So he dispatched al-Mundhir ibn ʿAmr at the head of forty men that included al-Hārith ibn al-Ṣimmah, Ḥarām ibn Milḥān—a clansman of Banū ʿAdī ibn al-Najjār—ʿUrwah ibn Asmāʾ ibn al-Ṣalt al-Sulamī, Rāfiʿ ibn Waraqāʾ al-Khuzaʿī, and ʿĀmir ibn Fuhayrah, the freedman of Abū Bakr, together with a number of the finest believers. They journeyed until they camped at Biʾr Maʿūnah, situated between the territory of Banū ʿĀmir and the lava plain of Banū Sulaym.

They then sent Ḥarām ibn Milḥān with a letter from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to ʿĀmir ibn al-Ṭufayl. ʿĀmir did not so much as glance at the letter before killing him. He next summoned Banū Sulaym, who answered his call, surrounded the delegation, and fought them until they were all martyred—every one of them save Kaʿb ibn Zayd of Banū al-Najjār. He had been left with a spark of life, was carried out from among the slain, and lived on until he fell on the Day of the Trench.

ʿAmr ibn Umayya and an Ansārī companion had been tending the party’s mounts. The first sign they had of the calamity was birds circling over the camp. They said, “By Allah, these birds mean something,” and went closer, only to find their comrades lying in their own blood while the raiders’ horses stood nearby. The Ansārī said to ʿAmr, “What do you think?” He replied, “I think we should hasten to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and inform him of what has happened.” The Ansārī answered, “As for me, I will not spare myself from the place where al-Mundhir ibn ʿAmr was slain, nor will I leave the task of reporting it to others.” He fought until he was killed, while ʿAmr was taken captive.

When ʿAmr told them that he belonged to the tribe of Muḍar, ʿĀmir ibn al-Ṭufayl released him, shaved his forelock, and set him free. On reaching al-Qarqarah, ʿAmr was joined by two men from Banū ʿĀmir who took shelter in the same shade. They carried a covenant from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ granting them protection, but ʿAmr did not know of it. Once they had fallen asleep, he attacked and killed them.

Upon returning to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ he reported what he had done. The Prophet said, “You have killed two men; I must pay their blood money.” He then added, “This is the work of Abū Barāʾ—I was reluctant and apprehensive about it from the outset.”

When news of this reached Abū Barāʾ, he was distressed at ʿĀmir’s violation of his guarantee. Rabiʿah, the son of Abū Barāʾ, attacked ʿĀmir ibn al-Ṭufayl, thrusting a spear into his thigh and inflicting a grievous wound that brought him tumbling from his horse, and he said: