Before our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was endowed with Prophethood, there were a few adherents to the religion of Ibraaheem (Peace be upon him) and who waited for the Prophet of Allaah.
Ibn Katheer mentions some of them in Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah, volume 2.
Zayd bin 'Amr bin Nufayl
Ibn Ishaq has reported through Asma' bint Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said,
"I have witnessed Zayd bin 'Amr bin Nufayl resting on the wall of the Ka'bah saying, 'O Quraysh. By Him in Whose Hand is in Zayd's life, there is none left among you on the religion of Ibraaheem except me.' Then he would say, 'O Lord, if I knew a better manner of worshipping You, I would do it. But, alas, I do not know.' Then he would prostrate himself on his ride, and praying towards the Ka'bah would add, 'My Lord is the Lord of Ibraaheem, and my religion is the religion of Ibraaheem.' He would buy off a female infact condemned to be buried alive, saying to the man intending to kill her, 'Don't kill her. Give her to me I shall look after her. Then, when she comes of age, take her back, or leave her to me."
Imaam Bukharee reports through Ibn 'Umar that Zayd bin 'Amr bin Nufayl travelled to Shaam, looking for the true religion that he could follow. He met a rabbi there and asked him about his religion.
The Jew told him, "You cannot adopt my religion without also accepting your share of God's anger." Nufayl replied, "Am I not trying to escape God's anger?" The Jew told him, "In that case, you better be a hanif." Zayd asked him, "What is being a Hanif?" He replied, "It is the religion of Ibraaheem who was neither a Jew nor Christian and did not worship any but Allaah." Later he met a Christian priest and the same conversation transpired between them. When Zayd found that both had the same thing to say about the religion of Ibraaheem, he left Shaam. When he came out, he raised his hands and said, "O my Lord. Bear witness that I am on the religion of Ibraaheem."
Al-Fath
Zayd would refuse to eat of the animal slaughtered by the Quraysh, saying,
"I am not going to eat out of what you sacrifice at the alters. I do not eat anything but which is slaughtered in the Name of Allaah." He ridiculed the Quraysh over their sacrifices. he would say, "Allaah created the sheep. It is He who sent down the water for it from the heavens, grew grass for it from the earth, but thereafter you go and slaughter it in the name other than Allaah?"
Other reports have narrated about this Hanif, however, they are inauthenthic.
The Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said about Zayd,
"He will be raised as a nation all by himself between me and Jesus, son of Maryam".
Ibn Katheer said "Its chain is Jaiyid-Hassan (Perfect - Good)". Ibn Hajar said in Al-Fath, "He will be raised on the Day of Standing as a nation all by himself"
The Prophet also said,
"When I entered into Jannah, I found two tall, thick trees marked for Zaynd bin 'Amr."
Zayd had met the Prophet, but died before the latter was commisioned the Prophethood.
Bukharee/Al-Fath
Waraqah bin Nawfal (the uncle of Khadeejah)
There is a report in Tayaalisi through a weak chain, however there are supportive narrations that strengthen the report making it to the level of Hasan li Ghayrihi. It is said that he went along with Zayd bin Nufayl looking for a true religion to follow. His search led him to Christianity, although his companion Zayd wouldn't agree to anything less than the religion of Ibraaheem. One day the Prophet told his wife Khadeejah in Makkah that he had seen a light and that he feared that he might be out of his mind. She consoled him and then took him to Waraqah and explained all that had happend. He said, "If you are true in what you say, then this is the same messenger that had come down to Moosa. If you are endowed with Prophethood and I am alive, I will believe in you and aid you
Ahmad: Al-Fathur-Rabbaani through a Hassan chain
The Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
"When I saw him (during the Mi'raaj journey), he was in white attire. If he was of the people of the Fire, he wouldn't be in white clothes."
