a dream that portends evil and misfortune for your people.”
He said, “And what was it?”
She replied, “While sleeping I saw a man approach, riding his camel, until he halted in al-Abṭaḥ. He cried out, ‘Rouse yourselves, O clan of Perfidy, to your places of slaughter—within three days!’ People gathered round him. Then I saw his camel enter the Sacred Mosque and the crowd pressed in upon him. Next, the camel seemed to be standing on top of the Kaʿbah, and he called out again, ‘Rouse yourselves, O clan of Perfidy, to your places of slaughter—within three days!’ After that the vision shifted and his camel was atop Mount Abū Qubays; once more he proclaimed, ‘Rouse yourselves, O clan of Perfidy, to your places of slaughter—within three days!’ He then picked up a rock and hurled it from the summit. It rolled downward until, on reaching the foot of the mountain, it shattered; and there was not a single house or dwelling of your people but that a fragment of it entered therein.”
Al-ʿAbbās said, “By Allah, this is indeed a dream—so keep it to yourself.”
She answered, “You keep it to yourself! If Quraysh hear of it, they will hound us.”
ʿAbbās left her and met al-Walīd ibn ʿUtbah—who was a friend of his—so he related the dream to him and asked him to keep it confidential. Al-Walīd then told his father, who passed it on, and the story spread.
ʿAbbās said, “By Allah, I was on my way to the Kaʿbah to perform ṭawāf when I found Abū Jahl sitting with a group, discussing ʿĀtikah’s dream. Abū Jahl called out, ‘Abū al-Faḍl, come here!’ I sat down beside him and he said, ‘Since when has this prophetess arisen among you? Was it not enough for you, O sons of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, that your men claim prophethood—now your women do as well! We shall wait out these three days that ʿĀtikah mentioned: if it proves true, so be it; if not, we shall write a notice declaring that you are the most mendacious household among the Arabs.’
“I swear by Allah, I could offer him nothing substantial except to deny what she had said, telling him, ‘She saw nothing; I have heard nothing of the sort.’ Yet when evening came, not a single woman of Banū ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib failed to come to me, saying, ‘You put up with that vile reprobate’s abuse while you stood by and listened—’