“Are you from the tribe’s head, or from its lesser limbs (1)?”
They replied, “From its greatest head.”
Abū Bakr asked, “And which part of that greatest head are you?”
They said, “Duhl the Elder.”

Abū Bakr went on, “Is ʿAwf among you—the clan about whom it was said, ‘There is no free man left in the Valley of ʿAwf’ (2)?”
They answered, “No.”
He said, “Is Bisṭām ibn Qays ibn Masʿūd, bearer of the banner and summit of the lineages, among you?”
They said, “No.”
He said, “Is al-Ḥawfazān (3) ibn Sharīk, the slayer of kings who stripped them of their very lives, among you?”
They said, “No.”
He said, “Is Jassās ibn Murrah ibn Duhl, the defender of honor and protector of neighbors, among you?”
They said, “No.”
He said, “Is al-Muzdalif, the man with the singular turban (4), among you?”
They said, “No.”

He asked, “Then are you the maternal uncles of the kings of Kindah?”
They said, “No.”
He asked, “Are you the in-laws of the kings of Lakhm?”
They said, “No.”
Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—then said, “In that case, you are not Duhl the Elder; you are Duhl the Younger.”

At this a youth of theirs—Daghfal ibn Ḥanẓalah al-Duhlī, whose face had only just begun to sprout hair (5)—leapt up, seized the rein of Abū Bakr’s camel, and declaimed:

It is for one who is questioned to question in return,
A burden unknown to us until we bear it.

He continued, “Sir, you questioned us and we told you everything; now we wish to ask you—who are you?”
Abū Bakr replied, “A man of Quraysh.”
The youth exclaimed, “Bravo, bravo! People of honor and leadership, the vanguard and guides of the Arabs (6). And which branch of Quraysh are you?”
He said, “A man of Banū Taym ibn Murrah.”
The youth retorted, “By Allah, you have given the archer a clear shot through the very breach (7)! Are you of the line of Quṣayy ibn Kilāb, who slew the usurpers in Mecca, expelled the rest, gathered his people from every quarter until he settled them in Mecca, took possession of the Sacred House, and allotted Quraysh their dwellings—so that the Arabs named him ‘the Gatherer’? Concerning him the poet said:

Is not your father the one they called the Gatherer,
By whom Allah united the clans of Fihr?

Abū Bakr said, “No.”
He said, “Then are you of ʿAbd Manāf, to whom the trusteeships were entrusted and who was the sire of the noble chiefs?”