Medina—exclaimed, “Alarm for Quraysh at day-break! By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ should descend upon them in full daylight they are ruined.” He then said to himself, “Go out toward al-Arak; perhaps I will meet a woodcutter, a milk-seller, or anyone heading into Mecca who can warn its people of the Messenger of Allah’s whereabouts, so that they may come to him and ask for amnesty.”

So I went out, and—by Allah—while I was making my way among the arak trees I heard the voices of Abū Sufyān, Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām, and Budayl ibn Warqāʾ; they too had set out to gather intelligence about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I heard Abū Sufyān say, “I have never seen fires like these tonight!” Budayl replied, “They are the fires of Khuzaʿah—war has fanned them.” Abū Sufyān retorted, “Khuzaʿah are too lowly and too humiliated for that.”

I recognized his voice and called out, “O Abū Ḥanẓalah!”

He answered, “Is that Abū al-Faḍl?”

“Yes,” I said.

“At your service—may my father and mother be your ransom! What news have you?”

I told him, “Here is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with his people; he has advanced upon you with something you cannot resist—ten thousand Muslims.”

He said, “So what is the way out, may my father and mother be your ransom?”

I replied, “Mount behind me on this mule and I will seek protection for you from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By Allah, if he captures you he will strike off your head.”

He climbed on behind me, and I galloped off toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Whenever we passed one of the Muslims’ camp-fires, the men would look at us and say, “The Prophet’s uncle on the Prophet’s mule.” When we reached ʿUmar’s fire he cried, “Abū Sufyān?! Praise be to Allah who has enabled us to seize you without pact or treaty!” Then he raced off toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

I spurred the mule on until it burst through the entrance of the pavilion, beating ʿUmar by about the distance a slow mount outstrips a slow-footed man.

ʿUmar entered right after us and said, “Messenger of Allah, this is Abū Sufyān, the enemy of Allah; Allah has delivered him to us without covenant or guarantee—let me strike off his head!”

I said, “Messenger of Allah, I have granted him safety.” I then sat beside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, took hold of his head, and declared, “By Allah, no one shall speak with him privately tonight except me.” When ʿUmar persisted, I said, “Easy, ʿUmar,”