An Envoy Who Had Seen Every Court

Suhayl ibn ʿAmr was sent by Quraysh to negotiate with Muhammad (peace be upon him) before the treaty of al-Ḥudaybiyyah. Suhayl ibn ʿAmr was an international negotiator; he had been to the courts of the Persian emperor, the Roman emperor, and the Najāshī of Abyssinia — he was a well-connected man. Quraysh sent him to negotiate with Muhammad (peace be upon him), so he went into Madīnah, and he had first-hand experience of how the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) treated Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Suhayl ibn ʿAmr went back to report to Quraysh. He told them, "I visited the Roman emperor, I visited the Persian emperor, I visited the Najāshī of Abyssinia, but I have never in my life seen a leader so loved by his followers, and so much respected by his followers, like Muhammad (peace be upon him). I have seen nothing like it in the world. The Roman emperor, the Persian emperor, and the Najāshī of Abyssinia, even though they have all of the power and strength and empires, I have never seen a people love their leader so much like the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) loved Muhammad (peace be upon him)." He said, "I saw amazing things: Muhammad (peace be upon him) would be making wuḍūʾ, and the Companions would be rushing to grab the water dripping from his body." So he told them, "Do whatever you want — these are people who will never give up their leader. The Companions will never give him up. They would give their lives first; they would sacrifice everything for him."

So if there is a wish to love Muhammad (peace be upon him), more needs to be learned about him. Among the masses of Muslims there is not much information about Muhammad (peace be upon him); not much is known about the sīrah, because it is not part of the curriculum that schools in the Muslim world teach. Nevertheless, even though there is much ignorance about him and his life, he remains the most beloved figure that ever lived in humanity.