a platoon of thirty believers under the leadership of muhammad bin maslamah was despatched on a military mission in muharram, the sixth year hijri, following the two previous battles. it headed for the habitation of bani bakr sept. the muslims attacked that sept and dispersed them in all directions. plenty of spoils fell to the lot of the muslims who returned home with a terrible disbeliever, thumamah bin uthal al-hanafi, chief of bani hanifa, who had gone out by order of musailama, the liar[as-seerah al-halabiyah 2/297], to assassinate the prophet [pbuh]. the prophet’s companions tied him to a pole of the prophetic mosque. to a question posed by the prophet [pbuh], thumamah used to say: "if you were to kill someone, then you would have to choose one of noble descent, if you were to be gracious, then let it be to a grateful man and if you were to ask for money, you would have to ask for it from a generous man." he repeated that three times on three different occasions. on the third time, the prophet [pbuh] ordered that he should be released. he soon went nearby, washed and then came back to profess the new faith addressing the prophet [pbuh]: "no face had been more awful to me than yours but now it is the closest to my heart, no religion had ever been more repugnant to me than yours, now it is the dearest in my heart. now i want to perform the ‘umrah (lesser pilgrimage)." the prophet [pbuh] gave him good tidings and asked him to do that. on his arrival in makkah, the quraishites accused him of apostasy. he denied it and affirmed that he had embraced islam, and then swore that they would never get a grain from yamama, a suburban area around makkah, unless the prophet [pbuh] would allow it. in fact, he did it and refused to send food supplies to makkah until the prophet [pbuh] interceded at the makkans’ earnest plea.[za'd al-ma'ad 2/119; mukhtasar seerat ar-rasool, p.292-293]