Thumamah Bin Uthal: The First Human to Recite the Talbiya Inside Makkah

The Holy Ka'abah

In the sixth year after the hijrah, the Prophet (SAW) decided to expand the scope of his mission. He sent eight letters to rulers in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam, one of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.
Thumamah was one of the most powerful Arab rulers in pre-Qur'anic times. He was a chieftain of the Banu Hanifah and one of the rulers of al-Yamamah.

When Thumamah received the Prophet's letter, he was consumed by anger and rejected it. He felt a strong desire to go and kill the Prophet (SAW) and bury his mission with him. In the pursuit of his evil design against Islam, Thumamah killed several Muslims and the Prophet thereupon declared him a wanted man.

Thumamah then decided to perform umrah and sacrifice to the idols in Makkah, so he left al-Yamamah for Makkah. As he was passing near Madinah, a group of Muslims came upon him and apprehended him but they did not know who he was. They took him to Madinah and tied him to one of the columns in the Masjid and waited for the Prophet himself to question the man and decide what should be done with him.

When the Prophet was about to enter the Masjid, he saw Thumamah and asked his companions, "Do you know whom you have taken?" 

"No, messenger of God," they replied. The Prophet (SAW) told them, “This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi, you have done well in capturing him." 

The Prophet then returned home to his family and said, "Get what food you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal." 

He then ordered his camel to be milked for him. All this was done before he had spoken to Thumamah.

The Prophet then approached Thumamah, hoping to encourage him to become a Muslim. "What do you have to say for yourself" he asked. 

Thumamah replied, "If you want to kill in reprisal, you can have someone of noble blood to kill. If out of your bounty, you want to forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money in compensation, I shall give you whatever amount you ask." 

The Prophet then left him for two days, but still personally sent him food, drink and milk from his camel. The Prophet went back to him and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself" Thumamah repeated what he had said the day before. 

The Prophet then left and came back to him the following day. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked again and Thumamah repeated what he had said once more. Then the Prophet turned to his companions and said, "Set him free."

Thumamah left the Masjid of the Prophet and rode until he came to the outskirts of Madinah. He watered his camel and washed himself well. Then he turned back and made his way to the Prophet's Masjid. There, he stood before a congregation of Muslims and said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger." 

He then went to the Prophet (SAW) and said: "O Muhammad, by Allah, there was never on this earth a face more detestable than yours. Now, yours is the dearest face of all to me. I have killed some of your men, I am at your mercy. What would you have done to me?" 

The Prophet replied him, "There is now no blame on you, Thumamah."Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new beginning." 

Thumamah was greatly relieved. His face showed his surprise and joy and he vowed, "By Allah, I shall place my whole self, my sword, and whoever is with me at your service and at the service of your religion. O Rasulullah, when your horsemen captured me I was on my way to perform umrah. What do you think I should do now?" 

The Prophet (SAW) replied him, "Go ahead and perform your umrah, but perform it according to the laws of Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet then taught him how to perform umrah according to Islamic rules.

Thumamah left to fulfill his intention. When he reached the valley of Makkah, he began shouting in a loud and resonant voice: "Labbayk Allakumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innal hamda wa-n ni'mata laka wa-l mulk Laa shareeka lak”. 

(Here I am at Your command O Lord, Here I am. Here I am. No partner have You. Here I am. Praise, bounty and Dominion belong to You. No partner have You)

Thumamah was thus the first Muslim on the face of the earth to enter Makkah reciting the talbiyah. The Quraysh heard the sound of the talbiyah and felt both anger and alarm. With drawn swords, they set out towards the voice to punish the person. As they came closer to him, Thumamah raised his voice even higher while reciting the talbiyah and looked upon them with pride and defiance. 

The Quraysh went up to Thumamah and said: "What's wrong with you, Thumamah? Have you given in and abandoned your religion and the religion of your forefathers?" 

Thumamah replied them, "I have not given in, but I have decided to follow the best religion. I follow the religion of Muhammad. I swear to you by the Lord of this House that after my return to al-Yamamah, no grain of wheat or any of its produce shall reach you until you follow Muhammad." 

Under the watchful eyes of the Quraysh, Thumamah performed umrah as the Prophet (SAW) had instructed him.

Thumamah returned to his land and ordered his people to withhold supplies from the Quraysh. The boycott gradually began to have effect and became more and more stringent. Prices began to rise. Hunger began to bite and there was even fear of death among the Quraysh. 

Thereupon, they wrote to the Prophet, saying: "Our agreement with you (the treaty of Hudaybiyyah) is that you should maintain the bonds of kinship but you have gone against that. You have cut the bonds of kinship. You have killed and caused death through hunger. Thumamah ibn Uthal has cut our supplies and inflicted harm on us. Perhaps you would see fit to instruct him to resume sending us what we need." 

The Prophet immediately sent a messenger instructing Thumamah to lift the boycott and resume supplies to the Quraysh and  Thumamah complied.

Thumamah spent the rest of his life in the service of his religion, abiding by the undertaking he had given to the Prophet. When the Prophet passed away, Musaylamah, the imposter, began calling the Banu Hanifah to believe in him as a Prophet. 

Thumamah confronted him and said to his people: "O Banu Hanifah, beware of this grievous matter. There is no light or guidance in it. By Allah, it will only bring distress and suffering to whoever joins this movement and misfortune even to those who do not join. O Banu Hanifah, two prophets do not come at the same time and there shall be no Prophet after Muhammad (SAW) and no Prophet to share in his mission."

He then read out to them the following verses of the Qur'an: 

"Ha Mim. The revelation of this Book is from God the Almighty, the Knowing. He forgives sins and accepts repentance. He is severe in punishment and has a long reach. There is no god except Him. To Him is the journey's end." (Surah Ghafir: 1-3). 

"Can you compare these words of Allah with the speeches of Musaylamah?" he asked.

He then gathered together all those who had remained in Islam and began to wage a jihad against the apostates and to make the words of Allah supreme. The loyal Muslims of Banu Hanifah headed by Thumamah bin Uthal needed additional help to stand against the armies of Musaylamah. Their arduous task was completed by the forces dispatched by Abu Bakr but at the cost of many a Muslim life.

Thumamah bin Uthal is not known to have married or to have had any children; he was martyred in the Battle of Yamamah in the year 10 AH. May Allah be pleased with him.

LESSONS

• Proof of Prophethood: Muhammad (SAW) knew Thumamah bin Uthal even before he set eyes on him.
• Forced conversions: Muhammad (SAW) gave Thumamah bin Uthal the chance to embraced Islam but, when he didn’t; he was set free. He wasn’t killed because he declined the offer hence, this again debunks the allegation that Islam sanctions the killing of people on the simple grounds that they are not Muslim.
• Umrah: The umrah performed by the polytheists is not the same as the one performed by Muslims. Muhammad (SAW) had to teach Thumamah bin Uthal how to perform Umrah/Hajj according to Islamic rules.
• Keeping covenants unconditionally: Despite the treachery displayed by the pagans against the Muslims, Muhammad (SAW) ordered the Muslims of Yamamah to lift the trade embargo they imposed on the Quraysh.
• Muhammad (SAW) is the final Messenger: This was the message Thumamah bin Uthal kept drumming into the ears of his people. This message will remain authentic till the end of times.