Saying · 5th year of the Hijrah
Soon, a delegation will come to you, and they are the best people from the east.
In the 5th year of the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ prophesied in a khutbah that a delegation of "the best people from the east" would soon arrive. Days later, delegates of Abd al-Qays, a tribe from the area of Bahrain mixed between Christians and pagans, reached Madinah. Umar ibn al-Khattab RA, recognizing them from the marketplace, rushed to greet them with the good news. The youngest delegate, later known as Ashaj Abd al-Qays, alone stayed behind to bathe and dress properly before meeting the Prophet ﷺ, who praised him for the Allah-given qualities of al-hilm and al-anat. The delegation explained that the hostile tribe of Mudar lay between them and Madinah, so they could only travel during the Sacred Months, and asked to be taught something that would admit them to Jannah so they could teach their people. The Prophet ﷺ answered by defining Iman as the shahada, prayer, fasting Ramadan, and zakat (Hajj not yet mentioned, as it had not been legislated). He ﷺ also forbade them the various alcoholic drinks common to their cold climate. The tribe is said to have been the first to build a masjid outside the Hejaz and the first to pray Jumu'ah outside Madinah.
Considered perhaps the very first delegation the Prophet ﷺ ever received, and Abd al-Qays is said to be the first tribe outside the Hejaz to accept Islam voluntarily. The hadith of Ashaj's two qualities, and the Prophet ﷺ's definition of Iman using the pillars of Islam, is a foundational text on the relationship between Iman and Islam (echoing the hadith of Jibril AS).
Other events recorded in 5 AH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
Soon, a delegation will come to you, and they are the best people from the east.
I give you the good news! For the Prophet ﷺ said you are the best people from the east!
Called out on seeing the Abd al-Qays delegation arrive in the marketplace, recognizing them from the Prophet ﷺ's prophecy.
O Ashaj, you have two characteristics that Allah and His Messenger love.
Addressed to Ashaj Abd al-Qays, who had lingered behind the rest of the Abd al-Qays delegation to bathe, dress well, and perfume himself before coming to meet the Prophet ﷺ.
What is that?
Al-hilm (forbearance: you can control your temper) and al-anat (staidness: you do not act hastily).
These two characteristics: have I developed them, or did Allah implant them in me?
No, Allah implanted them in you.
All praise be to Allah who has implanted in me characteristics that He loves.
I command you to have Iman in Allah. And do you know what is Iman in Allah? That you say the shahada, you pray the prayers, you fast Ramadan, and you pay zakat.
Answering the Abd al-Qays delegation's request to be taught something that would lead them to Jannah, so they could teach it to their people. Hajj was not yet mentioned, as it had not been legislated in the 5th year of the Hijrah.