The Plot of ʿUmayr ibn Wahb

ʿUmayr ibn Wahb was one of the devils of Quraysh. Sitting with Ṣafwān ibn Umayyah next to the Kaʿbah, he said: if it were not for the fact that I am in debt, and I have children to care for, I would go and assassinate Muḥammad myself. Ṣafwān took advantage of this and said: I will pay your debt, and I will take care of your children if anything happens to you. So ʿUmayr ibn Wahb agreed with Ṣafwān that he would travel to Madīnah with the intent of assassinating the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He had his sword dipped in poison until it absorbed the poison, and then rushed toward Madīnah.

He entered Madīnah, and passed next to a gathering that included ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb was talking to some men about the Battle of Badr — men who had not attended it; Badr was all that anyone was talking about, a great victory, everyone was happy, and they were narrating all the stories of what had gone on. So ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb spotted ʿUmayr ibn Wahb and said: this enemy of Allah, this dog, is not here for any good. He stood up and grabbed ʿUmayr ibn Wahb, and wrapped the strap of his sword around his neck, and took him to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and said: O Messenger of Allah, this enemy of Allah has not come for any good. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: let him go, ʿUmar, release him. So he was released by ʿUmar. But ʿUmar then told some of the Companions outside: be careful, and guard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

So ʿUmayr ibn Wahb came in and said: anʿim ṣabāḥan — good morning. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah has replaced that for us with a better greeting, al-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh. ʿUmayr ibn Wahb said: you have not been using that for long — meaning that they had only just changed their tradition and their customs, otherwise before this they used to say good morning, just like everyone else. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: why did you come? He said: I came to ask for the release of my son. His son Wahb was a prisoner of war; that was his cover story. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: tell me the truth, why did you come? He said: that is why I came, I came to ask for the release of my son. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: so why are you carrying a sword? He said: taʿisat hādhihi al-suyūf, mā aghnat ʿannā shayʾan — woe to these swords, they have not done us any good.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: you are lying. The reason you came is that you met with Ṣafwān next to the Kaʿbah, and he told you that if it were not that you are in debt, and you have children to take care of, you would come and assassinate me — and then Ṣafwān told you, I will take care of your debt and your children if anything happens to you; and then you agreed with Ṣafwān that you would keep this matter secret, and tell no one about it. ʿUmayr said: ashhadu annaka rasūlullāh — I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah, because no one overheard that conversation between myself and Ṣafwān, so only Allah, Mighty and Majestic, could have told him about that conversation — and he became Muslim, and went back to Makkah.

On his way back, Ṣafwān had been telling the people of Makkah: soon you will hear news that will make you forget what happened at Badr — he would go around telling them, soon the good news will come, you are going to hear some good news, it is on its way. But then ʿUmayr ibn Wahb came back declaring Islam, and Ṣafwān said: I am never going to speak to him again. So ʿUmayr ibn Wahb, who was a devil of Quraysh, became a dāʿī, and instead of persecuting Muslims as he used to do, he would persecute the people who persecuted the Muslims; and many people became Muslim through the daʿwah of ʿUmayr ibn Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him).