“O Allah, whichever of the two sides is nearer to the truth—grant it victory.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then raised his hands and supplicated: “O Lord, if You destroy this small band today, You will never be worshipped on earth again.” Gabriel said to him, “Take a handful of dust.” He took a handful, flung it toward them, and there was not a single idolater but that the dust struck his eyes, his nose, and his mouth, whereupon they turned and fled.

Gabriel advanced toward Iblīs. When Iblīs saw him—his hand still clasping that of a man from the polytheists—he pulled his hand away and fled with his followers. The man cried out, “O Suraqah! Did you not claim to be our protector?” He replied, “Indeed, I see what you do not see; I fear Allah” (Al-Anfāl, 48).

Yūsuf ibn al-Mājishūn related: Ṣāliḥ ibn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf told us, from his father, from his grandfather, who said:

“I was standing in the battle-line on the Day of Badr. I looked to my right and to my left and found myself between two young men of the Anṣār, barely out of boyhood; I wished I had been flanked by sturdier men. One of them nudged me and said, ‘Uncle, do you know Abū Jahl?’ I said, ‘Yes—what do you want with him?’ He replied, ‘I have been told that he insults the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By Him in whose hand is my soul, if I see him, my shadow will not leave his shadow until the quicker of us is dead.’

“I was amazed at this. Then the other one nudged me and said the same. Before long I saw Abū Jahl moving about among the people, so I said, ‘Do you two see him? That is the man you were asking about.’ They rushed at him with their swords and struck him until they killed him. Then they went back to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him. He asked, ‘Which of you killed him?’ Each one said, ‘I did.’ He said, ‘Have you wiped your swords?’ They answered, ‘No.’ He examined the two swords and said, ‘Both of you killed him,’ and he assigned his spoils to Muʿādh ibn ʿAmr—the other being Muʿādh ibn ʿAfrāʾ. Agreed upon.