Part 1 · Page 222
Their Search for Religions
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; not an official published English edition.
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: One day Quraysh gathered for an annual festival beside one of their idols, which they honored, sacrificed to, and visited in devotion. Four men slipped away privately and said to one another, “Let us speak honestly and keep one another’s words confidential.” They agreed. They were Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn Abd al-‘Uzza; ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Jahsh ibn Ri’ab ibn Ya‘mur ibn Sabrah ibn Murrah ibn Kabir ibn Ghanm ibn Dawdan ibn Asad ibn Khuzaymah, whose mother was Umaymah bint Abd al-Muttalib; ‘Uthman ibn al-Huwayrith ibn Asad ibn Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qusayy; and Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl ibn Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Abdullah ibn Qurt ibn Riyah ibn Razah ibn ‘Adi ibn Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy.
They said to one another: “By Allah, our people follow nothing. They have abandoned the religion of their father Abraham. What is this stone we circle, which neither hears nor sees, harms nor benefits? O people, seek a religion for yourselves, for by Allah you follow nothing.” They dispersed through different lands, searching for the upright religion of Abraham.