The Man Who Met the Last King of Jurhum
A mysterious encounter on a distant island reveals the ancient history of Makkah through the eyes of its forgotten rulers
From the chronicles of Islamic heritage • Pre-Islamic Arabia
Before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent, Makkah was a city of many stories—stories of ancient tribes, epic battles, and dynasties that rose and fell like the desert sands. Among these were the Jurhum, an Arab tribe that once ruled the sacred city before being displaced by Quraysh.
This is the extraordinary account of a man from Quraysh who, through a shipwreck and divine providence, encountered someone who claimed to be from that vanished era—a living witness to Makkah’s ancient past.
The Shipwreck
A man from Quraysh set out on a sea voyage before the emergence of the Prophet ﷺ. His ship was caught in a terrible storm and broke apart upon the waves. By Allah’s mercy, he survived, swimming through the violent waters until he reached a distant island.
When he came ashore, exhausted and disoriented, he found himself in a desolate land. There was no human being in sight, no companion, no sign of civilization—only the endless expanse of an unknown island.
As he wandered the island in confusion, searching for any trace of life or means of survival, he suddenly encountered an elderly man of imposing stature. The stranger’s appearance bore the clear signs of great knowledge and long experience, as if time itself had carved wisdom into his features.
The Mysterious Elder
“Who are you?”
“I am a man from the Arabs.”
“From which of the Arabs?”
“From Quraysh.”
The elder’s face filled with wonder and reverence. His voice trembled with emotion as he spoke:
“May my father and mother be ransom for Quraysh! Where do they dwell today?”
“In Makkah.”
Then came the question that would change everything:
“Has Muhammad emerged yet?”
“What is this ’emergence of Muhammad’?”
The elder then recounted to him the manner of Muhammad’s coming. He informed the man that Muhammad would be a prophet sent in the latter days. He described his characteristics, his mission, and what would transpire in his time.
“When he emerges, follow him,” the elder commanded. He proceeded to tell him in detail about the Prophet’s attributes, his appearance, and the events that would unfold during his prophethood.
The Names of Makkah’s Places
The elder then turned to test the Qurayshi man’s knowledge of his own city:
“Are you knowledgeable about Makkah?”
“Yes.”
What followed was an extraordinary lesson in the ancient history of Makkah—a history that predated Quraysh itself, told by someone who had witnessed it firsthand.
“Yes, I know it,” replied the man.
The elder explained: “Do you know why it was named Al-Matābikh? Two armies from our people arranged to meet there for battle. One army camped on the eastern side of the mountain, the other on the western side. We slaughtered many camels on both sides in that location. The sacrificial animals and food were so abundant that the place became known as ‘The Kitchens’ because of all the cooking that took place there.”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Do you know why it was named Al-Qa’īqa’ān? When we departed from Al-Matābikh heading toward battle, we gathered at that mountain. We fought there a fierce battle, and the weapons clanged loudly from the intensity of the striking and the clash of the battle lines. We named it ‘Al-Qa’īqa’ān’ because of the clanging sound (qa’qa’ah) of weapons that was heard there.”
“Yes, I know it.”
“Do you know why it was named Fāḍiḥ? We engaged in decisive combat at that location and fought fiercely. Each side exposed the faults and weaknesses of the other (iftaḍaḥnā), and flaws became visible. So we named it ‘Fāḍiḥ’ (The Exposer) because of the exposure and disgrace that occurred there.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why it was named Ajyād? When we came to that location on pure cavalry with no foot soldiers, the horses tore up the earth with their noble steeds (bi-ajwādihā) from the intensity of running and galloping. So the place was named ‘Ajyād’ in reference to the noble horses (jiyād al-khayl).”
The Elder’s Departure
After sharing this knowledge, the elder turned away from the man and walked toward a grove of trees, as if intending to distance himself.
The Qurayshi man called out:
“O servant of Allah! You asked me questions and I answered everything you asked. Now tell me—who are you?”
The elder turned back to him and replied with these poetic verses:
أَنِيسٌ، وَلَمْ يَسْمُرْ بِمَكَّةَ سَامِرِ
“As if there were no companion between Al-Ḥujūn and Al-Ṣafā,
And no night-conversationalist conversed in Makkah.”
صُرُوفُ اللَّيَالِي وَالْجُدُودُ الْعَوَاثِرُ
“Indeed, we were its people, but we were removed by
The vicissitudes of time and the stumbling strokes of fate.”
From his words and his stature, the Qurayshi man recognized that this must be Al-Ḥārith ibn Muḍāḍ al-Jurhumī—the last of the Jurhum kings who had ruled Makkah.
Al-Ḥārith had vanished more than three hundred years earlier when the Jurhum were expelled from Makkah by Quraysh’s ancestors. Yet here he was, his life miraculously extended so that he lived to witness that distant era.
Some scholars say he was indeed the last Jurhum king, while others suggest he may have been another elder from the Jurhum tribe whose continued existence served as a living testimony to Makkah’s history and its earliest days.
This extraordinary tale raises profound questions: How did this elder survive for centuries? Was this a miracle, allowing him to witness the coming of the final prophet? Why was the Qurayshi man chosen to receive this knowledge?
What we can conclude is that this account preserves the ancient oral history of Makkah—the stories of battles, the origins of place names, and the transitions of power between tribes. It connects the pre-Islamic past with the approaching dawn of Islam.
Most remarkably, it demonstrates that knowledge of the coming Prophet ﷺ existed even among those who lived centuries before his birth. The elder’s command—“When he emerges, follow him”—echoes across time as a testament to the truth that was recognized even by Makkah’s ancient rulers.
The places remain, the names endure, and the stories connect us to a past
that witnessed both the glory of ancient Arabia and the anticipation of divine guidance.
Al-Mu’ammarūn wa al-Waṣāyā (The Long-Lived and Their Counsels)
By Abū Ḥātim al-Sijistānī, pages 5-8
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