perform these obligations, and I will abstain from whatever you have forbidden me, and I will not add or subtract anything from it.” Then he mounted his camel and left. After he left, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “If this man with two braids has spoken the truth, he will enter Paradise.” Dhamam, as soon as he left, loosened the rope of his camel until he reached his people. The people gathered around him. The first thing Dhamam said was, “Lat and Uzza are very evil things.” The people said, “Dhamam! Stop, beware of leprosy and madness, beware (that by speaking ill of these idols, you may not be afflicted with these things).” He said, “Alas! By Allah! Neither of these things can harm nor benefit. Allah has sent His Messenger, revealed His Book, and saved you from those things in which you were previously involved. I have borne witness that there is no god but Allah, He is alone, He has no partner, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger. And I have brought you some commands from him and some things from which he forbids you.” By Allah! Before evening, every man and woman of his tribe had accepted Islam. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says, “We have not seen any representative of a people better than Sayyiduna Dhamam bin Tha’labah (may Allah be pleased with him).”