English
Español
Русский
中文
Türkçe
اردو
Italiano
Français
Deutsch
العربيةHadith
The Captive Chief
- 5:46
- HD
- 10 languages
- CC
- Grading: Sahih (authentic): recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim
There was no face on earth this man hated more… than the face of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Three days tied to a pillar… then he said words that changed his life forever. A true story from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), animated (Sahih al-Bukhari 4372).
Sources: About this tellingSahih al-Bukhari 4372Sahih (authentic): recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Narration
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4372In-book reference: Book 64 (Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)), Hadith 398
- Grading
- Sahih (authentic): recorded by al-Bukhari and MuslimSahih al-Bukhari 4372, Sahih Muslim 1764a, Al-Durar al-Saniyya, Fadl al-Rahim al-Wadud, Ibn Hisham, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Al-Kala'i
- Verses
- 41:34
- Also reported in
- Sahih Muslim 1764a
Translation: Dr. M. Muhsin Khan
Open on sunnah.comOriginal Arabic audio and 9 dubbed languages: choose with the audio button on the video, and subtitles with the CC button. Watching needs no account.
The hadith and the verse
About this telling
The film tells this hadith in its own words, as a scene. The messenger in Thumama's fortress who brings him the news about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the bowl Thumama spills in anger, his reflection in the canal, the sword stuck in the dune, the carnelian ring, the children behind the wall, the fly on the bowls, the jar that shows the rows of people bowing down in prayer, the sundial, the buried rope, the dove, the black-and-white memories, the hugs, the empty jar of grain, and the faces and the voices as they sound in the film are the film's telling, not words of the hadith. The 13 short lines spoken by the characters are the words of the hadith, voiced in English (the messenger's line at the start is the film's own). The narrator's explanations (that Thumama stayed tied in the mosque seeing everything, that he saw the rich and the poor bow down to Allah side by side and be merciful to one another, that what he had thought of them began to crumble, that the second time he no longer spoke of being killed, or of money, that he was freed with no ransom, no conditions and nothing in return, that the Prophet showed mercy to those who had hurt him, that no one forced him into Islam, and that kindness opens hearts that swords cannot open) are the film's explanation, not words of the hadith. That the Prophet recognised Thumama, asked that he be treated well and sent him the milk of his own camel morning and evening, that the horsemen did not know who he was, and that Quraysh went hungry and wrote to the Prophet asking for mercy, are reports from the books of the Prophet's biography (Ibn Ishaq's biography in Ibn Hisham's edition, and al-Bayhaqi): the film tells them as part of the story, and this page gives them as reports ("it is narrated"), not as words of the hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never appears as a person in the film: he is shown only as a vertical light and never speaks; the narrator tells his words. What is authentic is the hadith below, with the narration of Muslim listed with it, and the verse of the Quran recited at the end.
Hadith
English translation by Dr. M. Muhsin Khan, as published on Sunnah.com. Sahih al-Bukhari 4372
Verses
Published translation consulted: Saheeh International, as shown on Quran.com.
Chapters
Explanation
- Thumama ibn Uthal (may Allah be pleased with him) was the chief of the people of al-Yamama, a region of central Arabia (Najd), as Muslim's narration says: "He was the chief of the people of Yamama." He belonged to Banu Hanifa, a large and well-known tribe that lived in al-Yamama, between Mecca and Yemen, as Ibn Hajar, the great scholar who explained al-Bukhari's collection, writes (Fath al-Bari, vol. 7, p. 688). Ibn Hajar adds that his story clearly took place before the conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the city with his followers; al-Durar al-Saniyya dates the expedition that captured him to the year 6 after the Prophet's move to Medina, led by Muhammad ibn Maslama.[2][4][3]
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent horsemen towards Najd, and they brought back Thumama as a prisoner. He had set out for Mecca, as his idol-worshipping people did, to make the pilgrimage called in Arabic the umra (a short pilgrimage to Mecca that can be made at any time of the year). He said so later: "Your horsemen captured me when I intended going for Umra." Ibn Hisham reports that the horsemen did not know who he was until they brought him to the Prophet, who said: Do you know whom you have captured? This is Thumama ibn Uthal of Banu Hanifa; treat him well as a prisoner. He told his family to gather the food they had and send it to him, and had his own milk camel brought to him morning and evening (vol. 2, p. 638). Thumama was tied to one of the pillars of the mosque of Medina.[1][2][6][4]
- Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) came out to him and asked: "What have you got, O Thumama?" He answered: "I have got a good thought, O Muhammad!" Ibn Hajar explains: I expect good from you, because you are not someone who does wrong, but someone who forgives and does good. Then Thumama said that if he was killed, the one killed would be a man whose blood will be avenged: a man of rank, whose people would take revenge for him, as al-Nawawi, the great scholar who explained Muslim's collection, and Ibn Hajar explain. They also give another meaning: a man who has himself killed someone, so there would be no blame in killing him; this is the meaning of the English "a person who has already killed somebody". If he was shown kindness, it would be shown to a man who would be grateful, and if money was wanted, he would pay what was asked. The Prophet asked him the same question on three days. Ibn Hajar explains why the answer became shorter: on the first day Thumama spoke of killing first; when he was not killed, he hoped to be forgiven and spoke only of the favour; on the third day he left it all to the Prophet's good character. (In Muslim's narration he repeats the whole answer each day, as al-Durar al-Saniyya notes.) Al-Nawawi adds that asking him on three days was a way of winning his heart, a gentleness shown to a noble man whose people would follow him.[1][2][4][5][3]
