ABSTRACT
The fifth verse suggests that the hanlfiyya is a primordial, natural religion preserving the basic monotheism inherent in man since
It is notew orthy that the hunafa are m entioned in this interpretation alongside other monotheistic groups who "cast off" the "signs" of Allah, i.e., rejected Muhammad.Like Abù ‘Amir, Umayya, too, used to wear rough hair clothes (musùh). Al-Zubayr b. Bakkàr (d. 256H/870) reports that Umayya was well versed in holy books, wore musuh, was God fearing and used to mention Abraham and Ishmael and the hanifiyya in his poems. He prohibited wine-drinking and did not believe in the idols. He was a seeker looking for the true religion.50The nature of the poetry of Umayya b. Abi al-$alt may be deduced from the fact that Muhammad reportedly stated that Umayya "almost" embraced Islam in his poetry .51 The most characteristic verse recorded on his authority is perhaps the following52 (tr. Guillaume p. 30): kullu dinin yawma hqiyàmati ’inda l-/-làhi illa dina l-hanifati bùrù In God s sight at the resurrection every religion / but that of the hanif is doomed to perdition.
