IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA'IL IBN KATHiR 49"'Then go and wash yourself, clean your clothing and come to me so that I
can instruct you in what I have been taught.'
"He did go and wash himself and cleaned his clothing. When he returned, I
explained Islam to him and he accepted it.
"Then my wife came to me and I told her, 'Go away; you and I can have
nothing to do with one another.'
"'Why is that, my father and my mother be your ransom?'
"'Islam has divided me from you; I have adopted the religion of Muhammad
(SAAS).'
"'Well, your religion is mine,' she said.
"I told her, 'Go to the hrma, the sacred shrine, of Dhii d-SharZ and purify
yourself of it.' Dhii al-Shara was an idol of Daws and the hsma was a shrine
around it that they kept sacrosanct; it had a stream whose water descended from
a mountain.
"She replied, 'May my father and mother ransom you, don't you fear some-
thing will happen to the children because of Dhii &Sham?'
"'Not at all; I guarantee that,' I replied.
"She did go and wash herself and, when she returned I explained Islam to her
and she accepted it.
"I then called upon the Daws tribe to accept Islam, hut they resisted. I went
to see the Messenger of God (SAAS) in Mecca. I told him, '0 Messenger of
God, fornication has defeated me with Daws; say a prayer to God for them.'
"He said, '0 God, lead Daws aright.' Then he said to me, 'Return to your
people, preach to them and be kind to them.'
"And so I remained in Daws territory asking them to embrace Islam until the
Messenger of God (SAAS), emigrated to Medina. Then the battles of Badr,
Uhud and the khandaq, the trench, took place. Thereafter I went to see the
Messenger of God (SAAS), taking those of my people who had become
Muslims, while he was at Khaybar. I set up camp, with some 70 or 80 tents of
Daws families at Medina, and then we joined the Messenger of God (SAAS) at
Khaybar; there he gave us an equal share of the spoils, along with the other
Muslims.
"I remained with the Messenger of God (SAAS) until God conquered Mecca
through him. Then I asked him, '0 Messenger of God, dispatch me to burn Dhii
al-Kaffayn, the idol of 'Amr b. Humitma.'"
Ibn Ishaq stated, "And he did leave to do so. As al-Tufayl set fire to the idol
he spoke the verse,
'0 Dha al-Kaffayn, I am not one of your worshippers; our history is older than
yours;
I have stuffed your heart with fire.'"He then returned to the Messenger of God (SAAS), and remained at Medina
with him until the Messenger of God (SAAS) died.