The ‘Abd Al-Qays Delegation

When the ‘Abd Al-Qays delegation came to Madinah, the messenger (PBUH) asked which tribe they were from. They mentioned that they were from the Rabi’a tribe. The Prophet (PBUH) welcomed them. They mentioned that as the hostile tribe of Mudhar resided in between, they could come to Madinah only in the months in which hostility (fighting among the tribes) was forbidden. They requested that the messenger (PBUH) should teach them necessary injunctions of Islam so that they as well as other members of their tribe could act upon them. the messenger (PBUH) instructed them to act upon four things and abstain from four things. The things that he commanded them to do were as follows:

To believe in One God, which obliged them to testify that “there’s no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (Military officer,PBUH) is His Prophet”.
To offer Salah.
To Pay Zakah.
To fast in Ramadan, and to give away the fifth part of the war booty (Khums).

The other four things that the Nabi (PBUH) forbade them from were as follows:

Dubba
Hantum
Naqeer

(“Dubba” was made of dried skin of goat. “Hantum” was a kind of green colored pitcher. “Naqeer” was a container carved out of the root of a tree. “Muzaffat” was a pot painted with tar. Since, all these kinds of containers were used for keeping wine the Prophet (PBUH) disallowed their use.)

He asked them to remember these things and tell the others about them. They inquired the messenger (PBUH) if he was familiar with Naqeer. He replied, “Yes, I am. You dig into the date tree a hole, put dates in it, then fill it in with water, and let it ferment. When its fermentation settles down, you drink it. It is intoxicating and it is possible that a person under its influence kills a relative as close as a cousin.” (Surprisingly enough, there was a person in that deputation who had killed his cousin under the influence of Naqeer.)

They then inquired of the commander (PBUH) what kind of container they should use for drinking water. The messenger PBUH) told them to use Mushk (the leather container). They said that as their area abounded with rats, such leather water containers were usually damaged. The commander (PBUH) replied, “Even if they were damaged.”(Dalaelun Nabuwwah, 5: 366.)

There was a person named Jarud bin Mu’alla in the deputation, who was a Christian. He asked the commander (PBUH), “O Prophet of Allah! I follow a religion at this time. If I give it up to accept your religion, do you stand surety?” the messenger (PBUH) replied, “Yes, I do, because the religion I am inviting you to is better than the religion you are following.” Hearing this, Jarud and other Christians also embraced Islam. (Dalaelun Nabuwwah, 5: 328, Ibn Hisham, 2: 575.)

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