Banu Shayban ibn Tha'laba

When the Prophet ﷺ went around the tribes at Mina looking for protection, he usually took Abu Bakr with him, because Abu Bakr was an expert in the tribes and their family trees. Together they approached the Banu Shayban ibn Tha'laba. Abu Bakr told the Prophet ﷺ that this was one of the noblest and wisest tribes of the Arabs. The Prophet ﷺ invited them to worship Allah alone and to reject false gods. He also asked them to take him into their tribe, because the Quraysh had stopped him from spreading Allah's word, and he recited to them verses of Surah al-An'am. Their chief said that he had come with good and had called them to the best of morals, and that the Quraysh had lied about him. Their elder, Hani' ibn Qabisah, said it would be too hasty to leave their religion after a single meeting. There were others in the tribe whose advice they needed, so both sides should wait and meet again. Hani' then turned to their military leader, al-Muthanna ibn Harithah. Al-Muthanna agreed that they should not be hasty. He explained that the tribe had two sets of treaties. They had no worries about their treaties with the Arab tribes. But they had promised Kisra, the emperor of Persia, to stay neutral, and this message did not look like something kings would approve of. So if they accepted, they could support him against the Arabs but not against Kisra. The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Your response has been fair. But Allah's religion will only be helped by those who embrace it fully." Before leaving, he asked what they would say if Allah gave them victory over the kingdom of Kisra, with its land and wealth. One of the younger men said they would accept, but the elders found the idea hard to believe.