Part 1 · Page 209
A Soothsayer of Janb Speaks about the Messenger
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; the tribal identification and lexical notes are preserved.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionIbn Ishaq said: ‘Ali ibn Nafi‘ al-Jurashi narrated to me that Janb, a branch of Yemen, had a soothsayer in the pre-Islamic period. When news of the Messenger of Allah spread among the Arabs, Janb asked the soothsayer to investigate the matter. They gathered for him at the foot of his mountain. At sunrise he came down, stood leaning on his bow, and gazed toward the sky for a long time. Then he began leaping and said, “O people, Allah has honored Muhammad and chosen him; He has purified his heart and innermost being. O people, he will remain among you only a short while.” Then he climbed back up his mountain and returned the way he had come.