First: what is reliably recorded is that he leaned on a staff and a bow.
Second: the religion was established only through revelation. As for the sword, it was for destroying those engaged in corruption (1) and polytheism. The city of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, where he delivered his sermons, was won over through the Quran, not conquered by the sword.
Whenever something arose during his sermon, he would attend to it and then return to his sermon. Once, while he was preaching, al-Hasan and al-Husayn came along, stumbling in their red shirts. He interrupted his speech, descended from the pulpit and picked them up. Then he returned to the pulpit and said:
“Allah has spoken the truth: ‘Your wealth and your children are but a trial’ [al-Taghābun: 15]. I saw these two stumbling in their shirts and could not hold back, so I interrupted my speech and picked them up” (2).
Sulayk al-Ghatafānī came while he was preaching and sat down. He said to him, “Sulayk, stand up and pray two units of prayer, keeping them brief.” Then, while still on the pulpit, he said, “If any of you comes on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon, let him pray two units of prayer (3), keeping them brief” (4).