Mut'im ibn Adi

A pagan chief of Banu Nawfal ibn Abd Manaf who repeatedly aided the Muslims out of principle — the pagan whom the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ praised most highly, and a standing lesson that not all non-Muslims are alike.

Role in the Seerah (EP 018, 020)

• During the Boycott, he was among the chief smugglers of food to the besieged clans, and one of the conscientious Qurayshis who publicly moved to annul the pact.
• After Ta’if, when al-Akhnas and Suhayl refused, Mut’im granted the Prophet ﷺ protection (jiwar) — sending his armed sons to escort him into Mecca and declaring it publicly at the Ka’bah — enabling the Prophet’s ﷺ return.

A precarious protection (EP 024)

By the time of Ta’if’s aftermath his jiwar was fragile — Mut’im was an old man (he would die within about a year of the Hijra) and Quraysh resented the arrangement. This drove the Prophet ﷺ to seek a durable base elsewhere — approaching the pilgrim tribes and, ultimately, the Ansar of Madinah.

The Prophet’s ﷺ praise

After Badr (2 AH), of the ~70 captives the Prophet ﷺ said: “Had Mut’im ibn Adi been alive and interceded for these, I would have released them all for his sake.” Yasir Qadhi: honour the “Mut’ims” of every age — ally with and praise those who uphold justice, while never praising their false religion (the Prophet ﷺ did not pray Mut’im’s janazah). “Allah supports this religion even through a disbelieving man” (Bukhari). He died about a year before Badr.

Cross-references

Muhammad ﷺ · The Boycott of Banu Hashim · The Incident of Ta'if · The Hijrah (Emigration to Madinah) · The Ansar (the Helpers of Madinah) · Madinah (Yathrib) · Quraysh · Abu Talib

Sources

• S004 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 013 (bargain to Abu Talib), EP 018 (Boycott), EP 020 (protection & Badr praise).
• S005 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 024 (the protection’s fragility → search for a new base).