Suwayd ibn Samit

Suwayd ibn Ṣāmit was the celebrated poet of the Banu Awf, a subtribe of the Khazraj in Yathrib. He was famed for his eloquence and held high status among his people as a poet of distinction.

He heard reports about a man in Makkah who was said to be a "magician/poet" with extraordinary speech. The Quraysh described him as a poet to discourage people from listening, but to Suwayd, this was an invitation. He went to Makkah and sought out the Prophet ﷺ. He introduced himself proudly, saying he had speech similar to the Prophet's ﷺ, implying they were equals. The Prophet ﷺ invited him to share it. Suwayd recited his best poetry, which was of the highest classical standard.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hādhā ḥasan. Wa-mā ʿindī aḥsan, What you have is good. But what I have is better, because it is Revelation (Tanzīl) from the Lord of the worlds."

He then recited the Quran to Suwayd. Suwayd was speechless. He said, "Let me think about this", meaning the encounter had shaken him. He returned to Yathrib. Shortly thereafter, the Battle of Buʿāth (the civil war between the Aus and Khazraj) broke out, and Suwayd died in it. His people, the Banu Awf, later said with certainty: "We believe he died as a Muslim." The conversion had happened in his heart; he simply didn't have the chance to make it public before dying in battle.