He then lunged with the sword toward one of the women to strike her, but held back. When the fighting subsided I said to him, “I witnessed all that you did—except for the moment you lifted the sword against the woman and then did not strike her.” He replied, “I deemed the sword of the Messenger of Allah too noble to kill a woman with it.”

Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aslam, the client of ʿUmar, narrated from Muʿāwiyah ibn Maʿbad ibn Kaʿb ibn Mālik that when the Messenger of Allah saw Abū Dujānah swaggering he said, “It is a gait that Allah hates—except in a circumstance like this.”

Ibn Isḥāq, reporting from al-Zuhrī and others, said: A man from the idolaters came forward on the Day of Uḥud and challenged to single combat. The Muslims hesitated until he had called three times, while he was mounted on his camel. Al-Zubayr rose, leapt up until he was level with him on the camel, grappled him, and the two fought together atop the camel. The Messenger of Allah said, “The one whose side is nearer the ground will be killed.” The idolater fell, and al-Zubayr fell upon him and slew him. The Prophet then drew al-Zubayr close, seated him on his thigh, and said, “Every prophet has a close disciple (ḥawārī); al-Zubayr is my disciple.”

Ibn Isḥāq also said: The two sides fought until the battle grew fierce. Abū Dujānah pressed deep into the enemy ranks, as did Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and others.

Zuhayr ibn Muʿāwiyah narrated: Abū Isḥāq told us, saying: I heard al-Barāʾ recount: On the Day of Uḥud the Messenger of Allah placed the archers—who were fifty in number—under the command of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jubayr and said, “If you see birds snatching us away, do not leave your post until I send for you; and if you see us rout the enemy and trample them, still do not leave until I send for you.” He continued, “They routed them, and by Allah, I myself saw the women racing up the mountain…”