Event of the mubahala

These debates took place in Medina, located in the Arabian Peninsula, between a Christian delegation from Najran, a city in South Arabia, and the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who proposed this solution probably when their discourse had reached a deadlock concerning the nature of Jesus, human or divine.

The Christian delegation withdrew from the challenge and negotiated a peace treaty, either immediately, or when Muhammad arrived for the mubahala with his family, according to the majority of Islamic traditions.

[12] In view of their weak ties with the Sasanian Empire, these and other Christians of the south were probably in a position to independently negotiate with Muhammad.

[7][13] There a peace treaty was finally reached by which the Christians agreed to pay an annual poll-tax (jizya) but were not required to convert to Islam or partake in Muslims' military campaigns,[14] and remained in charge of for their own affairs.

[21] By some reports, the delegation did not accept the challenge and instead negotiated a peace treaty with Muhammad, either because they thought possible that he was truthful in his claims,[22][3] or because they were intimidated by the military might of Muslims.

[13] In a tradition cited by Muqatil, Muhammad reflects hypothetically that he would have taken with him to the mubahala his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn.

[24] Ibn Sa'd writes that two leaders of the delegation later returned to Medina and converted to Islam,[13] which might explain their earlier refusal of the mubahala.

[31] Here, the Islamicist Wilferd Madelung argues that the term 'our sons' (abna'ana) in the verse of mubahala must refer to Muhammad's grandchildren, namely, Hasan and Husayn.

'people of the house') as Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, according to Shia and some Sunni sources,[31] including the canonical collections Sahih Muslim, Sunan al-Tirmidhi,[35] and Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

[36][3] At any rate, the inclusion of these four by Muhammad, as his witnesses and guarantors in the mubahala ritual,[37][38] must have raised their religious rank within the community.