- The hadith does not say what Thumama saw during those three days. The film's narrator explains it in his own words: tied in the mosque, he saw the people bow down to Allah alone, the rich beside the poor, merciful to one another. Al-Durar al-Saniyya explains that a prisoner may be kept in the mosque when there is a good purpose in it, such as hearing the Quran or learning, and the hope that he will accept Islam. On the third day the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Release Thumama." He asked for nothing in return. Al-Nawawi explains that this shows a prisoner may be set free as a favour, without ransom, and Ibn Hajar speaks of the pardon and the favour he received with nothing in return (vol. 7, p. 690).[1][3][5][4]
- Free, Thumama did not go home. He went to a palm grove near the mosque, where there was water (al-Nawawi, vol. 12, p. 437), washed his whole body, came back into the mosque and said: "I bear testimony (to the truth) that there is no god but Allah", and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Then he said: "there was no face on the earth more hateful to me than your face, but (now) your face has become to me the dearest of all faces." He said the same about the Prophet's religion and his city. Ibn Hajar explains that Thumama swore his hatred had turned into love in a single hour, because of the pardon and the favour he had received with nothing in return; washing before entering Islam, he adds, is part of the lesson of the hadith (vol. 7, p. 690). Al-Durar al-Saniyya: enmity turned into friendship, and hatred into love.[2][1][5][4][3]
- Thumama told the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he had been on his way to Mecca on pilgrimage, and asked what he should do. The Prophet gave him good news and told him to go and make his pilgrimage. Al-Nawawi explains the good news: the great good he had received in Islam, and that Islam wipes away what came before it (vol. 12, p. 437). In Mecca someone from Quraysh, the tribe that ruled Mecca and fought the Prophet, said to him: "Have you changed your religion?" The Arabic word «صبوت» means, as al-Durar al-Saniyya explains, you have left your religion. Thumama answered that he had become Muslim with the Prophet; Ibn Hajar explains that he meant he had not left a religion, because worshipping idols is not a religion (vol. 7, p. 690). And he swore: "Not a single grain of wheat will come to you from Yamamah unless the Prophet gives his permission." Ibn Hisham reports that Quraysh seized him and wanted to kill him, until one of them said: leave him, you need al-Yamama for your food (vol. 2, p. 639).[1][2][5][3][4][6]
- It is narrated in the books of the Prophet's biography that Thumama went back to al-Yamama and stopped all food from being carried to Mecca, until Quraysh suffered hunger. They wrote to the Prophet (peace be upon him): you tell people to keep the ties of family, and you have cut ours; and they asked him, by those ties, for mercy. The Prophet wrote to Thumama to let the food through to them (Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, p. 639; Ibn Hajar, vol. 7, p. 690; al-Bayhaqi, as reported in Fadl al-Rahim al-Wadud, vol. 4, p. 224). The film draws its own lesson from this: the Prophet showed mercy to those who had hurt him and driven him out of Mecca.[6][4][7]
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not force Thumama into Islam: he set him free first, and Thumama chose it himself. The Quran says: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion." (Al-Baqarah 2:256), and Ibn Kathir explains: "Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear". Ibn Hajar draws the lesson that kindness takes away hatred and makes love firm (vol. 7, p. 690). The film ends with a verse of the Quran (Fussilat 41:34): good and evil are not equal; "Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better", and the enemy becomes like a close friend. Ibn Kathir explains it: "when someone does you wrong, repel him by treating him well", and "if you treat well those who treat you badly, this good deed will lead to reconciliation, love and empathy". The scholar as-Sa'di explains that when someone wrongs you, you answer him with kindness, and that when you meet harm with kindness, great good comes of it: the one who was your enemy becomes like a close relative who cares for you.[10][11][4][9][12]
Lessons and benefits
- Kindness can open a heart that force cannot: in three days of kindness, the man who hated the Prophet (peace be upon him) the most came to love him the most.[1][4][3]
- Forgive when you have the power to punish: the Prophet held his enemy as a prisoner, and let him go with nothing asked in return.[1][3][4]
- No one is forced into faith: Thumama was set free first, and chose Islam with his own heart.[10][11]
- Answer harm with what is better: the one who was your enemy can become like a close friend.[9][11][12]
- Be merciful even to those who hurt you: when Quraysh went hungry, the Prophet asked Thumama to let the food through to them.[6][4]
- A heart can change completely: hatred can turn into love, and an enemy into a brother.[1][3]
Reflection questions
These questions are written by Qabas Anime to help you reflect. They are not part of the hadith, the Quran or their commentaries.
