Khurram Murad - The Desert Chief: Story of Thumama Ibn Uthal

The
Desert
Chief

S TORY OF
T HUMAMA I BN U THAL

Khurram Murad

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

MUSLIM CHILDRENS LIBRARY SERIES

The Islamic Foundation 1984/1404 H
Reprinted 1988/1408 H and 1997/1418 H

eISBN 978 0 86037 678 1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means whatsoever, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

MUSLIM CHILDRENS LIBRARY

General Editors
Khurram Murad and Mashuq Ally

THE DESERT CHIEF
Author: Khurram Murad
Illustrations: Latifa Ahmad
Editing: Mardijah A. Tarantino

These stories are about the Prophet and his Companions and, though woven around authentic ahadith, should be regarded only as stories.

Published by
The Islamic Foundation, Markfield Dawah Centre,
Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicester LE 67 9 RN , United Kingdom

Quran House, P.O. Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya

P.M.B. 3193, Kano, Nigeria

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Murad, Khurram
The Desert Chief.(Muslim childrens library; 14)
I. Muhammad (Prophet)Juvenile literature
I. Title II. Islamic Foundation III. Series
297.63 BP75.

eISBN 978-0-86037-678-1

MUSLIM CHILDRENS LIBRARY

An Introduction

Here is a new series of books, but with a difference, for children of all ages. Published by the Islamic Foundation, the Muslim Childrens Library has been produced to provide young people with something they cannot perhaps find anywhere else.

Most of todays childrens books aim only to entertain and inform or to teach some necessary skills, but not to develop the inner and moral resources. Entertainment and skills by themselves impart nothing of value to life unless a child is also helped to discover deeper meaning in himself and the world around him. Yet there is no place in them for God, who alone gives meaning to life and the universe, nor for the divine guidance brought by His prophets, following which can alone ensure an integrated development of the total personality.

Such books, in fact, rob young people of access to true knowledge. They give them no unchanging standards of right and wrong, nor any incentives to live by what is right and refrain from what is wrong. The result is that all too often the young enter adult life in a state of social alienation and bewilderment, unable to cope with the seemingly unlimited choices of the world around them. The situation is especially devastating for the Muslim child as he may grow up cut off from his culture and values.

The Muslim Childrens Library aspires to remedy this deficiency by showing children the deeper meaning of life and the world around them; by pointing them along the paths leading to an integrated development of all aspects of their personality; by helping to give them the capacity to cope with the complexities of their world, both personal and social; by opening vistas into a world extending far beyond this life; and, to a Muslim child especially, by providing a fresh and strong faith, a dynamic commitment, an indelible sense of identity, a throbbing yearning and an urge to struggle, all rooted in Islam.

The books aim to help a child anchor his development on the rock of divine guidance, and to understand himself and relate to himself and others in just and meaningful ways. They relate directly to his soul and intellect, to his emotions and imagination, to his motives and desires, to his anxieties and hopes indeed, to every aspect of his fragile, but potentially rich personality. At the same time it is recognised that for a book to hold a childs attention, he must enjoy reading it; it should therefore arouse his curiosity and entertain him as well. The style, the language, the illustrations and the production of the books are all geared to this goal. They provide moral education, but not through sermons or ethical abstractions.

Although these books are based entirely on Islamic teachings and the vast Muslim heritage, they should be of equal interest and value to all children, whatever their country or creed; for Islam is a universal religion, the natural path.

Adults, too, may find much of use in them. In particular, Muslim parents and teachers will find that they provide what they have for so long been so badly needing. The books will include texts on the Quran, the Sunnah and other basic sources and teachings of Islam, as well as history, stories and anecdotes for supplementary reading. Each book will cater for a particular age group, classified into: pre-school, 5-8 years, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-17.

We invite parents and teachers to use these books in homes and classrooms, at breakfast tables and bedside and encourage children to derive maximum benefit from them. At the same time their greatly valued observations and suggestions are highly welcome.

To the young reader we say: you hold in your hands books which may be entirely different from those you have been reading till now, but we sincerely hope you will enjoy them; try, through these books, to understand yourself, your life, your experiences and the universe around you. They will open before your eyes new paths and models in life that you will be curious to explore and find exciting and rewarding to follow. May God be with you forever.

And may He bless with His mercy and acceptance our humble contribution to the urgent and gigantic task of producing books for a new generation of people, a task which we have undertaken in all humility and hope.

Director General

I n the sixth year after the Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) sent letters to all the chiefs and kings of countries within reach of Arabia, inviting them to Islam. Some, like Heraclius, the Emperor of Rome, read the letter and considered the invitation seriously, but was prevented from embracing Islam by his own weaknesses. He was not even prepared to follow Christianity... much less embrace some unknown Arab merchant... that, too, at the risk of losing the support of his generals and priests and possibly losing his throne!

Parvaiz, or Chosroes, the mighty king of Persia, disdainfully tore the letter in shreds in the presence of the envoy who had brought it, and instructed the governor of his Arabian province of Yemen, Badhan, to go and teach a lesson to the madman of Madina who dared to write him such a letter. The Negus of Abyssinia, on the other hand, who had earlier welcomed Muslims to his country and provided them with refuge, was ready to accept the invitation to embrace Islam.

Amongst the chiefs to whom the letter was sent, was one named Thumama, chief of the Banu Hanifa in Yamama in Najd. Thumama, up until then, had heard about Muhammad, but had avoided having any dealings with Muslims one way or another. He was not going to get involved in petty squabbles between the Quraysh and one of their rebellious sons. But when the invitation to join Islam came to him personally, he was outraged.

A HISTORIC DOCUMENT

P HOTOGRAPH of a letter in Khatt-e-Kufi signed by the Holy Prophet to Mukavkis Byzantinian King of Egypt in the year 7 of Hijra. The letter reads:

This letter is for Mukavkis, the King of Copts, from Gods servant and from Prophet Muhammad. After greetings to those who accept the guidance of God, I invite you to adopt Kalima-e-Shahadet which is a form of Islamic prayer.