A LIST OF THE HAPPY INDIVIDUALS WHO ATTAINED THE FELICITY OF RELIGION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MISSION OF THE PROPHET—U. W. B.

The U’lâma of the nation agree that the first person the stature of whose ability became honoured by the robe of the religion was Khodaijah; but a number of pious men assert that A’li, the son of Abu Tâleb—u. w. b.—was made happy by becoming the first proselyte to the faith, and after him Zaid Bin Hâreth, the freed slave of the prince of existences, was exalted by that gift, and after that Abu Bakr believed the words of the prophet—u. w. b. The traditions now related may, however, also be adjusted as follows: The first person who believed in the prophetship of the prince of the righteous was Khodaijah, the first who confessed it was Ali the select—u. w. b.—and the first who attached himself to his lordship was Zaid Bin Hâreth. The priority of these three in believing the words of Ahmed, the chosen receptacle of the blessings of the Almighty Sovereign, is made clear as follows: ‘Sidiq Akbar* was the first man, A’li Murtaza [i.e., the select] the first boy, and Zaid Bin Hâreth the first liberated slave, who had pro­fessed the religion; and as for the priority of Khodaijah, it needs no explanation. By the blessing of their sanctified utterances, O’thmân Bin U’ffân, Zobeir Bin Ala’wâm, Tolhah Bin A’bdullah, Sa’ad Bin Abu Woqâss, and A’bd-ur-rahman Bin A’wuf, who belonged to the evangelistic family, entered the assembly of his lordship the refuge of termination [of prophecy], and pronounced the beautiful Kalimat.*

It is recorded that when Sidiq became a Musalmân he caused the next day O’baidah Bin Jarrâh, Abu Moselamah Makhzûmi, O’thmân Bin Mutta’vum, and Râfum Bin Alarqum, to wait upon the prince of men and genii— u. w. b.—that they might become believers, monotheists and Moslems. On that occasion, also, A’mar Bin Yasar, with his mother Mimanah, O’baidah Bin-ul-Hâreth Bin A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, Sa’ad Bin Nafil, Ebn Omm A’mru, Hallâl, Sahib, Janâb Bin Arath, A’bd-ullah Musa’vur Ahazli, A’amer Bin Quhbarah, Khis Bin Hozaqah, Khâled Bin Sa’aid Ala’ass, A’bbâs Bin Abu Rabia’h, A’bdullah Bin Mahash Allasadi, with a number of other men and women, whose names have been recorded in biographies, successively made their profession of the Faith.