English Translation

Affan narrated to us: Sallam Abu al-Mundhir narrated to us, from Asim b. Bahdalah, from Abu Wa'il, from al-Harith b. Hassan, who said: I passed by an old woman at al-Rabadhah, stranded there, of Banu Tamim. She said, "Where are you headed?" I said, "We seek the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." She said, "Then carry me with you, for I have a need with him." He said: So I carried her, and I entered the mosque, and it was packed with people, and a black banner was fluttering. I said, "What is the matter with the people today?" They said, "This is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, wanting to send Amr b. al-As on an expedition." So I said, "O Messenger of Allah, if you see fit to make al-Dahna' a boundary between us and Banu Tamim, do so, for it was ours once." The old woman then sat up straight, seized by zeal, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, where then would you push your own tribe of Mudar?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I brought her without realizing she would be an adversary against me." I said, "I seek refuge in Allah from being like the one the first man spoke of." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "And what did the first man say?" I said, "You have hit upon one who knows." — Sallam says: this means, this one is foolish; the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "You have hit upon one who knows." — The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Go on," drawing him to tell the story. He said: The tribe of 'Ad sent their envoy Qayl. He stopped with Mu'awiyah b. Bakr for a month, who gave him wine to drink and had the two singing girls entertain him with song. Then he set off until he came to the mountains of Mahrah, and said: "O Allah, I have not come for a captive to ransom, nor for a sick man to heal; so give drink to Your servant as You used to give him drink, and give drink to Mu'awiyah b. Bakr for a month, in gratitude for the wine he gave me at his place." Then black clouds passed by, and a voice called out: "Take it as fine, scattering ash, leaving none of 'Ad remaining." Abu Wa'il said: It reached me that what was sent upon them of wind was no more than the amount that would pass through a signet ring.