Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi

Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi (d. c.. 610 AD) was a pre-Islamic Arabian bishop of Najran, then in Yemen, but now located in Saudi Arabia. He lived in the 6th and early 7th seventh centuries, and his genealogy took him back to the North Arabian Iyad tribe. He was famous for his eloquence in his poetry, rhymed prose (saj'), sermons, and rhetoric, and Quss was held up as a model for literary excellence, if not the greatest orator of all the tribes. One of his sermons has survived, and his ascribed oeuvre has been collected. A proverb known from a 717 AD Meccan inscription is occasionally attributed to him too. Quss was a preacher of both theology and monotheism. Quss was a sage, judge, and more. When he died, he was buried in north Syria, probably at Mount Simon. Sources differ in saying how long he lived, some saying he reached the age of 380, others 600 or 700, old enough to have known the disciples of Jesus. He is considered a legendary or, at least, a semi-legendary figure, and is only known from Muslim sources. Islamic writers including Ibn Abd Rabbihi, Al-Masudi, Al-Bayhaqi, and Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi say that Quss met with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641) to discuss ethics concerned with monotheism, life in this world, and life in the next world. Some modern historians have speculated that Quss was an Arian.
Quss became a cultural hero in Arab culture. Literature was written about him, like the Hadith Quss Ibn Sa’ida ('The Story of Quss Ibn Sa’ida'). He became the subject of proverbs, like ablagh min Quss – 'more eloquent than Quss', or adha min Quss – 'more intelligent than Quss'. "Qussi", or "Qussian", evolved into an alternative manner in signifying excellence. In Shia sources, he was said to have prophesied the Twelve Imams. Until recently, Arabic students memorized his surviving sermon by heart. In 2012, a "Festival of Quss Ibn Sa’ida" was held in Najran.
As a cultural hero, Quss became a part of the awāʾil genre of Islamic literature, which identifies certain figures as being the first to have held a belief or developed a practice. According to the Kitāb al-ʿawāʾil ('The Book of Pioneers') of the renowned philologist and writer Abu Hilal al-Askari (died 1010), Quss was the first to believe in the one God of Mecca before Islam and believe in Resurrection. In addition to Quss, Al-Shahrastani (died 1153) also cites his contemporaries Waraqah ibn Nawfal and Zayd ibn Amr as among the first Arab monotheists. This list is repeated by Al-Suyuti (died 1505). As Al-Askari goes on, Quss was the first to lean on a staff, a notion that contains implications of prophetic resemblance (such as to the Staff of Moses). Quss was the first to use the amma bad phrase, an expression that usually occurs at the beginning or near the beginning of khutbas (sermons), wasiyyas (testaments) and risalas (letters). Along with Quss, other attributions for the "first" of this tradition included David and Muhammad's grandfather Abd al-Muttalib. Quss's placement alongside men of this stature indicate that he was seen highly among Islamic authors. He is also first to write the min Fulan ila Fulan formula ('from Such and Such to Such and Such'), this being the most popular manner in opening letters. Quss is also said to have invented a juridical rule whereby "proof is incumbent on the plaintiff and the defendant who denies his guilt must speak an oath".
Encounters between Muhammad and Quss are reported in Islamic tradition. These are said to have occurred in the marketplace of Ukaz, which is near Mecca. Quss would preach in this marketplace, hoping to bring people to Christianity. Muhammad is said to have listened in on some of his sermons, with this happening before Muhammad's first revelation in 610 in some sources, or before the Hijrah in 622 in others. Irfan Shahid argues that Muhammad's encounter with Christian preachers in Ukaz, especially Quss, would have served as an important and natural way for Muhammad to have become familiar with Christian tradition. Shahid also argues that Quss would have acted as a natural source of stylistic influence on Muhammad. Nicholson writes:
Quss is said to have been one of the Christians most praised by Muhammad. According to one hadith, when Quss preached "indeed, there is no religion with God which is better than the religion that you follow", Muhammad "invoked divine mercy upon [Quss] and said: 'he shall be raised up on judgment day as a separate nation'." When Muhammad learned that Quss died, he recited one of his speeches that he heard at Ukaz. He had someone (Abu Bakr or someone else) remind him of some lines he forgot. Muhammad is also said to have exclaimed "I hope that on the Day of Resurrection, he wil return to life and form a people of his own".
Quss was a composer of saj' (rhymed prose). As translated by Qutbuddin, the following are compositions attributed to him:
Another translation of some of the material attributed to Quss is by Dadoo:
Michael Sells has argued that this style