At Namirah a caravan came down from the highlands of Najd. When it reached the Kaʿbah, a young boy suddenly leapt from the rump of a camel, hurried to the Sacred House, and clung to its curtains, crying, “O Lord of this House, grant me sanctuary!” An imposing elder—comely and well-proportioned, bearing the majesty of kings and the gravitas of sages—approached and asked, “What is the matter, lad? I am one of the ʾĀl Allāh (the custodians of Allah’s House) and I grant protection to whoever seeks it.”

The boy replied, “My father died when I was small, and this man has enslaved me. I had heard that Allah possesses a House that shields people from injustice; when I saw it I sought its refuge.” The Qurayshite elder said, “You are safe, young man.” Thereupon Allah shackled the hand of al-Jundaʿī to his own neck.

Jalahmah said, “I later related this story to ʿAmr ibn Khārijah, the counsellor of the clan, and he remarked, ‘That venerable man has a son—meaning Abū Ṭālib.’

“So I turned my mount toward Tihāmah, urging it across the barren stretches and over the ridges until I reached the Sacred Mosque. There I found Quraysh gathered in groups, their voices raised in supplication for rain. One group was saying, ‘Turn to al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā,’ while another urged, ‘Turn to Manāt, the third, the other one.’

“A distinguished elder—handsome and sound in judgment—protested, ‘How can you be so deluded when the remnant of Abraham and the progeny of Ishmael are still among you?’ They answered, ‘It is as though you mean Abū Ṭālib.’ He said, ‘Exactly.’

“They all rose, and I rose with them. We went and knocked at Abū Ṭālib’s door. A handsome, though slightly pale, man came out to us, wrapped in a lower garment. They crowded round him, saying, ‘O Abū Ṭālib, the valley has dried up and the people are in hardship; come and pray for rain.’ He replied, ‘Wait until the sun passes its zenith and the breeze begins to stir.’

“When the sun had declined—or nearly so—Abū Ṭālib emerged, leading a boy who looked like a brilliant mid-morning sun from which a dark cloud had just lifted, and with him were several other boys. Abū Ṭālib placed the boy with his back against the Kaʿbah; the boy raised his finger toward the sky, while the other children fidgeted around him. Not a single cloud could be seen overhead—yet clouds began to gather from that very direction