He said, “Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge my allegiance.” The Prophet ﷺ asked, “On what basis do you pledge to me?” He replied, “Upon whatever is in your own heart.”

Maki ibn Ibrāhīm and Abū ʿĀṣim—reporting in the latter’s wording—narrated from Yazīd ibn Abī ʿUbayd, from Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ, who said: I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the day of Ḥudaybiyyah, after which I moved to the shade of a tree. When the crowd had thinned, he said, “Son of al-Akwaʿ, will you not pledge?” I replied, “I have already pledged, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Do so again.” So I pledged a second time. I later asked Salamah, “Abū Muslim, what exactly were you pledging that day?” He answered, “To fight to the death.” Agreed upon.

ʿIkrimah ibn ʿAmmār related from Iyās ibn Salamah, from his father, recounting the incident: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then called for the pledge at the base of the tree. I was the first to pledge, and the people continued to do so. When he was midway through the pledges he said, “Salamah, pledge to me.” I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I have already pledged to you.” He said, “Once more.”

He saw that I was unarmed, so he handed me a ḥujfah or a daraqah—a small round shield. The pledges continued, and when he had nearly finished he said, “Will you not pledge?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I pledged to you among the first and again in the middle.” He said, “And again.” So I pledged a third time.

Then he asked, “Salamah, where is the shield I gave you?” I replied, “ʿĀmir met me and I gave it to him.” He laughed and said, “You are like the saying of the earlier poet: ‘O Allah, grant me a beloved more beloved to me than my own self.’”

After that, the idolaters of Mecca sent to us proposing a truce, so we went back and forth until we reached an agreement. I used to serve Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allah, watering and grooming his horse and eating from his provisions, having left my family and wealth behind as a migrant for the sake of Allah.