A REVOLUTION
OF THOUGHT

Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mut’im narrated from his father: “I heard the Prophet reciting Surah al-Tur during the Maghrib prayer. When he reached the verse: ‘Were they created out of nothing, or are they their own creators? Did they create the heavens and the earth? No! They have no faith. Do they own the treasures of your Lord, or have they been given charge of them?’ (52:35–37)—when I heard this, it felt as if my heart was about to fly.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4854)

At the time of the Battle of Badr, Jubayr ibn Mut›im did not believe in the Quran. After the battle, he came to Madinah to negotiate the release of prisoners. Though he had no faith in the Quran, he happened to hear it being recited by the Prophet of Islam. These verses struck his heart so powerfully that he felt deeply shaken—as if his heart might leap from his chest.

Although he was still a non-believer, his mind had already begun to turn toward the message. He started questioning himself and reflecting on the signs of God. In time, the truth became clear to him, and he became a committed follower of Islam.

The companions of the Prophet were all people of this kind. They joined the Prophet of Islam through a conscious, intellectual transformation. In later generations, there came those who became Muslim simply by the accident of birth. But it is clear that such an accident cannot produce the same depth of character as a discovery born of deep reflection and understanding.