whereas the Muslims’ banner was carried by a man from among the Emigrants. He announced, “I shall, God willing, safeguard what I bear.” Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUthmān challenged him, “Will you duel with me?” “Yes,” he replied. The Emigrant struck first, bringing his sword down upon Ṭalḥa’s head until the blade reached his beard.

The killing of the idolaters’ standard-bearer thus confirmed the Prophet’s dream in which he had said, “I saw myself trailing a ram.”

Once he was felled, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions spread out, formed separate detachments, and swept through the enemy, striking them until they drove them off their baggage. The idolaters’ cavalry charged the Muslims three times; each time they were met with a shower of arrows and retired, battered. The Muslims then advanced and inflicted heavy casualties.

When the fifty archers saw that Allah had granted victory they said, “By Allah, there is no reason for us to stay here.” They abandoned the positions the Prophet ﷺ had ordered them never to leave, quarrelled, lost heart, and disobeyed the Messenger ﷺ. The enemy cavalry then burst in upon them and cut them down—most of them were in the main camp. When the rest of the Muslims saw this they regrouped, and someone cried out, “Fall back, fall back! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been killed!” Panic set in; some were slain, and Allah honoured them with martyrdom.

People fled up the mountain pass, not turning to look at anyone. Allah made His Prophet stand firm. He climbed the pass calling his Companions, while the idolaters followed the path behind him. A small band was with him—including Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbayd Allah and al-Zubayr—and they kept shielding him until they were killed, all but six or seven.

It is said that Kaʿb ibn Mālik was the first to recognise the eyes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, glimpsing them beneath his helmet when he had been lost from sight. He cried at the top of his voice, “Allāhu akbar! This is the Messenger of Allah!”—whereupon, they say, the Prophet ﷺ signalled to him to keep silent. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was also wounded.