Abbas ibn Mirdas al-Sulami

A horseman, poet and chief among the nobles of Banu Sulaym; he became Muslim shortly before the conquest of Mecca after a marvellous incident in which his idol Dimar called to him from its core, summoning to monotheism. He witnessed the conquest of Mecca and the battle of Hunayn commanding Sulaym's cavalry, and is famed for his long odes at Hunayn and in boastful verse ¹.

Ibn Hisham relates in the account of his conversion that he worshipped an idol called Dimar, and heard a voice from within it say: "tell the tribes of all Sulaym — Dimar has perished and the people of the mosque live"; so he burned his idol, joined the Prophet and became Muslim ². He led Banu Sulaym at the conquest of Mecca and at Hunayn, where his horsemen held firm when the armies broke ³.

At Hunayn he recited long odes glorying in the Muslims' steadfastness and his people's valour, answering Hawazin's poets; among them his famous ode: "matters are decreed and matters come / people turn away and ages remain" ⁴.