Imam Ahmad reports in Fadail al-Sahabah (1510) and Abd al-Razzaq in his Musannaf (11/52) that:
“After the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) had passed away, the Arabs apostated except for three masjids: The Masjid al-Haram, Masjid of Madinah and Bahrain.”
It is mentioned the works of history that after the passing away of the Prophet (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) many of the Arabs left the muslim faith (apostated), such that only these three communities in Makka, Madinah and Bahrain remained. A short period after the passing away of the Prophet (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) the ruler of Bahrain al-Mundhir bin Sawaya al-Abdi died, after which a group from the people of Bahrain left the muslim faith and only the masjid of Jawatha remained faithful. The Arabs who had returned to idol worship decided to surround this community of Muslims and placed an embargo preventing supplies reaching them. Severe hunger ensued and one of the muslims in Jawatha composed a poem whilst besieged and experiencing great suffering, he said:
If only a Messenger would reach Abu Bakr
And all of the people of Madinah
Do you not wish to help a noble group
Sitting in Jawatha surrounded?
It is as if their blood is in every street
Like the rays of the sun envelops the ones looking
We have placed our reliance on ‘al-Rahman’ for indeed
We have found patience is for those who place their trust (In Allah)
Ibn Kathir mentions in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (6/720) that one of their nobles: al-Jarud bin al-Mualla, who was from those who had migrated to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) gathered them together and addressed them saying:
O people of Abd al-Qais, I will ask you regarding a matter, answer me if you know it, but do not reply if you do not.
They said: Ask
He said: Do you know that Allah sent Prophets before Muhammad?
They said: Yes
He said: Do you know this or did you see this?
They replied: We know this
He said: What happened to them?
They replied: They passed away
He said: Indeed Muhammad (Allah bless Him and give Him peace) has passed away just as they have passed away, and I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and the Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
They said: We also bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and the Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. You are the best of us and our master.
They remained firm on their Islam and left the rest of the people as they were.
