Addas

Addas was a young Christian slave boy who lived in Taif, a mountainous area south of Mecca, during the times of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Originally from Nineveh, he was supposedly the first person from the western province of Taif to convert to Islam.

Biography

In 619, Muhammad travelled to the town of Taif to preach and escape the persecution of the Quraysh. The town of Taif was occupied predominantly by the Thaqif tribe, who worshiped Lat.

Muhammad met with the chieftains of Taif, Abd Yalil bin Amr bin Umair, and his brothers Mas'ud and Habib.

They instructed their slave, Addas, to offer Muhammad grapes. Muhammad pronounced bismillah over the grapes, and Addas expressed shock at this, stating the people of Arabia do not speak in this manner.