They parted ways, but when the third night came each man returned to the spot he had taken before and spent the night listening to him. When dawn broke they dispersed, yet the road drew them together once more. They said to one another, “We will not leave until we pledge that we shall never come back.” So they bound one another to that promise and then separated.

When morning came, al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq took his staff, went to Abu Sufyān at his house, and said, “Tell me, Abu Ḥanẓalah, what is your opinion of what you heard from Muḥammad?”

He replied, “Abu Thaʿlabah, by Allah, I have heard words that I recognize and whose purpose I understand.”

Al-Akhnas said, “And so have I, by the One by whom you swore.” He then left him and went to Abu Jahl, entered his house, and said, “Abu al-Ḥakam, what is your opinion of what you heard from Muḥammad?”

He answered, “What did I hear! We and the sons of ʿAbd Manāf have been vying for honor— they fed, so we fed; they bore burdens, so we bore; they gave, so we gave. When we were kneeling knee-to-knee, like two horses head-to-head in a race, they said, ‘A prophet has arisen among us to whom revelation comes from heaven.’ How can we ever attain to that? By Allah, we shall never listen to it (1) nor believe him.” Al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq then left him.

Al-Bayhaqī also narrated (2): Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ informed us; Abū al-ʿAbbās narrated to us; Aḥmad narrated to us; Yūnus narrated to us from Hishām ibn Saʿd, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from al-Mughīra ibn Shuʿba, who said:

“The first day I came to know the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—I was walking with Abu Jahl ibn Hishām in one of the alleys of Mecca when we met the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. He said to Abu Jahl,

‘Abu al-Ḥakam, come to Allah and to His Messenger; I am inviting you to Allah.’

Abu Jahl replied, ‘Muḥammad, will you not cease reviling our gods? Do you want anything other than that we testify you have conveyed the message? We do testify that you have conveyed. By Allah, if I were sure what you say is true, I would follow you.’

The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—then left, and Abu Jahl turned to me and said, ‘By Allah, I know what he says is true, but the sons of Qusayy (3) said, “Custody of the Kaʿbah is ours,” and we said, “Yes”; then they said, “Providing water to the pilgrims is ours,” and we said, “Yes”; then they said, “The House of Assembly is ours,” and we said, “Yes”; then they said, “The banner is ours,” and we said, “Yes.” They fed and so we fed, until our knees were touching; then they said, “A prophet has arisen from among us.” By Allah, I will never do that.’

Al-Bayhaqī likewise said (4): Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ and Abū Bakr told us—both stated (5): Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb al-Aṣamm narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Khālid narrated to us; Aḥmad ibn Khālid (6) narrated to us; Isrāʾīl narrated to us from Abū Isḥāq, who said:

“The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—passed by Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyān while they were sitting together, and Abu Jahl said, ‘This is your prophet, O sons of ʿAbd Shams.’”