Sa'aati said its chain to be Hassan
According to another report,
"I saw him in the center of Jannah clad in white attire"
Ibn Katheer quoted it in Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah through Aboo Ya'la and that that it was Hassan
The Prophet also said,
"Do not speak ill of Waraqah. I saw that he had for himself one or two sections of Jannah.
Ibn Katheer said that its chan is Perfect (Jaiyid). Haakim said in Al-Mustadrak as a narration of 'Aishah and said that the chain is saheeh. Dhahabi agreed with him. Albaani said that it was Hassan
Qus bin Saa'idah Iyaadi
There is an unfamiliar (Gharib) report that was narrated by 'Ubaadah bin Saamit and others that when the Iyaad delegation came up to Madinah, the Prophet inquired about Qus bin Saa'idah. He was told that he had died. The Prophet said,
"I saw him once in 'Ukaaz fair on a red camel saying some nice things that I can't recall ow." One of the delegates said that he remembered the words. They were: "People, come toghether. everyone who had to die has died. Everything that has to be, will be. Dark night, the heavens of the zodiac sign, the roaring ocean, the shining stars, the pitched mountains, the running streams. Surely, in the heavens is a lesson. How's that? I see people going but not retruning. They seemed to have liked the staying and so have stayed back. Or, is it possible that they gave up the idea of coming and slept off? Qus swears by God: an oath doubtless. Surely, God has a religion that is more pleasing to Him than yours." And then he recited some poetry
Umaiyah bin Abu Salt
The Prophet remarked about Umaiyah by saying in a hadeeth mentioned in Bukharee,
"Umaiyah was almost a Muslim."
Another version reported in Saheeh Muslim says,
"Umaiyah's poetry was almost Muslim"
He was one of those who adopted Christianity. His topics in poetry were: the Oneness of Allaah and the concept of the Akheera (Hereafter). He was a leading poet and lived untill the time of the Prophet was commissioned. But he didn't believe in him out kibr (arrogance), unwilling to obey the Prophet. Allaah (Exalted is He) revealed about him this Verse:
Narrate to them the story of him whom We gave Our signs, but he went out of them
Soorah Al-A'raaf:175
Labid bin Rabi'ah 'Amiri
Ibn Hajar mentions him in Al-Fath saying that he was a renowned poet of the Jahilliyah. In fact, he was among the Mu'allaaqaat poets, who are those whose poetry are hung on the door of the Ka'bah. The Prophet said,
"The truest of statements of Labid was:
"Lo. Everything else apart from Allaah is false"
Agreed upon
Labid became a Muslim and died during the caliphate of 'Uthmaan after having lived 150 years or more.
The other Hunafa
Some of those who are also classified as Hunafa' are mentioned in Bulughul-Arab, Ibn Qutaybah's Al-Ma'aarif and the at-Taareekh of Tabaree.
They are:
Arbaab bin Ri'aab
Suwayd bin 'Amir Mustalaqi the poet
As'ad Aboo Karb Himyari
Waki' bin Salamah bin Zuhayr Iyaadi
'Umar bin Haydhab Juhani
'Adi bin Zayd 'Ibaadi (who became a Christian)
Aboo Qays Surrah bin Aboo Anas Bukhaaree
Sayf bin Dhi Yazan Himyari
Amir bin Zarib 'Adwaani
Abdut-Taanjah bin Tha'lab bin Wabrah bin Qudaa'ah the poet
'Allaaf bin Shihaab Tamimi
Multamas bin Umaiyah Kinaani
Zuhayr bin Aboo Salma the poet
Khaaleed bin Sinaan bin Ghayth' Absi
'Abdullah Qudaa'i, 'Ubayd bin Abras Asadi
Ka'b bin Lu'ay bin Ghaalib Qurashi who is the Prophet's ancestor
'Uthmaan bin Huwayrith who also traveled far and wide in search of the true religion, became a Christian and remained with the Roman emperor [weak hadeeth]
Amr bin 'Abasa Sulami (who became a Muslim)
Akthaam bin Sayfi bin Rabah
Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's grandfather