“Catch up with your caravan!”

Umayyah disliked the idea of marching out, so Abu Jahl came to him and said, “Abu Ṣafwān, if the people see that you stay behind—while you are the master of this valley—they will stay behind with you.” He kept pressing him until Umayyah finally said, “Since you have overcome me, by Allah I shall buy the finest camel in Mecca.” He then said to his wife, “Umm Ṣafwān, equip me, for I do not intend to accompany them except for a short distance.”

Once he had set out, he never halted at a campsite without hobbling his camel, and he went on in that manner until Allah caused him to be killed at Badr. ⦗al-Bukhari⦘

Al-Zuhri related: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ departed with the companions who went out with him intending only the Quraysh caravan that Abu Sufyan was bringing back from Syria, until Allah brought the two parties together without a prior appointment. The Almighty said:
“Remember when you were on the near bank of the valley, and they were on the far bank, and the caravan was below you. Had you made a mutual appointment, you would surely have missed the rendezvous.” (al-Anfal 8:42)

The Dream of ʿAtikah

Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿAbbas told me, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbas.

(Ibn Ishaq also said: Yazid ibn Ruman narrated to me from ʿUrwah.) They both reported:

ʿAtikah bint ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib saw in a dream—three nights before Dhamdam ibn ʿAmr al-Ghifari arrived in Mecca to alert Quraysh—a vision. When morning came, she was greatly troubled by it, so she sent for her brother al-ʿAbbas and said, “Brother, last night I saw …”