IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA?L IBN KATH~R 23"'One night I went out looking for my drinking partners, but found not one
of them there. So I told myself I should go off to a wine dealer named so-and-so
to get some for myself to drink.
"'But I could not find him. So I told myself I might as well go to the kacba and
circumambulate it seven or seventy times.
"'So I went to the mosque and there, standing praying, I saw the Messenger
of God (SAAS). When he prayed he would face towards al-Sham, placing the
kacba between himself and it. The spot he prayed at was between the two comers,
al-asmad (the one with the 'black stone') and al-yamdni (the one towards
Yemen).
"'When I saw him, I told myself I might just as well spend the evening
listening to Muhammad. If I came too close to him to listen I might scare him,
so I approached from the hqr side, passing beneath its covering and walking
slowly while the Messenger of God (SAAS) continued standing there reciting
the Qur'm. Eventually I stood facing towards him with nothing there between
us hut the covering over the kacba.
"'When I heard the Qur'an my heart was touched by it, I wept and Islam
entered within me.
"'I stayed where I was until the Messenger of God (SAAS) had finished his
prayer and departed. When he left he would pass by the home of Ibn Abn
Husayn, whose dwelling happened to be at Dar al-Raqtac, which was owned by
Mu%wiya. I followed him until, as he went between the house of 'Ahbas and that
of Ihn Azhar, I caught up with him. When he heard my voice he recognized me
and thought I had followed him only to harm him. So he told me to keep away,
then said, "What brings you here at this hour, Ibn al-Khatmb?"
"'I replied, "I have come to believe in God and in His messenger, and in what
has come down from God."
"'The Messenger of God (SAAS) expressed thanks to God at this and then he
said, "God has guided you, Wmar!" He then touched my chest and prayed for
me to he constant.
"'After that I left and the Messenger of God (SAAS) went inside his house.'"
Ibn Ishaq then commented, "God alone knows best which of these versions
really happened."
I point out that I have investigated the manner in which Wmar, God bless him,
accepted Islam and related aU the statements and evidence thereto at length in the
first part of the biography I devoted to him alone. All praise and credit be to God!Ibn Ishaq said, "Nafic, the freed-man of Ibn Wmar, related to me that Wmar's
son said, 'When Wmar accepted Islam, he asked, "Which man of Quraysh is best
at making announcements? "
""'Jamil b. Macmar al-Jumahi," he was told.
"'Next moming Wmar went to the man.' Ibn Wmar continued, 'So I followed
him to see what he would do; I was a lad at the time, but understood all I saw.