Tufeyl Ibn Amr
Tufeyl Ibn Amr was a leader of the
Daws during the Age of Ignorance. He
was a well-liked and prominent Arab merchant.
His home was always open to the poor and needy. A man of refined feelings, Tufeyl was a
clever and talented poet as well.
Tufeyl left his village and went to
Mecca. There was a struggle going on at
that time between the Prophet Muhammad and the unbelievers among the Qureish
tribe. Each side wanted to win over new
supporters.
The Prophet (pbuh) was calling people
to Islam. His weapons were faith and
the truth. The unbelievers were trying
their best to turn people away from the Prophet.
Tufeyl had no intention of getting
into the fight when he came to Mecca.
He wasn’t even thinking about the Qureish or the Prophet. But
as soon as
the leaders of the Qureish saw Tufeyl, they welcomed him and made him their
guest.
“Tufeyl,”
said the prominent members of the Qureish tribe, “This man who claims he is a
prophet is ruining us. He is dividing
our tribe members. We are afraid he
will do the same to your tribe. Don’t
talk with this man and don’t listen to him.
His words are like magic. He’s
coming between fathers and sons, brothers, and husbands and wives.” After listening to their stories, Tufeyl
decided not talk or listen to Muhammad (pbuh).
The next morning Tufeyl went to walk
around the Ka’ba and ask for good luck from the idols. He put cotton in his ears so he wouldn’t
hear Muhammad’s (pbuh) words. When
Tufeyl went into the Ka’ba, he saw the Prophet standing and praying in a
different way. Muhammad’s (pbuh)
appearance affected Tufeyl very much.
He moved closer to the Prophet.
Tufeyl was moved by Muhammad’s (pbuh)
speech.
You poor man, said Tufeyl to
himself. You’re an intelligent
poet. You can separate the ugly from
the beautiful. Why don’t I listen to
what this man has to say? If what he
says is good and true, I’ll accept it.
If it is false, I won’t accept it.
Tufeyl stayed by Muhammad (pbuh) until
he left the Ka’ba and went home. Then
Tufeyl followed him. When the Prophet
entered his house, Tufeyl entered, too.
He said, “Hey, Muhammad, your tribesmen are telling me a lot of bad
things about you. I even put cotton in
my ears so I wouldn’t be able to hear your words. But in spite of that, I heard your words. You speak the truth
beautifully. Can you teach me about
your religion?”
The Prophet began to teach Tufeyl
about Islam. He recited the Ihlas and
Felak suras. Tufeyl had never heard
more beautiful words than these. He
reached out his hand to the Prophet
and gave
witness that there is only one God and that Muhammad (pbuh) is His
messenger. Tufeyl became a Muslim.
Staying in Mecca for a while, Tufeyl
learned more about Islam and memorized parts of the Qur’an. When he decided to
return to his people, Tufeyl said, “Messenger of God, I can speak with
authority in my tribe. I’m going to
invite them to Islam.”
Tufeyl returned to his tribe. As he was getting off his camel, Tufeyl’s
father approached. “Father, I must tell
you the news. I’m no longer one of
you,” said Tufeyl.
His father asked, “Why not, my son?”
“I have become Muslim, and I follow the religion
Muhammad (pbuh) teaches,”
replied Tufeyl.
“Your religion is my religion,” said his father.
Tufeyl
answered, “Then go and wash yourself and clean your clothes. Afterwards come to me and I will teach you
what I’ve learned about Islam.”
After his father had washed, he went
to Tufeyl and learned about Islam. He
became a Muslim.
Then Tufeyl’s wife approached. “Don’t come any nearer,” said Tufeyl. “I’m no longer one of you.”
“What in
the world do you mean?” asked his wife.
“I’m Muslim
now,” said Tufeyl. “I follow the
religion that Muhammad (pbuh) teaches.”
His wife replied, “Your religion is my
religion.”
Tufeyl told his wife to go and wash in
the water near Zussera, a stone idol of the Daws tribe. “Good heavens! Aren’t you afraid of Zussera?” asked his wife.
“Don’t worry,” answered Tufeyl.
“I guarantee that dumb stone won’t do anything.”
His wife went and washed in the water
near Zussera. After Tufeyl taught her
about Islam, she became Muslim, too. Then Tufeyl invited the whole Daws tribe
to Islam. Only Abu Hurayra was eager to
become a Muslim.
When Tufeyl went to Mecca again, he
took Abu Hurayra with him to see the Prophet.
“What’s the news?” asked Muhammad (pbuh). “What kind of situation have you left behind?”
“Hearts that cannot see the truth and strong disbelief,” replied
Tufeyl. “My people did not accept
Islam.”
When he heard that, the Prophet stood
up, made wudu and then prayed. Abu
Hurayra was afraid that Muhammad (pbuh) was going to curse his tribe and that
they would be destroyed.
But
the Prophet prayed, “God, turn the Daws tribe to the right path.” He repeated this prayer three times. Then he said to Tufeyl, “Go back to your
people and invite them to Islam in a kind and gentle manner.”
Tufeyl did as the Prophet told
him. Later after Muhammad (pbuh)
emigrated to Medina, Tufeyl took eighty Muslim families with him to
Medina. The Prophet was pleased with
him. After the
Battle of
Haybar, they received a portion of the booty.
Tufeyl said, “Messenger of God, in every battle make us the right
wing of your army.” He stayed with the
Prophet until the conquest of Mecca.
All of the idols were destroyed there.
Then
Tufeyl asked permission to go to his tribe and destroy Zulkeffeyn, the chief idol of his
people. His tribe believed that if any
harm came to this idol, Tufeyl would be punished. The Prophet gave him permission.
Tufeyl went to his tribe and burned
the idol in front of their eyes. When
nothing happened to him, the whole tribe accepted Islam.
He stayed with the Prophet until the noble messenger of Islam
passed away. Then he placed himself at
the service of the Caliph, Abu Bekir.
During the Riddah wars Tufeyl fought against the Musaylamah.
In the Battle of Yamamah, Tufeyl Ibn Amr fought hard and fell
as a martyr of Islam on the battlefield.