Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays comes with the delegation of Kinda

al-Ash'ath ibn Qays came with the delegation of Kinda to the Prophet, and they became Muslims. A discussion took place between them and the Prophet about silk, and about the lineage that traces to "the eater of the bitter plant" (akil al-murar). ¹

Ibn Ishaq relates from al-Zuhri that al-Ash'ath came with eighty riders from Kinda. They entered the Prophet's mosque with their hair combed and eyes kohled, wearing Hirian robes that they had decked out with silk. ¹ The Prophet said to them: "Have you not become Muslims?" They said: "Yes." He said: "Then what is this silk at your necks?" They tore it off and threw it away. ¹

al-Ash'ath said: "O Messenger of God, we are the sons of Akil al-Murar, and you are the son of Akil al-Murar." The Prophet smiled and said: "Trace your lineage to this one, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Rabi'a ibn al-Harith, who were two merchant men, who when they travelled among some of the Arabs and were asked whose they were, said: 'We are the sons of Akil al-Murar', seeking honour through it, because Kinda were kings." ¹ Then he said: "No, we are the sons of al-Nadr ibn Kinana; we do not follow the lineage of our mother, nor disown our father." ¹ al-Ash'ath said: "Have you finished, O company of Kinda? By God, I will not hear a man say it without striking him eighty times." ¹

Al-Samhudi cites from al-Suhayli that among the Prophet's grandmothers were some from Kinda: Da'd daughter of Surayr ibn Tha'laba, the mother of Kilab ibn Murra, or his grandmother. ¹

"Rajjalu" means combed and arranged; "al-jumam" are plural of "jumma", the mass of hair from the forelock to the shoulders; "kaffafuha" means they put silk curtains on them; "la naqfu ummana" means we do not follow the lineage of our mother. ¹

• The number of the delegation: eighty according to al-Zuhri, seventy according to Ibn Sa'd; the year is 9 AH in Ibn Ishaq's context and 10 AH in Ibn Sa'd. ^{1 2}