Divine Succour

Insight comes with true faith When Umar emigrated from Makkah to Madinah, one Ayash ibn abi-Rabiyah accompanied him, and on reaching Madinah, they went to stay with the family of Amr ibn Auf. In the meantime, Abu Jahal and Harith, who were close relatives of Ayash, set out from Makkah in search of their kinsman. (During this period, the Prophet was still in Makkah.) On reaching Madinah, Abu Jahal and Harith met Ayash and had a talk with him. “Your mother has sworn that, until she sets an eye on you, she will not comb her hair or take shelter from the sun,” they said, in an attempt to persuade Ayash to return with them to Makkah. Seeing that pity for his mother was beginning to soften him, Umar warned him: “These two men want to turn you away from your faith. Beware of them! You can rest assured that when lice start biting your mother, she will surely comb her hair, and when the heat becomes too intense, she will betake herself into the shade.” But Ayash insisted on freeing his mother from her oath; he had also to collect some possessions he had left in Makkah. He assured Umar that he would return, but, on reaching Makkah, Ayash was tied up by his relatives and subjected to all kinds of torment. Finally, he rejected Islam and reverted to his ancestral religion. (AL-BIDAYAH WA AL-NIHAYAH)