In Ramadan, 10 A.H., the Prophet sent Ali bin Abi Talib to Banu Mazhaj in Yemen to call them to Islam. Ali was not to fight them unless they attacked first.

Ali’s call to the people of Banu Mazhaj toward Islam was received with hostility. They shot arrows at Ali and his men, but the Muslims were undeterred and counter attacked. After Ali had shown the Banu Mazhaj that they were no match for the Muslim warriors, he called off the attack and once again extended an invitation to embrace Islam. This time the Banu Mazhaj accepted the offer and became Muslim.

After the chieftains and notables of the tribes came forward and took the oath of allegiance, they gave Ali a charity offering for the poor and weak, saying, “Take from this the right of Allah.” Ali and his men returned north and met the Prophet in Makkah during his Farewell Hajj.

The delegation of Azd Shanwah

The Azd Shanwah, a famous tribe of southern Arabia, sent a delegation headed by Sard bin Abdullah Azdi, and they all embraced Islam. The Prophet appointed Sard as their chief and ordered the Muslims among them to fight the polytheists in southern Arabia.