122 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADfather had lost his sight, I used to lead him. When I would take him out to the
Friday meeting, and he heard the call to prayer there he would say a prayer for
Abii Umama As'ad b. Zurzra."'
The account goes on, "'This went on for some time; he never heard the
Friday call to prayer without praying for hi and asking forgiveness for him. I
told myself it was weakness on my part not to ask him why this was and said,
"Why is it, father, that whenever you hear the Friday call to prayer, you pray for
Aha Umana?" He replied, "My son, he was the first to unite us in Medina at the
hazm al-nabit, in the quarter of the Bano Bayada, in al-baqic, the plain, known as
the baqi'al-Khadamat." "And how many were you there that day?" I asked. "We
were 40 men," he replied."'
Aha Dz'i'ad and Ibn Mzja told this hadith through Muhammad b. Ishaq, God
bless him.
Al-Dzrqutni related, from Ibn 'Abbs, that the Messenger of God (SAAS)
wrote to Mus'ab b. Wmayr telling him to establish the Friday prayer. But there
is some peculiarity in the lie of transmission he gives. God knows best.
Ibn Ishaq stated, "Wbayd Allzh b. al-Mughira b. Mu'ayqib related to me,
quoting CAbd Allah b. Aba Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm, that As'ad b.
Zurzra went off with Mus'ab b. Wmayr to visit the homes of the Bana 'Abd
al-Ashhal and the Bana Zafr. Saw b. Mu4rdh was the son of the maternal aunt
of As'ad b. Zurzra. He took him inside one of the gardens of the Banii Zafr at a
well known as the 'Maraq well'. They sat there and received visits from some of
the men who had accepted Islam.
"Sa'd b. Mu4rdh and Usayd b. al-Hudayr were at that time leaders of their
people of the Bana 'Abd al-Ashhal; both were polytheists practising their
nation's religion.
"When they heard of him, Sacd said to Usayd, 'Go to those two men who have
come to our homes to make fools of our weakest elements; rebuke them and for-
bid them from entering our quarters. If As'ad b. Zurzra were not related to me,
as you know, I'd save you the trouble. But he is my maternal aunt's son, and I
can't approach him'
"And so Usayd b. Hudayr took his spear and went to them. When they saw
him, As'ad b. Zurara said to Mus'ah, 'This is his tribe's chief who has come to
you; trust God through him.'
"Muv'ab said, 'I will speak to him if he sits down.'
"Usayd stood glowering at them and asked them, 'Why did you both come
here and make fools of our weak? Keep away from us if you value yourselves.'
"Miisa b.Wqba said, 'At this point a youth commented, "It's YOU who have
come to our homes with this strange threatening of yours to have our weak ele-
ments behave stupidly and advocate it to others.""'
Ibn Ishq stated, "Mus'ah replied to him, 'Why not sit down and listen to us.
If you like what you hear, you can accept it; if you dislike it you can ignore it.'