The next batches of people begin embracing Islam
The members of the second batch that embraced Islam were Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarraah, Abu Salamah (‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abd Al- Asad bin Makhzoom bin Murrah, who was son of Barrah bint ‘Abd Al Muttalib, the paternal aunt of the Prophet ; he was also the suckling sibling of the Prophet ), Al-Arqam bin Abu Al-Arqam Al-Makhzoomi, ‘Uthmaan bin Math‘oon Al-Jumahi, ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Haarith bin ‘Abd Al-Muttalib, Sa‘eed bin Zayd bin ‘Amr bin Nufayl, Qudaamah and ‘Abdullaah, the sons of Math‘oon, Faatimah bint Al-Khattaab bin Nufayl (the sister of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattaab and wife of Sa‘eed bin Zayd), Asmaa’ bint Abu Bakr, and Khabbaab bin Al-Aratt (the ally of Banu Zuhrah), may Allah be pleased with them.
The third batch
The following Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, embraced Islam within this batch: ‘Umayr bin Abu Waqaas (brother of Sa‘d bin Abu Waqaas), ‘Abdullaah bin Mas‘ood bin Al-Haarith bin Shamkh bin Makhzoom bin Huthayl, Mas‘ood bin Al-Qaarri (Mas‘ood bin Rabee‘ah bin ‘Amr bin Sa‘eed bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza bin Hamaalah bin Al-Qaarah), Saleet bin ‘Amr, Haatib bin ‘Amr, ‘Ayyaash bin Abu Rabee‘ah and his wife, Asmaa’ bint Salaamah, Khunays bin Huthaafah As-Sahmi, ‘Aamir bin Rabee‘ah (the ally of Banu Al-Khattaab), ‘Abdullaah bin Jahsh and his brother Ahmad, Ja‘far bin Abu Taalib and his wife Asmaa’ bint Umays, Haatib bin Al-Haarith and his wife Faatimah bint Al-Mujallal, his brother Hattaab bin Al-Haarith, his wife Fukayhah bint Yasaar, their brother Ma‘mar bin Al-Haarith, As-Saa’ib bin ‘Uthmaan bin Math‘oon, Al-Muttalib bin Azhar and his wife Ramlah bint Abu ‘Awf, An-Nahhaam bin ‘Abdullaah bin Usayd, ‘Aamir bin Fuhayrah (who was emancipated by Abu Bakr after buying him from At-Tufayl bin Al-Haarith bin Sakhbarah), Fuhayrah and his mother, Khaalid bin Sa‘eed bin Al-‘Aas bin Umayyah bin ‘Abd Shams bin ‘Abd-Manaaf bin Qusayy and his wife Umaynah bint Khalaf, Abu Huthayfah bin ‘Utbah bin Rabee‘ah bin ‘Abd Shams, Waaqid bin ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abd-Manaaf, Khaalid, ‘Aamir, ‘Aaqil and Iyaas sons of Al-Bukayr bin ‘Abd Yaaleel, and ‘Ammaar bin Yaasir (the ally of Banu Makhzoom bin Yaqathah). Ibn Hishaam said, “Ansiyy bin Math’hij and Suhayb bin Sinaan, may Allah be pleased with them, were the first of the Byzantines to embrace Islam [Suhayb may Allah be pleased with him was of pure Arab origin, but he was brought up among the Byzantines who captured him during his childhood].”
Abu Tharr, his brother Unays, his mother, and Bilaal bin Rabaah Al-Habashi, may Allah be pleased with them, were also among the early Muslims.
These early Muslims, who belonged to all sections of the Quraysh, were more than forty people as mentioned by Ibn Hishaam .
Ibn Is’haaq said, “Henceforth, people started entering into Islam in multitudes, and so Islam spread in Makkah and people began talking about it.”
These names show that the early Muslims were the elite of their people, not just, as mentioned by some researchers of prophetic biography inferior people or slaves who wanted to regain their freedom. Other researchers were also wrong when they described the early Muslims as a combination of the poor and weak people as well as slaves.
For example, one such researcher said, “The asset of this Da‘wah [call] after three years of its commencement was forty men and women, who were generally poor and weak and comprised of slaves and freed slaves. They also included a mixture of non-Arabs such as Bilaal the Abyssinian and Suhayb the Byzantine”.
Nevertheless, accurate research proves that the total number of those who were described as poor and weak in addition to the slaves and freed slaves was no more than thirteen. This in no way represents the majority of those who embraced Islam during this period.
Those who embraced Islam during this period were not motivated by any worldly cause; rather, it was their belief in the truth, for which Allah The Almighty opened their hearts, and their support for the Messenger that spurred them on to accept Islam. This was the case with all the early Muslims, whether nobles or slaves, or poor or wealthy, and Abu Bakr and Bilaal, ‘Uthmaan and Suhayb, may Allah be pleased with them, were all equal in this regard.
Saalih Ash-Shaami says,
We do not wish to deny that there were weak people and slaves among the early Muslims, but we do not accept the saying that they were the majority as this contradicts established facts. If it had been so, it would have become a call based on social discrimination undertaken by the weak, and the slaves against the strong and those in power just like all other calls that are based on selfishness and whims. This never occurred to the minds of any of the Muslims upon accepting Islam. They entered into this religion considering themselves as brothers in faith and slaves of Allah The Almighty. It was to the benefit of this Da‘wah, especially at its beginning, to be embraced by the noble people who accepted to endure forms of humiliation that they had never faced before nor could have even imagined .
Islam was flowing into the fine souls, enlightened minds and pure hearts, which Allah The Almighty prepared for this mission .
The early Muslims included nobles such as Khadeejah, Abu Bakr, ‘Ali, ‘Uthmaan, Az-Zubayr, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan, Talhah, Abu ‘Ubaydah, Abu Salamah, Al-Arqam, ‘Uthmaan bin Math‘oon, Sa‘eed bin Zayd, ‘Abdullaah bin Jahsh, Ja‘far bin Abu Taalib, Sa‘d bin Abu Waqqaas, Faatimah bint Al-Khattaab, Khaalid bin Sa‘eed, Abu Huthayfah bin ‘Utbah, and others, may Allah be pleased with them.
These were the early Muslims who believed in the Prophet and in his call as soon as they heard about it.