continued on, and I kept dropping back until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ caught up with me and said, “What is the matter with you, Jabir?” I answered, “Messenger of Allah, this camel of mine is slowing me down.” He said, “Make it kneel,” and then he went on to relate the entire story of the camel.

The Expedition of Badr al-Mawʿid
Musa ibn ʿUqbah reports—from Ibn Shihab—and ʿUrwah also transmits: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called the Muslims to march out for the appointed encounter with Abu Sufyan at Badr. True to his word and faithful as ever, ﷺ, he set out; but Satan stirred up his partisans among the people. They circulated among the tribes, trying to frighten the believers, saying, “We have been informed that they have mustered for you troops as countless as the darkness of night. They hope to meet you and plunder you, so beware, beware—do not go out!” Allah, however, protected the Muslims from Satan’s intimidation. They obeyed Allah and His Messenger, set off with some merchandise, and said, “If we meet Abu Sufyan, that is the very reason we have come; if we do not, we will trade with our goods.” Badr was a marketplace that convened each year. They travelled until they reached the fair at Badr, conducted their business there, and Abu Sufyan broke the appointment—neither he nor his men showed up.

A man from Banu Ḍumrah, who was bound to the Muslims by a treaty, came forward and said, “By God, we had been told that none of you were left alive. What has brought you to the people of this fair?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ—wishing the Quraysh to hear of it—replied, “What has brought us here is our appointment with Abu Sufyan and his companions and the intention to fight them. If you wish, we can also annul the treaty between us and your people and then do battle with you as well.” The man of Ḍumrah said, “God forbid!”