The Prophet did not content himself with guidance but he...

The Prophet did not content himself with guidance but he also wrote a letter to the people of Yemen inviting them to Islam, gave it to Ali and directed him to read it over to them. Bara' bin 'Azib was Ali's attendant in Yemen. He says that when Ali reached the border of Yemen, he arranged the ranks of the Muslim soldiers who were already stationed there under the command of Khalid bin Walid and offered the morning prayers in congregation.

Then he invited the tribe of Hamdan, which was one of the biggest tribes of Yemen, to hear the message of the Prophet. First he praised Allah. Then he read out the Prophet's message to them. The grandeur of the meeting, the sweetness of the narration and the greatness of the words of the Prophet impressed the people of Hamdan tribe so much that they embraced Islam within a day. Imam Ali wrote a letter to the Prophet informing him of the developments.

The Prophet was greatly pleased to learn the good news. He thanked Allah and said: "May the tribe of Hamdan be blessed". The…