Narrated to us Muhammad b. Ali Majiluwayh who said: My uncle Muhammad b. Abi al-Qasim narrated to me, from Muhammad b. Ali al-Kufi, from Ali b. Hakim, from Amr b. Bakkar al-Absī, from Muhammad b. al-Sa’ib, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas. And Muhammad b. Ali b. Muhammad b. Hatim al-Bufakī also narrated to us, who said: Abu Mansur Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Azhar in Herat narrated to us, who said: Muhammad b. Ishaq al-Basri narrated to us, who said: Ali b. Harb informed us, who said: Ahmad b. Uthman b. Hakim narrated to me, from Amr b. Bakr, from Ahmad b. al-Qasim, from Muhammad b. al-Sa’ib, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas.
  He said: When Sayf b. Dhi Yazan defeated the Abyssinians—this was two years after the Prophet’s birth—the Arab delegations, its nobles, and poets came to him to congratulate him, praising him and mentioning his trials and his pursuit of revenge for his people. A delegation from Quraysh also came to him, including Abd al-Muttalib b. Hashim, Umayyah b. Abd Shams, Abd Allah b. Judan, Asad b. Khuwailid b. Abd al-Uzza, and Wahb b. Abd Manaf, among others from the notables of Quraysh. They arrived at his palace in Sana’a and sought permission to meet him, and he was at the top of a palace called Ghumdan.
  They entered upon him. Abd al-Muttalib approached him and requested permission to speak. He said to him, "If you are among those who speak before kings, then we permit you." Abd al-Muttalib said, "Indeed, God has placed you, O King, in an elevated, difficult, unassailable, lofty, and grand position. You have sprung from noble roots, with a sweet origin, firm foundation, and lofty branches—in the noblest homeland, best location, and finest lineage. You, O King, are the King of the Arabs, their spring of prosperity, their leader to whom they yield, their pillar upon which they rely, their refuge to whom the people turn. Your ancestors were the best of forefathers, and you are the best successor from among them. We, O King, are the people of the Sacred House of God, its custodians. What brought us to you is the joy of the relief from the hardship that afflicted us. We are a delegation of congratulations, not of condolence."
  He asked, "And who among them are you, O speaker?" He replied, "I am Abd al-Muttalib b. Hashim." He said, "The son of our sister?" He said, "Yes." He replied, "Come closer." So he approached him. Then he turned to the group and said, "Welcome and ease, mount and saddle, place of rest and kingly generosity. The king has heard your words, recognized your kinship, and accepted your intercession. You are the people of the night and the people of the day; you shall have honor as long as you remain and gifts when you depart." Then they were directed to the guest house, where they stayed for a month without being granted an audience or permission to leave.
  Then he summoned Abd al-Muttalib and brought him close and spoke to him privately. He said: "O Abd al-Muttalib, I am confiding in you a secret from my knowledge that I would not disclose to anyone else. But I see you as its repository. So glimpse this insight, and keep it hidden until God permits it to be revealed, for God fulfills His command. I find in the concealed book and reserved knowledge that we have chosen for ourselves, and which was informed to us exclusively, a great and momentous report. In it is the honor of life and the virtue of death, for mankind generally, and for your clan in particular—and especially for you."
  Abd al-Muttalib said, "Someone like you, O King, brings joy and goodness. What is it? May the dwellers of the desert be ransomed for you in groups after groups." He said, "When a boy is born in Tihamah with a birthmark between his shoulders, to him belongs the leadership, and for you through him is support until the Day of Resurrection." Abd al-Muttalib said, "I have been brought a report unlike any ever brought before, and were it not for the reverence and majesty of the king, I would have asked you further about its path." He said, "His name is Muhammad. His father and mother will die, and his grandfather and uncle will raise him. He will be born in secret, and God will send him publicly, making for him from among us supporters who will honor his allies and humiliate his enemies.
He will repel people by them from all directions and conquer the noble lands by them. He will destroy idols, extinguish fires, worship the Merciful, and repel Satan. His word is decisive, and his judgment is just. He commands what is right and does it, and forbids what is wrong and abolishes it." Abd al-Muttalib said, "O King, may your glory increase, your stature rise, your kingdom endure, and your life be long. Is the king expressing this with full clarity?" He replied, "Indeed, O Abd al-Muttalib, you are truly his grandfather, without falsehood." So Abd al-Muttalib fell in prostration. He said to him, "Raise your head. Be comforted and exalted in your cause."
  Abd al-Muttalib said, "I had a son whom I loved and admired. I married him to a noble woman from my people, named Aminah bint Wahb. She bore a son whom I named Muhammad. His father and mother died, and I raised him along with his uncle." Ibn Dhi Yazan said to him, "What I told you is as I told you. So protect your son and beware for him from the Jews, for they are his enemies. And God will never give them power over him. Keep what I have told you secret from the companions with you, for I fear that envy may enter them because of the leadership destined for him.
  Then he ordered that each man among the delegation be granted ten male slaves, ten female slaves, two robes of fine cloth, a hundred camels, five pounds of gold, ten pounds of silver, and a sack filled with ambergris. For Abd al-Muttalib, he ordered ten times that amount and said, "When a year passes, come back to me." But Ibn Dhi Yazan died before the year had passed. Abd al-Muttalib would often say, "O people of Quraysh, let no one envy me for the king’s generous gift, no matter how abundant, for it will perish. Rather, let him envy me for what will remain for me and my descendants after me—his remembrance, pride, and honor. And when asked when this will happen, he said: You will come to know the truth of what I say, even if after some time."
  And in that, Umayyah b. Abd Shams said, mentioning their journey to Ibn Dhi Yazan: We carried the daylight, borne on mounts,
Upon the saddles of camels and she-camels.
Bound tightly were their reins, held close,
Toward Sana'a from a deep valley we came.
Led by Ibn Dhi Yazan, and guided were they,
Heavy-bellied ones, mothers of the way.
From his glories, lightnings flashed,
Their sparks joined one another's blaze.
When we reached Sana'a we became
In the abode of kings and noble pedigree.
To a king who showers us with gifts,
With the charm of a gracious, cheerful face.