It was time to leave Jiranah for Mecca. As soon as Prophet Muhammad (sa) arrived in Mecca he offered Umra, the lesser pilgrimage, after which he returned to Medina to await the birth of his child. Medina was but a few miles away when Urwah, from the tribe of Thakif, caught up with the Prophet (sa), he had be amongst those present at the signing of the Treaty at Hudaybiyah and had been in Yemen during the recent encounter.
At Hudaybiyah he had been greatly impressed by the message of Islam with its lifestyle, and was deeply touched by the respect the Muslims had for their Prophet (sa). Upon his return to Ta'if, he learned of the miraculous victory and felt the time had come for him to embrace Islam and so it was for this reason he had ridden post haste to catch up with the Prophet (sa).
After having embraced Islam, Urwah expressed his earnest desire to return to the Thakif and tell them about Islam, but the Prophet (sa) warned him that they would not listen and kill him. Urwah was so sure he could convince them that he pleaded with him saying, "O Messenger of Allah (sa), I am dearer to them than their first-born." But the Prophet (sa) warned him again. Urwah asked the Prophet's permission once again and this time the Prophet (sa) agreed.
Urwah and the Thakif
Urwah and the Prophet (sa) parted company and he rode on to Ta'if with high hopes of converting his fellow tribesmen to Islam. However, Urwah had misjudged the Thakif, for when he tried to tell them about Islam they rose up against him and became violent, forcing him to retreat to his home.
Archers surrounded his house and arrows were fired into his home; soon after Urwah lay mortally wounded. As Urwah lay dying his family asked him what he thought about his death, whereupon he replied, "It is a blessing which Allah, in His Favor, has given to me." Just before he passed away he asked his family to bury him beside those that had been martyred during the recent siege, and so it was that his dying request was granted. When the Prophet (sa) learned of his martyrdom, he said, "Urwah is like the man in (the chapter) "Ya Seen". He called his people to Allah but they killed him.
“Then, a man came running from the furthest part of the village, ‘My nation,’ he said, ‘follow the Messengers, follow those who ask no wage of you and are rightly guided. Why should I not worship Him who has originated me and to whom you shall be returned? What, shall I take, other than Him, gods who intercession, if the Merciful desires to afflict me, cannot help me at all, and they will never save me? Surely, I would then be in clear error. (Koran 36: 20-24)
Soon after his martyrdom, Urwah's son and nephew left Ta'if and journeyed to Medina where they converted and lived with Mughirah, one of their Muhajir cousins.
