The Hunafa'
The monotheists who rejected idolatry before Islam.
CE before c. 610 CE
Hanif (حنيف, pl. hunafa’) — “one who turns away” from shirk to pure monotheism, i.e. the surviving religion of Ibrahim (as). A handful existed in pre-Islamic Arabia (EP 004).
Notable hunafa’
- Waraqa ibn Nawfal — cousin of Khadijah; became Christian, and later confirmed the first revelation as the coming of “the Namus (Jibril) who came to Musa.”
- Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl — refused both idols and the distortions of Jews/Christians; rescued infant girls from being buried alive. Died ~5 years before the mission. The Prophet ﷺ said he will be “resurrected as his own ummah” and reported seeing him in Paradise — a one-man ummah.
- Ubaydillah ibn Jahsh — the Prophet’s ﷺ cousin; later apostatised to Christianity in Abyssinia (his widow Umm Habibah later married the Prophet ﷺ).
- Uthman ibn al-Huwayrith — became Christian and an interpreter for Rome.
- Quss ibn Sa’ida — famed eloquent preacher against idolatry whom the Prophet ﷺ recalled admiringly.
Lesson
Sincerity finds guidance even in a pagan society — echoed by Salman al-Farisi’s long search for the promised prophet (EP 004).
Cross-references
Waraqa ibn Nawfal · Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl · Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic Arabia) · The Beginning of Revelation (Iqra) · Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (rha)
Sources
- S003 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 004 (and EP 010 for Waraqa).