Long Time Ago in Zainul-Ansar

In a distant past, there was a city in the Arab region named Zainul-Ansar. This city was home to various large tribes who excelled in agriculture, livestock rearing, and economic activities. Despite their differing views, they lived peacefully without any conflicts.

This peace was attributed to the excellent leadership of the city's ruler, King Nu'umanu. King Nu'umanu was a renowned warrior, known as the bravest of the brave, and a scholar in Islamic religious knowledge. There were two things that troubled King Nu'umanu the most in his life.

The first was the childlessness of his wife, Lawisat. They had been married since their youth, but as they aged, they still had no children.

The second issue was the neighboring pagan land with whom they had a strong bond of trust and cooperation. Since the time of King Nu'umanu's father, efforts had been made to get them to embrace Islam, but they continued to worship idols. Upon ascending the throne, King Nu'umanu decided to find any means necessary to convert them to Islam, even if it meant going to war.

Because of this, he gathered all his council members to discuss the matter. When King Nu'umanu saw that all his council members had assembled in the meeting room and there was silence, he stood up, cleared his throat for the first time, and after praising the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he continued:

"O members of the council, know that I have called you here to discuss the matter of King Rakibu. You all know that King Rakibu's father was a close friend of my father. My father tried to get King Zaidur to embrace Islam, but he failed. Now that I am on the throne, should we sit idly by while they worship other than Allah?"

As King Nu'umanu spoke, the room fell silent for a second time. For twenty seconds, no one said a word until Minister Yazid cleared his throat for the first time and said, "May Allah help the King. I believe it is not in the principles of our religion and the teachings of our predecessors to force someone into Islam; rather, they must see the light themselves. I think maintaining our good relationship with them will eventually open their hearts to Islam."

When the minister said this, King Nu'umanu's heart was deeply troubled, but he kept his thoughts to himself, knowing the minister's words were true. The palace chief, Kizalu, then stood up, cleared his throat, and said, "My leader, I believe what we should do is send a letter to King Rakibu, enticing him to Islam with the benefits he and his people would receive if they converted. Given our strong mutual understanding, it would be difficult for him to reject our offer, considering we are their main source of security and economic support."

When Kizalu suggested this, King Nu'umanu was filled with joy, as he believed Kizalu had offered an excellent suggestion. The head of the treasury then stood up and spoke for the first time since the meeting began, saying, "May Allah help the minister. My leader, do not forget that for many years we have maintained a good relationship with King Rakibu's people, but none of them has embraced Islam. I think the palace chief's suggestion is the solution. If they reject our offer, we will cut off all commercial ties with them. This is my opinion. May Allah help the minister."

When the head of the treasury finished speaking, the room fell silent for the third time. For a while, no one said a word. Seeing this, King Nu'umanu cleared his throat for the second time and said, "I have heard all your suggestions. What we will do now is reconvene next week after I have reviewed this matter. I bid you farewell."

With that, King Nu'umanu stood up and took a narrow path leading to the royal palace, followed by some heavily armed guards in red uniforms. The meeting room then dispersed as everyone went their separate ways.