The Poet Who Waited,
and the Poet Who Listened

When Words Could Move Nations

Today, a social media post can reach millions. A video, a book, or an article can influence the way people think.

But in seventh-century Arabia, there was something even more powerful: poetry.

A poet was not merely an artist. He was the voice of his tribe, its memory, and its public image. His words could shape public opinion, strengthen tribal loyalties, and influence entire communities.

That is why the leaders of Quraysh feared losing the poets more than anyone else. If the masters of words embraced the message of Islam, many others would follow.

Among those poets were two remarkable men. Both heard about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Both sensed that something extraordinary was happening. Both stood within reach of the same truth.

Yet one turned back. The other continued forward.

Al-A‘shā: “Next Year...”

Al-A‘shā was one of the most celebrated poets of Arabia. According to early historical accounts, he set out for Makkah intending to meet the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and embrace Islam.

When the leaders of Quraysh heard this, they became alarmed. They intercepted him before he reached Makkah.

This time he hesitated. The issue was no longer an idea. It was an attachment.

Seeing his hesitation, they offered him one hundred camels.

And so Al-A‘shā turned back. Not because he had met the Prophet and rejected him. Not because he had heard the message and found it unconvincing.

Others had spoken first. Others had persuaded him to wait.

According to the historical reports, he never reached the “next year” he had counted on. He died on the journey home.

Tufayl: The Man Who Removed the Cotton from His Ears

Around the same time, another poet arrived in Makkah: Tufayl ibn ‘Amr al-Dawsī.

Like Al-A‘shā, he too was met by the leaders of Quraysh before reaching Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The warnings affected him deeply. As he approached the Ka‘bah, he placed cotton in his ears.

Then he stopped and spoke to himself.

He removed the cotton from his ears. He listened. He reflected. Then he met Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and spoke with him directly.

The same message that others had warned him against became the turning point of his life.

The Difference Was Not Knowledge

Fourteen centuries have passed. Yet the human heart remains remarkably familiar.

Al-A‘shā heard the warnings. Tufayl heard them too.

Both were intelligent men. Both were respected. Both stood near the same door.

The difference appeared in their response.

Perhaps the most striking difference between the two poets was not what they heard, but what they chose to do with what they heard.

Both were surrounded by warnings, opinions, and persuasion. Both encountered people eager to tell them what to think before they had investigated for themselves.

Al-A‘shā allowed those voices to shape his decision. Tufayl heard the same voices, yet paused and asked a simple question:

“Why should others decide what I am allowed to hear?”

The question was never whether they were intelligent enough to recognize the truth.

The question was whether they would allow others to do their thinking for them.

Perhaps that is why their stories still resonate after fourteen centuries.

They are not merely stories about two poets.

They are stories about two possibilities that exist within every human being.