and the idolaters fled, showing their backs.
Al-Bukhari said in his History: Abū ‘Āṣim narrated to us; ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Ṭā’ifī narrated to us; ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Iyāḍ ibn al-Ḥārith informed me, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ advanced against Hawāzin with twelve thousand men. On the day of Ḥunayn he killed from the people of Ṭā’if a number equal to those who were slain at Badr. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then took a handful of small stones, cast them at our faces, and we broke and fled.
Ja‘far ibn Sulaymān said: ‘Awf narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, the freedman of Umm Barthan—who had been present at Ḥunayn as an unbeliever—said, “When we met in battle, the Muslims could not stand up to us even for the time it takes to milk a ewe. We pressed forward, hacking with our swords in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then, as we closed in on him, suddenly there were men with handsome faces standing between us and him who said, ‘shāhat al-wujūh (may those faces be disgraced)! Turn back!’ We were routed by nothing more than that word.” Its chain of transmission is sound.
Al-Walīd ibn Muslim and others said: Ibn al-Mubārak related to me, from Abū Bakr al-Hudhalī, from ‘Ikrimah, from Shaybah ibn ‘Uthmān, who said: “When I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the day of Ḥunayn isolated and exposed, I remembered my father and my uncle—both of whom had been killed by ‘Alī and Ḥamzah. I said to myself, ‘Today I shall take my revenge on Muhammad.’ I moved to strike him from his right, but there stood al-‘Abbās, wearing a white coat of mail that gleamed like silver as the dust lifted; I thought, ‘He is his uncle—he will not abandon him.’ I approached from his left and found Abū Sufyān ibn al-Ḥārith; I thought, ‘He is his cousin—he will not abandon him.’ I then came up behind him—nothing remained but to deliver a single sword-stroke—when suddenly a flare of fire flashed between him and me like lightning. Fearing it would sear me, I covered my eyes with my hand and backed away. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned and said, ‘Shayb! Shayb! Come nearer to me.’”