Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, in Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah, narrates from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq that:
After the pledge of allegiance (Bayʿat al-ʿAqabah), when the Anṣār returned to Madīnah, Islam began to spread rapidly. However, some individuals still clung to idolatrous beliefs, among whom was ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, a noble and respected leader of the Banū Salamah tribe.
Despite his nobility, he worshipped an idol named Manāt, carved from wood and placed inside his home—something common among the leaders of that time.
Several young men from Banū Salamah, including Muʿādh ibn Jabal (رضي الله عنه) and Muʿādh, the son of ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, had accepted Islam. These youths began a silent mission to discredit idol worship in the eyes of their elders.
They would secretly take ʿAmr’s idol and throw it face-down in a garbage pit that had been dug in their neighborhood.
One morning, ʿAmr exclaimed in anger to his people:
“Woe to you! Who disrespects our god every night?”
He went out to retrieve his idol, cleaned it thoroughly, perfumed it, and returned it to its place, saying:
“By Allah! If I ever find out who is doing this to you, I will disgrace him!”
This continued for several nights. Each time, ʿAmr would restore the idol. Then one night, he cleaned it again and hung his sword on its shoulder, saying:
“If you have any power, defend yourself with this tonight.”
That night, the Muslim youths returned. Seeing the sword, they removed it, and tied a dead dog to the idol with a rope. They then threw both into a garbage pit filled with filth and waste.
The next morning, ʿAmr again searched for his idol. Upon finding it in that pit, tied to a dead dog, defiled and humiliated, he was overcome with revulsion.
At that moment, he became disillusioned with idol worship.
When the Muslims of Banū Salamah invited him to taste the sweetness of Tawḥīd, the words of truth penetrated his heart. His tongue proclaimed the Shahādah, and he became a firm believer in Islam.
Status of the narration: ✖ Weak and Disconnected (ḍaʿīf wa munqaṭiʿ)
✔ The story is cited in:
✔ Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq has narrated this story without an isnād (chain of transmission), and for that reason, the narration is considered weak and disconnected.
For biographical details of ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, see:
❖ Context and Background
Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, in Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah, narrates from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq that:
After the pledge of allegiance (Bayʿat al-ʿAqabah), when the Anṣār returned to Madīnah, Islam began to spread rapidly. However, some individuals still clung to idolatrous beliefs, among whom was ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, a noble and respected leader of the Banū Salamah tribe.
Despite his nobility, he worshipped an idol named Manāt, carved from wood and placed inside his home—something common among the leaders of that time.
❖ The Actions of the Youth and ʿAmr’s Response
Several young men from Banū Salamah, including Muʿādh ibn Jabal (رضي الله عنه) and Muʿādh, the son of ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, had accepted Islam. These youths began a silent mission to discredit idol worship in the eyes of their elders.
They would secretly take ʿAmr’s idol and throw it face-down in a garbage pit that had been dug in their neighborhood.
One morning, ʿAmr exclaimed in anger to his people:
“Woe to you! Who disrespects our god every night?”
He went out to retrieve his idol, cleaned it thoroughly, perfumed it, and returned it to its place, saying:
“By Allah! If I ever find out who is doing this to you, I will disgrace him!”
❖ Final Incident: Idol with a Dead Dog
This continued for several nights. Each time, ʿAmr would restore the idol. Then one night, he cleaned it again and hung his sword on its shoulder, saying:
“If you have any power, defend yourself with this tonight.”
That night, the Muslim youths returned. Seeing the sword, they removed it, and tied a dead dog to the idol with a rope. They then threw both into a garbage pit filled with filth and waste.
The next morning, ʿAmr again searched for his idol. Upon finding it in that pit, tied to a dead dog, defiled and humiliated, he was overcome with revulsion.
At that moment, he became disillusioned with idol worship.
❖ ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ Accepts Islam
When the Muslims of Banū Salamah invited him to taste the sweetness of Tawḥīd, the words of truth penetrated his heart. His tongue proclaimed the Shahādah, and he became a firm believer in Islam.
❖ Ḥadīth Authentication:
Status of the narration: ✖ Weak and Disconnected (ḍaʿīf wa munqaṭiʿ)
✔ The story is cited in:
- Sīrah Ibn Hishām with al-Rawḍ al-Anf by al-Suhaylī, Vol. 2, p. 278
✔ Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq has narrated this story without an isnād (chain of transmission), and for that reason, the narration is considered weak and disconnected.
For biographical details of ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ, see:
- Al-Thiqāt: Vol. 3, p. 276
- Al-Iṣābah: Vol. 2, p. 529
- Al-Istīʿāb: Vol. 3, p. 1167
- Adyān al-ʿArab fī al-Jāhiliyyah, p. 157
