Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi

Quss Ibn Sa'ida al-Iyadi (Arabic: قس بن ساعدة الإيادي; d. c.. 610 AD) was a pre-Islamic Arabian bishop of Najran, which is 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".