Hani ibn Qais

Hānī ibn Qays was the senior elder and most respected figure among the Banu Shayban ibn Thaʿlabah, one of the noble tribes of northeast Arabia that had political dealings with the Persian Sassanid Empire. When the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr approached the Banu Shayban during the Hajj season (10th year of Da'wah), the tribe eventually deferred to Hānī as their most senior voice.

His response to the Prophet ﷺ was notably intelligent and fair: he said that accepting such a major change in religion after a single first meeting would be hasty and potentially harmful, and that the tribe also had members back home whose counsel had not been sought. He recommended that both parties take time, return the following year, to allow proper consideration and consultation. The Prophet ﷺ affirmed his response as sincere and sensible.

He did not convert to Islam at this time. The Banu Shayban as a whole did not convert until the conquest era.