A man who strives is Habib ibn Israel the carpenter. He used to carve idols, and he was among those who believed in the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and there was a span of six hundred years between them, just as Tubba' the Greater and Warqa ibn Nawfal and others believed in him. No one believed in a prophet before his appearance. It is said that he was in a cave worshiping Allah. When he heard the news of the messengers, he came to them and declared his religion and argued with the disbelievers. They said: 'Do you oppose our religion?' So they attacked him and killed him.

It is said that they trampled him with their feet until his intestines came out from his back. It is said that they stoned him while he was saying: 'O Allah, guide my people.' His grave is in the market of Antioch. When he was killed, Allah became angry with them and destroyed them with a shout from Gabriel, peace be upon him.

And from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him: 'The foremost of the nations are three: they did not disbelieve in Allah for the blink of an eye: Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Companion of Ya-Sin, and the believer of the family of Pharaoh.'

'Who do not ask you for a reward, and they are guided' is a comprehensive statement encouraging them, meaning: you do not lose anything of your worldly affairs with them, and you gain the soundness of your religion, thus you will obtain the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter. Then he presented the speech in the context of advising himself while he intends to advise them to be gentle with them and to accommodate them. This is because he included in the pure advice where he desires for them only what he desires for his own soul.

Indeed, he placed his saying 'And why should I not worship the One who created me?' in place of the saying: 'And why do you not worship the One who created you?' Do you not see his saying 'And to Him you will return'? Had he not intended that, he would have said: 'the One who created me, and to Him I return.' This led him to say: 'I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me,' meaning: listen to my words and obey me. I have alerted you to the truth from which there is no deviation: that worship is only valid for the One from whom your beginning is and to whom your return is.

I cannot push away minds and deny them to prefer the worship of things over His worship. If He intends harm for you, these cannot benefit you with intercession, nor can they be intercessors with Him. They cannot save you from Him in any way. In your preference for this, you are falling into a clear and manifest misguidance that is not hidden from anyone with intellect and discernment.

It is said that when he advised his people, they began to stone him, so he hurried towards the messengers before he was killed. He said to them: 'Indeed, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me,' meaning: witness my faith for me. And it is read: 'If the Most Merciful intends for me harm,' meaning: that He makes me a target for harm.