and makes Quraysh think that he is on their side.” ʿUyayna asked, “What do you call such people?” They replied, “They are called the hypocrites.” He said, “Of all the types you have mentioned, none is more abject than these. Bear witness that I am one of them.”

Ibn Saʿd then records—without any chain of transmission—a lengthy anecdote about ʿUyayna’s double-dealing at Ṭāʾif and about his capturing an old woman at the campaign of Hawāzin in hopes of ransoming her. Her son came forward and offered 100 camels for her release, but ʿUyayna held back. Later he reduced his price to 50, yet the young man still refused. He kept bargaining until he lowered it to 10 camels; ʿUyayna became angry and still declined. The youth returned and said, “Uncle, set her free and I will thank you.” ʿUyayna replied, “I have no need of your praise.” Then he exclaimed, “Never have I seen a day more vexatious than this,” and began blaming himself. The young man said, “You brought this on yourself. You seized an old woman—by Allah, her breast is no longer firm, her belly bears no child, her mouth offers no coolness, and her husband owns no wealth—yet you chose her out of all these captives!” ʿUyayna answered, “Take her—may Allah deprive you of any blessing in her!” The youth retorted, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has already clothed the captives, but she missed out; could you not at least clothe her?” He said, “By Allah, no.” The young man would not leave until he had wrested from him a threadbare garment; then he walked off saying, “You really have no eye for a good opportunity.”

The Prophet ﷺ nevertheless gave ʿUyayna 100 camels from the spoils.

Al-Wāqidī narrates: Mūsā ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Taymī told us, on the authority of his father, from Abū Salama, from ʿĀʾisha—may Allah be pleased with her—who said: ʿUyayna ibn Ḥiṣn entered upon the Prophet ﷺ while I was with him and asked, “Who is this fair-skinned woman (al-ḥumayrāʾ)?” He replied, “This is ʿĀʾisha daughter of Abū Bakr.” ʿUyayna said, “Shall I cede to you the finest of people—the daughter of Jumrah?” The Prophet ﷺ answered, “No.” When he had gone, I asked, “Messenger of Allah, who was that?” He said, “That was the fool whom people obey.”

Ibn Saʿd also says: ʿUyayna apostatized when many of the Arabs apostatized, joined Tulayḥa al-Asadī when the latter claimed prophethood, and even believed in him. When Tulayḥa was defeated, Khālid ibn al-Walīd captured ʿUyayna, shackled him, and sent him to al-Ṣiddīq (Abū Bakr). Ibn ʿAbbās related: “I looked at him…”