Zur'ah ibn Sayf

Zur'a ibn Saif ibn Dhi Yazan. It is said that he was one of the notables of Yemen, and the Prophet ﷺ wrote to him.

Abu Ja'far 'Ubayd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn al-Samain informed us, through his isnad to Yunus ibn Bukayr, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: A letter from the kings of Himyar arrived at the Prophet ﷺ, informing him of their arrival from Tabuk and their envoy to him with their Islam, he said: And Zur'a ibn Dhi Yazan was sent with his Islam and the separation from polytheism, so the Prophet ﷺ wrote to them a letter: 'In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Harith ibn Abd al-Khalil, and to Nu'aym ibn Abd al-Khalil, and to Numan, it is said: of Ru'ayn and Mu'afir, and to Zur'a ibn Dhi Yazan. As for after this, I praise you for Allah, the One Who has no deity other than Him. As for after this, the Messenger of your people has arrived, and he has met us in Medina, and he has conveyed the message you sent with him, and he informed us of your Islam and the killing of the polytheists. Indeed, Allah has guided you through His guidance. If you reform and obey Allah and His Messenger, and establish prayer, and give zakat, and give one-fifth of the spoils to Allah and the share of the Prophet and his family.'

He mentioned zakat, and this is a lengthy letter.

He said: Indeed, the Messenger of Allah sent to Zur'a ibn Dhi Yazan: 'When my messengers come to you, I advise you to follow them.'

It was narrated by the three (Ibn Manda, Abū Nuʿaym, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr).