upon a course of action about which we can say nothing to him.”
He then turned to Fāṭimah and said, “Daughter of Muhammad, would you tell this little son of yours to grant people protection? If he did, he would become the chief of the Arabs for all time.”
She replied, “By Allah, my son is not yet of an age to do that, and no one can impose anything on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
Abu Sufyān said, “Abu l-Ḥasan, I can see matters have become dire for me—advise me.”
‘Alī answered, “By Allah, I know nothing that will avail you. Yet you are the chieftain of Banū Kinānah; stand up, proclaim protection for the people, and then go back to your country.”
Abu Sufyān asked, “Do you think that will help me at all?”
‘Alī replied, “No, by Allah, I do not—but I can find nothing else for you.”
So Abu Sufyān rose in the mosque and declared, “People, I hereby grant protection among you all!” He then mounted his camel and set off.
When he reached Quraysh they asked, “What news do you bring?” He related what had happened and that he had proclaimed protection. They said, “Did Muhammad ratify it?” He answered, “No.” They retorted, “By Allah, the man has done no more than make a fool of you.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then ordered that preparations be made and instructed his family to ready his mounts and provisions. He informed the people that he intended to march on Mecca and supplicated, “O Allah, withhold all scouts and intelligence from Quraysh until We come upon them unawares in their own land.”
‘Urwah and others relate: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had firmly resolved to travel to Mecca, Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta‘ah wrote a letter to Quraysh about the plan. He entrusted it to a woman, hid it in her hair, plaited her locks over it, and sent her on her way. Revelation informed the Prophet ﷺ of what Ḥāṭib had done, so he dispatched ‘Alī and al-Zubayr in pursuit of her— the remainder of the report is recorded elsewhere.
Muhammad ibn Abī l-Ḥaram al-Qurashī, together with others, narrated to us, saying: al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā al-Makhzūmī reported to us; ‘Abd Allāh ibn Rifā‘ah related; ‘Alī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shāfi‘ī informed us; ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Naḥḥās told us; ‘Uthmān ibn Muḥammad al-Samarkandī said: Aḥmad ibn