The Account of Ḍimād al-Azdī

There is the story of Ḍimād al-Azdī. Ḍimād al-Azdī was a man from Azd Shanūʾah, from southern Arabia. He came into Makkah, and he heard some of the people in Makkah saying that there is a man among them who's obsessed with jinn — they were referring to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ḍimād al-Azdī used to be a man who would heal people who are obsessed with demons. So with the right intentions, Ḍimād al-Azdī went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to offer his help. He didn't mean anything bad — he had heard that, he never met the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he doesn't know him. Since he was an expert healer, he went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, I heard that you are obsessed with jinn, and I'm offering my service; if you want, I can help you. Which is quite an insulting statement, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was very compassionate, and he understood that this man might have heard some wrong information.

So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) started by mentioning the words of khuṭbat al-ḥājah: inna al-ḥamdu lillāhi, naḥmaduhu wa nastaʿīnuhu wa nastaghfiruhu wa nastahdīh, wa naʿūdhu billāhi min shurūri anfusinā wa min sayyiʾāti aʿmālinā, man yahdihi Allāhu fa-lā muḍilla lah, wa man yuḍlil fa-lā hādiya lah — as an opening of a speech. So the Messenger of Allah just started with these words. Translated: praise be to God, we praise Him and seek His help. Whomever God leads aright, no one can lead astray. Whomever God leads astray, no one can lead aright. I bear testimony that there is no God but Allah alone, who has no associates. The words in Arabic obviously have a rhyme to them and are quite eloquent; that is lost in translation.

But Ḍimād interrupted the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He stopped him and said, O Muhammad, can you please repeat those words again? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) repeated them again. Ḍimād said, I have never heard something like this. These words are so wonderful, they are going to reach the depths of the ocean — meaning these words are going to have influence. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, umdud yadaka ubāyiʿka — extend your hand, that I may take your pledge; become a Muslim. He immediately extended his hand and said, ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasūl Allāh. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, how about you also pledge for your people, your tribe? He said, and I will pledge for my people.

Here is a man coming with one objective, meeting the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for a few minutes, leaving as a Muslim. He came to heal the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him); the Messenger of Allah healed him. He went and left after this short meeting as a Muslim. That was the personality that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had. He had so much presence, so much influence on people, that within a short meeting it completely changed their lives — a life-changing event for Ḍimād, becoming a Muslim. It occurred within one meeting, and this is a leadership quality that Allah (swt) has given Muhammad (peace be upon him): the ability to influence others.

Years later, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent an army that passed next to the village of Ḍimād's people. The leader of the army asked them, did you take anything from these people? One soldier in the army said, yes, I have taken away from them a strong camel. The leader of the army said, give it back, because these are the people of Ḍimād, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has given them protection — give them back what belongs to them.