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The delegation from Najraan 
In Southern Arabia lay the territory of Najraan, a large tract, 
which a speedy horse could traverse from one end to another in a 
day. Its seventy-three settlements were protected by 120,000 

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Christian soldiers, and when the Prophet wrote to the Bishop 
of Najraan inviting him to accept Islam, the Bishop asked his 
advisors what he should do. He then informed the people of 
Najraan about the letter from a man claiming to be a Prophet. 
After consultations, it was decided that a delegation of sixty 
men would be sent to meet the Prophet . When the delegation 
members arrived in Madinah, they donned ornate clothes that 
were so long that they trailed the ground. Their cloaks were silken 
and their fingers bedecked with gold rings. 
The Prophet saw the envoys were dressed so 
ostentatiously and refused to speak with them. Some of his 
Companions intervened and advised the Najranites to dress more 
humbly and to refrain from wearing gold in the Prophet’s 
presence. They followed the advice, and the Prophet agreed to 
talk with them. He invited them to Islam, but they refused, saying 
they were “Muslim” long before the Prophet had begun his 
mission. 
“There are three things,” the Prophet told the delegation 
from Najraan, “that keep you from finding your way to Islam – 
worshipping the crucifix, eating pork, and claiming that Allah has 
a son.” “Who then,” the delegation challenged the Prophet , “is 
like Jesus, a man born without a father?” 
Allah replied to their question by revealing the following 
verses to the Prophet : “The similitude of Jesus in Allah’s sight 
is that of Adam: Allah created Adam from dust, and then He said 
to him, “Be,” and Adam came to life. This is the truth from your 
Lord, so do not be among those who doubt. If anyone argues 
with you about Jesus now that you know the truth, tell him: 
Come, let us gather our sons, women, and ourselves, and we will 
pray to Allah and ask Him to curse those who lie.” (3: 59-61) 
The Prophet recited these verses to the delegation and 
asked them to accept Allah’s challenge and invoke a curse upon 
those who were wrong about Jesus. The delegation discussed it 

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among themselves. “If he is actually a prophet,” they concluded, 
“and we ask Allah to curse those who are wrong, then we will all 
be destroyed.” Therefore they prudently agreed to pay Jiziyah. 
They were to pay one thousand sets of clothing in Safar and 
another one thousand sets in Rajab. 
In return for the payments, the Prophet guaranteed peace, 
security and freedom of religion in Najraan. They then requested 
that the Prophet send a trustworthy Muslim with them to make 
sure these conditions were met. The Prophet sent Abu 
Ubaydah bin Jarrah with them. In the course of the journey back 
to Najraan, two members of the delegation accepted Islam under 
the influence of Abu Ubaydah.