The genealogy of this person is as follows: Tulayha b. Huwaylid b. Nawfal b. Nadla b. Astar b. Jahwan b. Faqʿas b. Tarif b. ʿUmar b. Kuayr b. Harith al-Faqʿasī. He was among those who participated in the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq) on the side of the polytheists. Later, in the ninth year of the Hijra, he became Muslim. He came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) in Medina as a member of the delegation of the polytheists. After the death of the Prophet, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, he apostatized. As mentioned on previous pages, he claimed prophethood; according to the narration of Ibn ʿAsākir, he claimed prophethood during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). His son Hiyal came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him:
– What is the name of the angel who brings revelation to your father?
– It is Dhunnun, who neither lies nor betrays. There is nothing like him.
– May Allah destroy you and deprive you of martyrdom. While the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said this to him, he also said to those present: "He gave the name of a noble angel." Then he sent him back as he had come.
Hiyal was killed in one of the battles that occurred during the apostasy (ridda) events. He was killed by ʿUkkāsha b. Miḥṣan. Later, Tulayha killed ʿUkkāsha. Tulayha fought against the Muslims several times. Then Allah, the Exalted, defeated him through Khālid b. al-Walīd. His soldiers and supporters dispersed. He himself fled to Syria. He became a guest of the ʿĀl-i Jeme tribe and began to reside among them. He remained there until the death of Abu Bakr. Out of shame, he did not come to Medina. Later, he returned to Islam and performed ʿumra. Afterwards, he came and greeted ʿUmar. However, ʿUmar said to him:
– Stay away from me. For you are the killer of two righteous men. You killed ʿUkkāsha b. Miḥṣan and Thābit b. Akram.
– O Commander of the Faithful! They were two people whom Allah honored through me. But through them, Allah did not grant me honor.
ʿUmar liked these words of his and was pleased with him. He instructed that he be consulted and included in the council of consultation, and informed the governors of this by letter. However, he also cautioned that he should not be given any administrative position. After this, he participated in the battles of Qadisiyya and Nihawand. He was among the renowned warriors and famous heroes. After all these events, he lived his Islam well. Muhammad b. Saʿd mentioned him among the fourth generation of the Companions (ṣaḥāba). He said that, due to his bravery and insight in warfare, he was worth a thousand cavalrymen.
Abu Nasr b. Māqūla said: Tulayha became Muslim, then apostatized, then returned to Islam and lived his Islam well. He was worth a thousand cavalrymen. Among the poems he recited regarding the killing of his companions by the Muslims during his apostasy and claim to prophethood is the following:
"What did you think of that people when you killed them?
Even if they were not Muslims, were they not men?
Even if they were not Muslims, did they not have children and women?
Did they not go to Faraʿ because of the killing of Hiyal?
I prepared the camels' chests for them (that is, I mounted the camels and confronted them).
This is a retaliation for killing the brave ones.
One day you will see him protected in awe.
Another day you will see him without awe.
One day you will see his sword gleaming at them."
Another day you will see them under the shadow of spears.
In the evening, I left Ibn Ikram and ʿUkkāsha al-Ummi dead beside the water."
Seyf b. ʿUmar narrated from Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh: "By Allah, besides whom there is no god, we did not see a single person among those who participated in the Battle of Qadisiyya who desired both this world and the Hereafter. We only suspected three people. But as much as we attacked them, we did not find them to be untrustworthy or lacking in asceticism. They were Tulayha b. Huwaylid al-Asadī, ʿAmr b. Maʿdīkarib, and Qays b. Makshūḥ."
Ibn ʿAsākir said: According to what Abū Ḥasan Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. Fīrās al-Warrāq narrated, Tulayha participated in the Battle of Nihawand in the twenty-first year of the Hijra together with Nuʿmān b. Muqarrin and ʿAmr b. Maʿdīkarib. May Allah be pleased with them.