Hurayrah continued: “During the prayer I would say, ‘Woe to Abu So-and-so—he uses two measures: when he takes in, he takes full weight, but when he gives out, he gives short.’

“When we had finished the prayer we went to Sibāʿ ibn ʿArfaṭah, and he supplied us with some provisions. We kept on until we reached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who by then had already conquered Khaybar. He spoke to the Muslims on our behalf, so they allotted us a share of the spoils along with them.

Mālik related through Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from Bashīr ibn Yasār, who said: Suwayd ibn al-Nuʿmān told me that he accompanied the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the year of Khaybar. When we reached al-Ṣahbāʾ—the nearest part of Khaybar—he performed the ʿAṣr prayer. He then asked for the provisions, but nothing was brought except sawīq (parched barley flour). He ordered that it be moistened with water, and the Messenger of Allah ate from it and we ate. When the time for Maghrib came, he rinsed his mouth and we rinsed ours, then he prayed without performing a new ablution. Al-Bukhārī recorded this report.

Ḥātim ibn Ismāʿīl narrated from Yazīd ibn Abī ʿUbayd, from Salama (ibn al-Akwaʿ), who said: We set out with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, for Khaybar and travelled by night. A man from the group said to ʿĀmir ibn al-Akwaʿ, “Will you not let us hear a few of your verses?” ʿĀmir was a poet, so he dismounted and began chanting for the people:

O Allah, were it not for You, we would not be guided,
Nor give in charity, nor yet have prayed.
So forgive whatever sins we have committed for Your sake,
And make firm our feet whenever we meet (the foe).
Send down serenity upon us,
For when we are called, we answer the call;
And when the battle-cry is raised, on us they rely.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, “Who is this driver?” They said, “ʿĀmir.” He replied, “May Allah have mercy on him.” One of the men remarked, “It is decreed then, O Messenger of Allah! If only you would let us benefit from him a little longer.”

We came to Khaybar and besieged its people until severe hunger overtook us. When evening came