and the Muslims fled. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, however, kept urging his mule toward the unbelievers while I held its bridle, restraining it lest it speed up, and Abū Sufyān was grasping the stirrup.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “ʿAbbās, call the Companions of the samurah.” ʿAbbās—who had a thunderous voice—continues: “So I shouted at the top of my lungs, ‘O Companions of the samurah!’ By Allah, when they heard my voice it was as though they wheeled around like cattle rushing back to their calves, crying, ‘At your service, at your service!’

“They and the unbelievers then locked in combat, while the general rallying cry among the Anṣār was, ‘O assembly of the Anṣār! O assembly of the Anṣār!’ The call then narrowed to Banū al-Ḥārith ibn al-Khazraj, who shouted, ‘O sons of al-Ḥārith ibn al-Khazraj! O sons of al-Ḥārith ibn al-Khazraj!’

“Still mounted on his mule and leaning forward to watch them fight, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Now the furnace is blazing!’ He picked up a few pebbles, cast them into the faces of the unbelievers, and declared, ‘Be routed, by the Lord of Muhammad!’ I looked around and, although the battle still seemed intense, by Allah, the moment the Messenger of Allah ﷺ threw those pebbles I saw their edge grow dull and their forces turn in flight.” Muslim recorded this report.

Maʿmar also narrated, from al-Zuhrī, from Kathīr, a similar account in which he named the donor as Farwah ibn Nuʿāmah al-Judhāmī and quoted the Prophet’s words as: “Be routed, by the Lord of the Kaʿbah!”

ʿIkrimah ibn ʿAmmār said: Iyās ibn Salamah related to me that his father said, “We campaigned with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Ḥunayn. When we faced the enemy I advanced, climbed a pass, and came upon one of them. I shot him with an arrow and he disappeared from sight—I did not know what became of him. Then I looked and saw they had emerged from another pass, met the Muslims, and the Muslims fled. I too turned and ran, wearing two cloaks—one wrapped around my waist and the other draped over my shoulders. As I passed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while fleeing, he was mounted on his gray mule and said, ‘The son of al-Akwaʿ has been seized by fear.’ When they pressed in upon the Messenger of Allah…”