The Interesting Incident of Hazrat Talha's Acceptance of Islam
Hazrat Talha (may Allah be pleased with him), narrating the incident of his acceptance of Islam, states: Once I was present in the market and fair of Busra. There, a Christian monk (priest) lived in the upper chamber of his monastery. One day, in front of me, he said to the people, "Ask the people of this market and fair if there is anyone among them who resides in the Haram (Makkah)?" I said, "Yes, I am!" He asked, "Has Ahmad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appeared?" I inquired, "Who is Ahmad?" The monk said, "The son of Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib. And this is the month in which he will appear, and he is the last Prophet. He will appear in the Haram (Makkah) and will migrate to a place where there are orchards of date palms, and the land will be rocky and salty. Let it not happen that other people follow him and you are left behind." The monk informed me in detail; his words touched my heart, and I departed quickly from there and reached Makkah. There I asked, "Has any new thing occurred?" People told me, "Yes! Muhammad bin Abdullah, who is famously known by the title of 'Al-Amin' (The Trustworthy), has claimed Prophethood, and Ibn Abi Quhafa (Hazrat Abu Bakr) has followed him." Hearing this, I went to Hazrat Abu Bakr and said, "Have you followed this man?" He replied, "Yes......... You too go to his presence and follow him, because he invites towards the Truth." After that, Hazrat Talha told Hazrat Abu Bakr about the words of that monk. Hazrat Abu Bakr took Hazrat Talha to the presence of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there Hazrat Talha became a Muslim. Then he also told the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the monk's words, which made the Prophet very happy. When both Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Talha became Muslims, Naufal bin Khuwailid bin Al-Adawiyah captured them both and tied them with a single rope, and Banu Tamim did not save them. Naufal bin Khuwailid was called the "Counselor of Quraish." Due to being tied together in a single rope, Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Talha are called "Al-Qareenayn" (The Two Companions). In the narration of Imam Baihaqi, it is also mentioned that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) supplicated: "O Allah! Protect us from the evil of Ibn Al-Adawiyah." (Interesting Incidents of Ashara Mubashara, Page: 218)
