English Translation

Ishaq ibn 'Isa told us, Yahya ibn Sulaym told us, from Abdullah ibn 'Uthman ibn Khuthaym, from Abu al-Zubayr, who said that Jabir ibn Abdullah told him: that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, spent ten years following the pilgrims in their encampments during the pilgrimage season, and at Majannah and 'Ukaz and their encampments at Mina, saying, "Who will give me shelter, who will support me, until I convey the messages of my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and he shall have Paradise?" But he found no one to support him and give him shelter, so much so that a man would journey from Mudar, or from Yemen, or from a distant region, and his people would come to him and say, "Beware of the young man of Quraysh, lest he tempt you." And he would walk among their encampments calling them to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, while they pointed at him with their fingers, until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, sent to him people from Yathrib. A man would come to him, believe in him, and he would teach him the Qur'an, and he would return to his family, and they would embrace Islam because of his becoming Muslim, until there remained no house among the houses of Yathrib without a group of Muslims in it, openly professing Islam. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, sent us, and we consulted together and gathered - seventy men of us - and said, "How long shall we leave the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, being driven out in the mountains of Mecca, and fearful?" So we set out until we came to him during the pilgrimage season, and we arranged to meet him at the Pass of 'Aqabah. His uncle al-'Abbas said, "O son of my brother, I do not know who these people are who have come to you; I have knowledge of the people of Yathrib." So we gathered before him, one or two men at a time. When al-'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, looked at our faces, he said, "These are people I do not know; these are young men." We said, "O Messenger of Allah, on what shall we pledge allegiance to you?" He said, "You pledge allegiance to me to hear and obey in times of energy and laziness, to spend in hardship and ease, to enjoin good and forbid evil, to speak up for Allah's sake without fearing the blame of any blamer, and to support me when I come to Yathrib, protecting me as you protect your own selves, your wives, and your children; and for you is Paradise." So we stood up to pledge allegiance to him, but As'ad ibn Zurarah, who was the youngest of the seventy, took hold of his hand and said, "Wait, O people of Yathrib. We have not driven our riding beasts to him except knowing that he is the Messenger of Allah. Bringing him out today means parting from all the Arabs, the killing of your best men, and swords cutting into you. So either you are people who can endure the swords when they strike you, and the killing of your best men, and the parting from all the Arabs - then take him, and your reward is upon Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; or you are people who fear for yourselves - then leave him, for he would be more excused before Allah." They said, "O As'ad ibn Zurarah, remove your hand from us, for by Allah we will not abandon this pledge, nor will we ask to be released from it." So we came to him one man at a time, and he took our pledge on the condition set by al-'Abbas, and gave us in return Paradise.