- Is there someone you find hard to like? What small kindness could you show them this week?
- Thumama was not forced: he was set free first and then chose. Why does a choice made freely mean more than one made under pressure?
- When someone has hurt you and you have the chance to hurt them back, what would it take to answer with something better?
- Have you ever been wrong about a person or a group of people? What changed your mind?
Sources
About this telling
The film tells this hadith in its own words, as a scene. The messenger in Thumama's fortress who brings him the news about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the bowl Thumama spills in anger, his reflection in the canal, the sword stuck in the dune, the carnelian ring, the children behind the wall, the fly on the bowls, the jar that shows the rows of people bowing down in prayer, the sundial, the buried rope, the dove, the black-and-white memories, the hugs, the empty jar of grain, and the faces and the voices as they sound in the film are the film's telling, not words of the hadith. The 13 short lines spoken by the characters are the words of the hadith, voiced in English (the messenger's line at the start is the film's own). The narrator's explanations (that Thumama stayed tied in the mosque seeing everything, that he saw the rich and the poor bow down to Allah side by side and be merciful to one another, that what he had thought of them began to crumble, that the second time he no longer spoke of being killed, or of money, that he was freed with no ransom, no conditions and nothing in return, that the Prophet showed mercy to those who had hurt him, that no one forced him into Islam, and that kindness opens hearts that swords cannot open) are the film's explanation, not words of the hadith. That the Prophet recognised Thumama, asked that he be treated well and sent him the milk of his own camel morning and evening, that the horsemen did not know who he was, and that Quraysh went hungry and wrote to the Prophet asking for mercy, are reports from the books of the Prophet's biography (Ibn Ishaq's biography in Ibn Hisham's edition, and al-Bayhaqi): the film tells them as part of the story, and this page gives them as reports ("it is narrated"), not as words of the hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never appears as a person in the film: he is shown only as a vertical light and never speaks; the narrator tells his words. What is authentic is the hadith below, with the narration of Muslim listed with it, and the verse of the Quran recited at the end.
What is authentic in it
- Narration
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4372 (In-book reference: Book 64 (Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)), Hadith 398)
- Also reported in
Sahih Muslim 1764a (Book 32 (The Book of Jihad and Expeditions), Hadith 70)The same hadith of Abu Hurayra, through the same narrators (al-Layth, from Sa'id ibn Abi Sa'id al-Maqburi), in Muslim's chapter «باب رَبْطِ الأَسِيرِ وَحَبْسِهِ وَجَوَازِ الْمَنِّ عَلَيْهِ», on Sunnah.com "Chapter: Tying up and detaining captives, and the permissibility of releasing them without a ransom": in plain words, a prisoner may be held, and may be set free with nothing asked in return. In this version Thumama is «سَيِّدُ أَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ», the chief of the people of al-Yamama; on the second and the third day he repeats his whole answer; he says that Muhammad is «عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ», His servant and His messenger; the face, the religion and the city become «أَحَبَّ ... كُلِّهَا», the most beloved of all; and the man in Mecca asks «أَصَبَوْتَ», have you left your religion?
