Thumama ibn Uthal

Thumama ibn Uthal al-Hanafi al-Yamami, Abu Umama ¹.

Bukhari relates by way of Sa'id al-Maqbari from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet sent horsemen toward Najd and they brought a man of Banu Hanifa called Thumama ibn Uthal, and they bound him to one of the mosque's pillars. The Prophet came out and said: "release Thumama" — he went off to palm-trees near the mosque, washed, then entered the mosque and said: "I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God" ².

Ibn Ishaq relates it in the Maghazi from Sa'id al-Maqbari at length, saying at its start that Thumama had earlier crossed the Messenger of God's path and tried to kill him, and the Prophet had prayed to his Lord to empower him over him ².

When he became Muslim he came to Mecca for 'umra and said: "by the One in whose hand is my soul, no grain shall reach you from al-Yamama" — and it was Mecca's countryside — "until the Messenger of God permits it" ². Ibn Manda relates by way of Ibn Abbas the story of Thumama's Islam, his return to al-Yamama, his withholding of provisions from Quraysh, and the descent of al-Mu'minun 76 — its chain is good ².

Ibn Ishaq mentions that Thumama held firm to his Islam when the people of al-Yamama apostatised; he set out with those of his people who obeyed him and joined al-Ala' al-Hadrami, fighting with him the apostates of Bahrayn ². Wuthayma mentions he had a good standing in the Ridda, and recited for him verses reproaching Banu Hanifa ².

When they won, Thumama bought a garment that had belonged to their chief; men of Banu Qays ibn Tha'laba saw it on him, thought he was the one who had killed their chief and stripped him, and killed him ².