Sawad ibn Qarib al-Azdi

Sawad ibn Qarib al-Azdi was a man of Yemen "from a house of rank and standing among them", a soothsayer before Islam. Al-Hakim gives his story in the Book of Knowing the Companions of the [[work/al-mustadrak-ala-al-sahihayn|Mustadrak]] (hadith 6558) as told by Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi. ²

The story goes that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab was sitting in the mosque when a man passed, and someone told him: this is Sawad ibn Qarib, to whom his familiar spirit brought news of the Prophet's appearance. 'Umar called him and asked: "Are you still what you were in your soothsaying?" Sawad grew very angry and said no one had confronted him with that since he became Muslim. 'Umar replied that the idolatry they themselves had practised was worse than his soothsaying, and asked him to tell the story of his spirit. ³

Sawad told him that one night, between sleep and waking, his spirit came, nudged him with its foot and told him to rise and understand: a messenger had been sent from Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib calling to God and His worship; and it recited verses on the wonder of the jinn hastening to Mecca in search of guidance. Sawad paid no heed, and it came again on the second night and the third with the same message. ⁴

Love of Islam then took hold of him. He saddled his mount and set out for Mecca, but on the way he was told that the Prophet had emigrated to Medina. He went there and entered the mosque while people were gathered round the Prophet; Abu Bakr brought him forward until he stood before him, and he recited verses recalling the spirit and its three nights, testifying to God's oneness and the Prophet's mission, and asking for his intercession. The Prophet and his companions rejoiced greatly at his conversion, and 'Umar leapt up, embraced him and said: "I have long wanted to hear this from you." ⁵

Al-Dhahabi says in the Talkhis: the chain is broken. ²