- Grading
Sahih (authentic): recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- Both al-Bukhari and Muslim, the two most trusted collections of the Prophet's sayings, recorded this hadith: al-Bukhari as no. 4372, in his book on the Prophet's expeditions, and Muslim as no. 1764, in his book on fighting and expeditions. Both go back, through the same narrators (al-Layth, from Sa'id al-Maqburi), to Abu Hurayra, a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Al-Durar al-Saniyya, an Arabic encyclopedia of hadith, gives it as sahih (authentic) from al-Bukhari and notes that Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban also recorded it, with small differences. The hadith-referencing work Fadl al-Rahim al-Wadud lists the five places where al-Bukhari recorded it (nos. 462, 469, 2422, 2423 and 4372).[1][2][3][7]
- Some details of the film come from the books of the Prophet's biography, not from the hadith: they are reports, and are not graded like the hadith above. Ibn Hisham's biography of the Prophet, his edition of the biography by Ibn Ishaq, tells, in a report introduced with the words «بلغني», I was told, that the Prophet recognised Thumama and asked that he be treated well as a prisoner (vol. 2, p. 638), and that Quraysh wrote to the Prophet when Thumama stopped the food (vol. 2, p. 639). Ibn Hajar mentions these additions of Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham in his explanation of al-Bukhari (Fath al-Bari, vol. 7, pp. 689-690). The hadith-referencing work Fadl al-Rahim al-Wadud reports that Ibn Ishaq told the story from Sa'id al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurayra, with more details, and that al-Bayhaqi recorded his version, with the letter of Quraysh, in his Sunan and in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (vol. 4, pp. 223-224). The editor of al-Kala'i's al-Iktifa, a biography of the Prophet built on Ibn Ishaq's, notes that Ibn Ishaq's chain of narrators for this account is weak, and that the account in al-Bukhari and Muslim does not mention the food (vol. 1, p. 584).[6][4][7][8]
- Verses
- Fussilat 41:34
- Published translation consulted
- Saheeh International, as shown on Quran.com
- Meaning in plain language (Qabas Anime)
- 41:34
- Tafsir
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), English, Quran.comAs-Sa'di, Taysir al-Karim ar-Rahman (Arabic), on Quran 41:34, Quran.com
Sources
- [1] Sahih al-Bukhari 4372, Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (Al-Maghaazi), Sunnah.com (accessed 2026-11-03)Abu Hurayra's narration, in the chapter «باب وَفْدِ بَنِي حَنِيفَةَ، وَحَدِيثِ ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ أُثَالٍ» (Chapter: The delegation of Banu Hanifa); Arabic text and English translation (Dr. M. Muhsin Khan).
- [2] Sahih Muslim 1764a, The Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Sunnah.com (accessed 2026-11-03)Abu Hurayra's narration, in the chapter «باب رَبْطِ الأَسِيرِ وَحَبْسِهِ وَجَوَازِ الْمَنِّ عَلَيْهِ» (Chapter: Tying up and detaining captives, and the permissibility of releasing them without a ransom); Arabic text and English translation (Abdul Hamid Siddiqui).
- [3] Al-Durar al-Saniyya, Encyclopedia of Hadith Commentary, sharh of Sahih al-Bukhari 4372 (page 150593), Al-Durar al-Saniyya (dorar.net) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic, under the supervision of the site's scholarly committee: Sahih al-Bukhari 4372 with its grading, where it is recorded, and the explanation; summarised and translated by Qabas Anime.
- [4] Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, vol. 7, pp. 688-690 (Book of the Military Expeditions, chapter of the delegation of Banu Hanifa and the hadith of Thumama ibn Uthal, commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari 4372), Islamweb.net library (page numbers as printed) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic, summarised and translated by Qabas Anime.Pages opened: pp. 688-690
- [5] Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (al-Minhaj), vol. 12, pp. 436-437 (Book of Jihad, chapter on tying up and detaining captives and releasing them as a favour, commentary on Sahih Muslim 1764), Islamweb.net library (page numbers as printed) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic, summarised and translated by Qabas Anime.Pages opened: pp. 436-437
- [6] Ibn Hisham, al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (edition of Mustafa al-Saqqa, Ibrahim al-Abyari and Abd al-Hafiz Shalabi), vol. 2, pp. 638-639 (the capture of Thumama ibn Uthal al-Hanafi and his Islam; his journey to Mecca and his story with Quraysh), Shamela library (shamela.ws; page numbers as printed) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic: Ibn Hisham's edition of Ibn Ishaq's biography of the Prophet; summarised and translated by Qabas Anime. A report of the biography of the Prophet, not a graded hadith.Pages opened: p. 638, p. 639
- [7] Fadl al-Rahim al-Wadud, Takhrij Sunan Abi Dawud, vol. 4, pp. 223-224 (chapter on the man who becomes Muslim and is told to wash), Shamela library (shamela.ws; page numbers as printed) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic: where the hadith of Thumama is recorded, and Ibn Ishaq's longer narration with the letter of Quraysh as recorded by al-Bayhaqi (al-Sunan al-Kubra 9/66, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa 4/79); summarised and translated by Qabas Anime.Pages opened: p. 223, p. 224
- [8] Al-Kala'i, al-Iktifa bima tadammanahu min maghazi rasul Allah wa-al-thalatha al-khulafa', vol. 1, p. 584 (with the editor's notes), Shamela library (shamela.ws; page numbers as printed) (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic: the account of the capture of Thumama as told by Ibn Ishaq, and the editor's note on its chain of narrators; summarised and translated by Qabas Anime.Pages opened: p. 584
- [9] Quran 41:34, Surah Fussilat, Quran.com (accessed 2026-11-03)English translation by Saheeh International. The Arabic shown on this page is the Tanzil Uthmani text (see arabic_source).
