IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA?L IBN KATHiR 119"'They therefore responded to his call for them to believe in him and accepted
Islam, saying, "We have left our own people, for they have such discord and dis-
sension between them not found in any other. Perhaps God may unite them
through you. We will go forth among them and invite them to join you, present-
ing to them this religion we have accepted from you. If God should unite them
around you, then no one will be dearer to us than you." They then left, return-
ing to their territory, believing in him and the faith."'
Ibn Ishaq continued, "These men, so I have been told, were six in number. Of
the Khazraj there was Aba Umma As'ad h. Zuraa h. Wds h. Wbayd b.
Tha'laba b. Ghanm b. Malik b. d-Najja. According to Aba Nu'aym, he was the
first of the an@r of the Khazraj to accept Islam.
"From d-'Aws there was Aho al-Haytham b. d-Tayyihan. It is said, however,
that the first of them to accept Islam were Rzfi' b. Malik and Mu$dh b. 'Afra'.
But God knows best.
"Also there were 'Awf b. d-Harith h. Rifa'a b. Sawad b. Mnlik b. Ghanm b.
Malik b. d-Najja, he heing the son of 'Afra', both these last being Najjais; Rafic
b. Maik b. al-'Ajlnn h. 'Amr b. Zurayq d-Zurqi; Qucba b. 'Amir b. Hadida b.
'Amr b. Ghanm b. Sawwnd b. Ghanm b. Ka'b b. Salama b. Sa'd b. 'Ali b. Asad
b. Saida b. Yazid h. Jusham b. d-Khazraj dSulami. From the Bann Sawwad;
Wqba b. 'Amir b. Nabi h. Zayd b. Harim h. Ka'b b. Salama, also of d-Sulam,
and then from the Banii Ham; Jabu b. 'Abd All& b. Ri'ab b. al-Nu'mm b.
Sin% b. 'Ubayd b. 'Adiyy b. Ghanm b. Ka'b h. Salama, also of al-Sulam, then
from Banii Wbayd. God be pleased with all these men."
It is similarly related from al-Sha'bi, d-Zuhri and others that those there that
night were six men of the Khazraj.
Miisa b. Wqba recounted, from d-Zuhri and Wrwa b. d-Zubayr, that at the
first meeting between them and the Messenger of God (SAAS), they were eight
in number and consisted of Mu5dh b. 'Afra', As'ad h. Znraa, bfiC b. Malik,
Dhakwm, he heing Ibn 'Abd Qays, Wbada b. al-Swit, Abii 'Abd d-RahSn
Yazid b. Tha'laba, Abo Haytham b. d-Tihm, and Wwaym b. Sa'ida. These all
accepted Islam and made an appointment for the following year.
They then returned to their people and called on them to accept Islam. They
also sent Mn5dh h. 'Afm' and &fi' b. Mdik to the Messenger of God (SAAS),
asking him to send to them someone who could give them religious instruction.
He responded by sending Mns'ab b. Wmayr, who went and stayed with As'ad b.
Zurara.
This account goes on to conclude as Ibn Ishaq's and more fully than that of
Masa b. Wqha. But God knows best.
Ibn Ishaq stated, "And when these men arrived in Medina to their people they
told them of the Messenger of God (SAAS), and invited them to Islam.
Eventually news of him spread among them to such a degree that not a single
home of the a@r was without knowledge of him.