Abān, now free to do as he wished, immediately stopped...

Abān, now free to do as he wished, immediately stopped vilifying Allah’s Prophet (S) and the Muslims in the poems that he used to compose, and the words that he used to utter. His brothers named Khālid and ‘Amr, who were among the Muslims that had migrated to Ethiopia, returned to Medina in 6 AH. When they were informed about Abān’s spiritual revolution, they invited him to convert to Islam by means of a letter that they wrote to him. Abān joyously responded to their invitation.

He migrated to Medina and managed to join the Muslims before the battle of Khaybar.[^2] Some historians have recorded the year of his conversion to Islam to be 7 AH.[^3] Abān, a soldier and a scholar After converting to Islam, Abān soon displayed his vast natural abilities by accepting important responsibilities.

When the Noble Prophet (S) was informed about Abān’s tremendous talents, he sent Abān to go and crush a group of people that had settled at a place called Najd and had raised flags that carried detrimental messages against Islam.[^4] Abān was not only a man of war, but was endowed with intelligence and great sagacity as well. He was gifted with many different talents and abilities; abilities which very few of the Prophet’s (S) companions [ sahābah ] possessed.

One of Abān’s invaluable talents was the ability to read and write. Literacy was rare and considered very precious in those days. When Allah’s Prophet (S) was raised to the prophetic mission in Mecca, the number of literate people was not more than seventeen.

One of them was Abān.[^5] After conversion to Islam, he became one of the Noble Prophet’s (S) writers of the revelation and the scribes of the Holy Qur’an.[^6] This mark of distinction added to Abān’s social standing and greatness.[^7] The Governorship of Bahrain When Islam was flourishing and spreading fast, the Noble Prophet (S) used to send governors to different cities after careful selection.

He used to appoint individuals of good character and conduct according to the divine precepts of Islam, so that they may become examples and models for newly-converted Muslims. It is for this reason that a minor transgression from these individuals could not be overlooked and forgiven. The Prophet had appointed ‘Alā ibn Hadramī to the governorship of Bahrain, an area that had fallen under the fold of Islam.

However, after a short duration the Noble Prophet (S) relieved ‘Alā ibn Hadramī of his duties and dispatched Abān to replace him.