- [10] Quran 2:256, Surah Al-Baqarah, Quran.com (accessed 2026-11-03)English translation by Saheeh International; cited for its meaning (no compulsion in religion), which the film gives in its own words without quoting the verse.
- [11] Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), English, Quran.com (accessed 2026-11-03)The abridged English translation of Ibn Kathir's Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, as shown on Quran.com under "Ibn Kathir (Abridged)" (its commentary on 41:33-36 and on 2:256). Summarised in our own words.Pages opened, by verse: 2:256, 41:34
- [12] As-Sa'di, Taysir al-Karim ar-Rahman (Arabic), on Quran 41:34, Quran.com (accessed 2026-11-03)Arabic, as shown on Quran.com; summarised and translated by Qabas Anime. Quran.com shows this commentary verse by verse; this page is the commentary on the verse named.
Transcript
The words of the episode, from the English subtitles of the original voice.
There was no face on earth this man hated more… than the face of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was captured… and tied to a pillar… in the mosque of Medina. And three days later… he said words… that changed his life forever. In al-Yamama… a land of palm trees and wheat… the chief of its people was Thumama ibn Uthal… strong and rich.
“My lord… Muhammad calls the Arabs to worship Allah alone.”
One day… he set out for Mecca, to make the pilgrimage… as his idol-worshipping people did.
The Prophet (peace be upon him)… had sent horsemen towards Najd.
They took him prisoner… without knowing who he was.
And they brought him to Medina.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him… he said: “Do you know whom you have captured?”
“This is Thumama ibn Uthal, of the tribe of Banu Hanifa!”
They tied him… to one of the pillars of the mosque. And he said: “Treat him well”… and he sent him the milk of his own camel… morning and evening. Then he came out to him… and asked: “What do you expect from me, Thumama?” “I expect good from you, Muhammad.” “If you kill me, you kill a man whose blood will be avenged.” “If you show me kindness, you show it to a man who will be grateful.” “And if you want money, ask for whatever you wish.”
He left him and went on… without asking anything of him.
He stayed tied in the mosque… seeing everything. He saw them bow down to Allah alone… the rich beside the poor. They were merciful to one another.
And everything he had thought of them… began to crumble.
The next day he came back: “What do you expect from me, Thumama?” “As I told you: if you show me kindness, you show it to a man who will be grateful.” This time… he no longer spoke of being killed, or of money.
On the third day: “What do you expect from me, Thumama?”
“My answer is the same as before.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Set Thumama free!” No ransom… no conditions… nothing in return.
And Thumama went away… free. But he went to a palm grove near the mosque… and washed himself.
Then he came back… and entered the mosque.
“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
“Muhammad, by Allah, there was no face on earth I hated more than yours.”
“Now there is no face I love more than yours.” And Islam and Medina too… became what he loved most. And he said: “Your horsemen captured me… while I was going on pilgrimage to Mecca… what do you tell me to do?”
He gave him the good news… and told him to go on and make his pilgrimage to Mecca.
When he reached Mecca…
“Have you abandoned the religion of your fathers?”
“No. I have become a Muslim, with Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
“And by Allah, not one grain of wheat will reach you from al-Yamama until the Prophet (peace be upon him) allows it.”
He stopped the food from reaching the tribe of Quraysh… until they went hungry.
They wrote to the Prophet (peace be upon him) asking for mercy… and he told Thumama… to send them the food. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed mercy to those who had hurt him… and driven him out of Mecca. He did not force him into Islam… he set him free first… and Thumama chose Islam with his heart. Kindness… opens hearts… that swords cannot open. And Allah, the Most High, says: Good and evil are not equal. Push back evil with what is better, and then the one who was your enemy will be like a close and loving friend. (Fussilat 41:34)
Comments
…