Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1267
The Conversion of 'Amr b. al-'As, Khalid b. al-Walid, and 'Uthman b. Talhah
رَوَى مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْوَاقِدِيِّ: أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: قَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ كُنْتُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ مُجَانِبًا مُعَانِدًا حَضَرْتُ بَدْرًا مَعَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَنَجَوْتُ، ثُمَّ حَضَرْتُ أُحُدًا فَنَجَوْتُ، ثُمَّ حَضَرْتُ الْخَنْدَقَ فَنَجَوْتُ، قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: كَمْ أُوضِعُ! وَاللَّهِ لَيَظْهَرَنَّ مُحَمَّدٌ عَلَى قُرَيْشٍ. فَلَحِقْتُ بِمَالِي بِالْوَهْطِ، وَأَقْلَلْتُ مِنَ النَّاسِ - أَيْ مِنْ لِقَائِهِمْ - فَلَمَّا حَضَرَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةُ، وَانْصَرَفَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الصُّلْحِ، وَرَجَعَتْ قُرَيْشٌ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، جَعَلْتُ أَقُولُ: يَدْخُلُ مُحَمَّدٌ قَابِلًا مَكَّةَ بِأَصْحَابِهِ، مَا مَكَّةُ بِمَنْزِلٍ وَلَا الطَّائِفُ، وَلَا شَيْءَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ. وَأَنَا بَعْدُ نَاءٍ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَأَرَى لَوْ أَسْلَمَتْ قُرَيْشٌ كُلُّهَا لَمْ أُسْلِمْ، فَقَدِمْتُ مَكَّةَ وَجَمَعْتُ رِجَالًا مِنْ قَوْمِي، وَكَانُوا يَرَوْنَ رَأْيِي، وَيَسْمَعُونَ مِنِّي، وَيُقَدِّمُونَنِي فِيمَا نَابَهُمْ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ: كَيْفَ أَنَا فِيكُمْ ؟ قَالُوا: ذُو رَأْيِنَا وَمِدْرَهُنَا فِي يُمْنِ نَقِيبَةٍ وَبَرَكَةِ أَمْرٍ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي وَاللَّهِ لَأَرَى أَمْرَ مُحَمَّدٍ أَمْرًا يَعْلُو الْأُمُورَ عُلُوًّا مُنْكَرًا، وَإِنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَأْيًا. قَالُوا: وَمَا هُوَ ؟ قُلْتُ: نَلْحَقُ بِالنَّجَاشِيِّ فَنَكُونُ مَعَهُ، فَإِنْ يَظْهَرْ مُحَمَّدٌ كُنَّا عِنْدَ النَّجَاشِيِّ، فَنَكُونُ تَحْتَ يَدِ النَّجَاشِيِّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ أَنْ نَكُونَ تَحْتَ يَدِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَإِنْ تَظْهَرْ قُرَيْشٌ فَنَحْنُ مَنْ قَدْ عَرَفُوا، قَالُوا: هَذَا الرَّأْيُ. قَالَ: قُلْتُ: فَاجْمَعُوا مَا نَهْدِيهِ لَهُ. وَكَانَ أَحَبَّ مَا يُهْدَى إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا الْأَدَمُ، فَجَمَعْنَا أَدَمًا كَثِيرًا، ثُمَّ خَرَجْنَا حَتَّى قَدِمْنَا عَلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ
Translation
✧ It is related through the chain of al-Wāqidī: ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd b. Jaʿfar narrated to us, from his father, who said: ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ said: I was a dissenter and obstinate opponent of Islam. I was present at Badr with the polytheists and escaped, then I was present at Uḥud and escaped, then I was present at al-Khandaq and escaped. He said: I said to myself, 'How many times will I be defeated! By Allah, Muḥammad will surely prevail over Quraysh.' So I joined my wealth at al-Wahṭ, and I withdrew from the people—that is, from meeting them. When al-Ḥudaybiyyah occurred, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned with the peace treaty, and Quraysh returned to Makkah, I began to say, 'Muḥammad will enter Makkah next year with his companions. Neither Makkah nor al-Ṭāʾif is a suitable abode, and nothing is better than leaving.' I was still far from Islam, and I thought that if all of Quraysh embraced Islam, I would not. So I came to Makkah and gathered a group of men from my people who shared my view, listened to me, and gave me precedence in their affairs. I said to them, 'What am I among you?' They said, 'You are our man of judgment and our eloquent spokesman in matters of good fortune and blessing.' He said: I said, 'You know, by Allah, I see the affair of Muḥammad as one that surpasses all other affairs in a remarkable way, and I have formed an opinion.' They said, 'What is it?' I said, 'We should join the Negus and be with him. If Muḥammad prevails, we will be with the Negus, and being under the Negus's authority would be dearer to us than being under Muḥammad's authority. If Quraysh prevail, then we are those whom they know.' They said, 'This is the right opinion.' He said: I said, 'Then gather what we will send as a gift to him.' The most beloved gift to him from our land was leather, so we gathered a great deal of leather, then we set out until we came to the Negus.
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