From Opposition to Islam: Those Who Changed Sides

To see how the sources describe those who changed their position, when, and for what reason — without passing judgement on them — and to understand what is known as the reconciling of hearts.

• Order the conversions of the most prominent of them in time.
• Distinguish who became Muslim before the conquest from who became Muslim at it.
• Know the meaning of "those whose hearts were to be reconciled" and an example of it.

Every step here describes what a person did in their time and attributes judgements to those who voiced them; the museum passes judgement on no one. These are the lives of figures who stood on the other side at one stage and then crossed over — and that is what makes the story complete. Approximate duration: 40 minutes; 12 steps. This is an experimental trail within "Tour and Learn".

It is best to start with The Meccan Period: From the Cave to the Hijra.

1. Umar

The conversion of Umar ibn al-Khattab: he went out meaning to kill the Prophet and ended a Muslim.

2. Umayr ibn Wahb

The conversion of Umayr ibn Wahb: after Badr — what he plotted and how it ended.

3. Khalid ibn al-Walid

Khalid ibn al-Walid: he who led Mecca's cavalry, then became Muslim before the conquest.

4. Abu Sufyan's Conversion

The conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb at Marr al-Zahran: the night of the conquest at Marr al-Zahran.

5. Hind bint Utba

Hind bint Utba: and her story before the conquest and after it.

6. Hakim ibn Hizam

Hakim ibn Hizam: he of whom the Prophet spoke a word of safe-conduct.

7. Suhayl ibn Amr

Suhayl ibn Amr: the negotiator of al-Hudaybiyya who became Muslim on the day of the conquest.

8. Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl

Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl: one granted safety on the day of the conquest.

9. Safwan ibn Umayya

Safwan ibn Umayya: he fled, then safe-conduct reached him.

10. Wahshi ibn Harb

Wahshi ibn Harb: the killer of Hamza, and what the account says after his conversion.

11. Abdullah ibn al-Ziba'ra

Abdullah ibn al-Ziba'ra: Quraysh's poet — his return and his apology.

12. Those Whose Hearts Were to Be Reconciled

Those whose hearts were to be reconciled: what was prescribed to steady the Islam of these and their like.

Try next: The Women Around the Prophet: Twelve Lives.