The Year of Delegations

Ibn Hisham, on the authority of Abu Ubayda, names the ninth year of the Hijra "the year of the delegations". When the Prophet ﷺ had conquered Mecca and finished with Tabuk, and Thaqif had accepted Islam and given allegiance, "the delegations of the Arabs came to him from every direction." ¹

This page gathers the delegations that Ibn Hisham mentions in the fourth part (pp. 205–246), and refers each delegation to its own page where it is found, and leaves what has not yet been read in detail as a marker of the work still to do.

Ibn Ishaq explains the speed with which the Arabs entered Islam by saying that the Arabs "were waiting for the outcome of this clan of Quraysh", for Quraysh were the leaders and guides of the people, the people of the Sacred House, the pure descendants of Isma'il, and the commanders of the Arabs; and Quraysh were the ones who had set themselves against the Prophet's war and opposition. So when Mecca was taken and Quraysh submitted to him, the Arabs knew they had no strength to fight him or to oppose him, and they entered the religion of God in groups, "as the Mighty and Majestic said". ¹ He points by this to the surah 110:2 and gives its verses in the text; see the surah of Victory.

This is Ibn Ishaq's explanation from within the narrative; the modern researchers' readings have not yet been added here.

The following list is in the order and places of Ibn Hisham (the numbers are the pages of the printed fourth part):

• Banu Tamim and the surah of al-Hujurat (pp. 206–212): Utarid ibn Hajib (may God be pleased with him) among the notables of the Banu Tamim, including al-Aqra ibn Habis, al-Zibriqan ibn Badr, Amr ibn al-Ahtam and al-Hubhab, then Nu'aym ibn Yazid, Qays ibn al-Harith and Qays ibn Asim. ² In their story there is their shouting at the Messenger, the speech of Utarid and the reply of Thabit ibn Qays, the poems of al-Zibriqan and Hassan, their acceptance of Islam and the Prophet's permission to them (pp. 207–212). In this section falls the opening of the surah of al-Hujurat. ²
• Amir ibn al-Tufayl and Arbad ibn Qays (pp. 212–215): Amir's scheme for treachery against the Messenger, his death by the Prophet's supplication against him, Arbad's death by lightning, what was revealed about them, and Labid's elegy for Arbad (see Amir and Arbad).
• Dimam ibn Thalaba, as delegate of the Banu Sa'd ibn Bakr (pp. 215–220): his questions to the Messenger, then his acceptance of Islam and his call to his people (see Dimam).
• Al-Jarud among the Abd al-Qays (pp. 220–222): the Messenger's guarantee of his religion and his acceptance of Islam, and his stance against his people in the apostasy; see the delegation of Abd al-Qays.
• The delegation of the Banu Hanifa and Musaylima with them (pp. 222–223): what the Messenger did for Musaylima, then his apostasy and claim to prophethood; see the delegation of the Banu Hanifa and Musaylima.
• Zayd al-Khayl (may God be pleased with him) in the delegation of Tayy (p. 224): his acceptance of Islam and death; see Zayd al-Khayl. Then the story of Adi ibn Hatim (pp. 225–227): his flight to Syria to escape the Messenger, the capture and release of Hatim's daughter, her advice to him to accept Islam, and his coming and acceptance of Islam.
• Farwa ibn Musayk al-Muradi (may God be pleased with him) (pp. 228–229): the day of al-Radm between Murad and Hamdan, and his coming and acceptance of Islam.
• Amr ibn Ma'dikarib with some people of the Banu Zubayd (pp. 230–231): his apostasy and his poem about it; see Amr ibn Ma'dikarib.
• Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays in the delegation of Kinda (p. 232): their coming and acceptance of Islam, and al-Ash'ath's ascription to "the eater of the bitter" (Akil al-Murar); see al-Ash'ath.
• Surad ibn Abd Allah al-Azdi (pp. 233–234): his acceptance of Islam, his fighting with the people of Jurash, the Messenger's telling the envoys of Jurash what had happened to their people, and their acceptance of Islam.
• The envoy of the kings of Himyar with their letter and the Messenger's letter to them (p. 235), then the dispatch of Mu'adh to Yemen and his instruction (pp. 236–237); see Mu'adh ibn Jabal.
• Farwa ibn Amr al-Judhami (pp. 237–238): his acceptance of Islam, the Byzantines' imprisonment of him, his poem in prison and his killing; see Farwa.
• The Banu al-Harith ibn Ka'b at the hands of Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) (pp. 239–242): Khalid's call and their acceptance of Islam, Khalid's letter and the Messenger's answer, their coming, and the dispatch of Amr ibn Hazm (may God be pleased with him) with his charge to them.
• Rifa'a ibn Zayd al-Judhami (p. 243): his acceptance of Islam and his carrying of the Messenger's letter to his people.
• The delegation of Hamdan (pp. 243–245): their names, the words "Ibn Namat" before the Messenger, and the Messenger's letter to them forbidding certain things; see the delegation of Hamdan.
• The delegation of Thaqif comes earlier in the order (pp. 182–199); see the delegation of Thaqif, and the delegation of Najran in its place.

After the delegations in the book come the mention of the two liars, Musaylima and al-Aswad al-Ansi, the leaders and agents who rebelled over the alms, and then the Farewell Pilgrimage (pp. 246–247); see the Farewell Pilgrimage.

This page relies on the index of the fourth part to locate the delegations, and on Ibn Ishaq's opening paragraph (p. 205) and the start of the delegation of Tamim (p. 206). The details of each delegation await the reading of its pages (pp. 206–246), and each delegation will have its own event or join an existing one.

In Ibn Ishaq's account, this year is the one in which the Arabs entered Islam in groups, after their fear of confronting Quraysh had gone following the conquest.

• The date: "the ninth year" on the authority of Abu Ubayda, as Ibn Hisham says (p. 205).
• The places of the delegations are taken from the index of the printed fourth part, and some headings may need correction against the page images.
• Ibn Hisham does not mention Thaqif within this year, but before it in the section on al-Ta'if; the place here is only for reference.