one who is his cousin, or his mother’s nephew, or a man of his own clan. Turn back, therefore, and leave Muḥammad to the rest of the Arabs. If they kill him, that is exactly what you have been seeking; but if the matter turns out otherwise, he will still find you and you will not have exposed yourselves to what you dislike.
Ḥakīm said: I then went off until I reached Abū Jahl. I found him after he had taken off a coat of mail and was busy examining it. I said to him, “Abū al-Ḥakam, ʿUtbah has sent me to you with such-and-such a message.”
He retorted, “By God, his belly has swollen (1) the moment he caught sight of Muḥammad and his companions! No, by God, we shall not turn back until God judges between us and Muḥammad. ʿUtbah does not mean what he says; rather, he has seen Muḥammad and his companions—men who would devour an entire camel at one sitting—and among them is his own son, so he fears for you on his account.”
He then sent word to ʿĀmir ibn al-Ḥaḍramī, saying, “Here is your ally wanting to lead the people back, yet you have your vengeance before your very eyes. Rise and call upon your covenant (2) and the murder of your brother!”
So ʿĀmir ibn al-Ḥaḍramī stood up, uncovered his head, and shouted, “Wa-ʿAmrāh! Wa-ʿAmrāh!”
The battle fever was thereby enflamed; the people were stirred to the utmost (3) and firmly resolved upon the evil course they were on, and ʿUtbah’s counsel was completely ruined.
When ʿUtbah was told of Abū Jahl’s words—“By God, his belly has swollen”—he said, “The yellow-bottomed one (4) will soon know whose belly has swollen—mine or his!”
ʿUtbah then looked for a helmet to put upon his head, but in the whole army he could not find one large enough for the size of his head. Seeing that, he wrapped a cloak of his around his head like a turban (5).
Ibn Jarīr (6) transmitted—through the chain of Musawwar ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Yarbūʿī, from his father, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib—that he said: While we were with Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam, his doorkeeper came in and said, “Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām seeks permission to enter.” Marwān said, “Let him in.” When he entered, Marwān said, “Welcome, Abū Khālid—come closer,” and he moved aside from the head of the assembly so that Ḥakīm sat between him and the cushion. Facing him, Marwān said, “Tell us the story of Badr.”
He said, “We set out, and when we reached al-Juhfa an entire clan of Quraysh turned back, so none of their idolaters witnessed Badr. We then marched on until we camped at the slope about which God—exalted is He—has spoken. I came to ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah and said, ‘Abū al-Walīd, would you like to earn everlasting honor today?’ He asked, ‘What must I do?’ I replied, ‘All you seek from Muḥammad is the blood of Ibn al-Ḥaḍramī, your ally. Pay his blood-money and the people will return.’ He said, ‘That obligation is on me. Now go to the son of al-Ḥanẓaliyyah—meaning Abū Jahl—and say to him: Would you like to turn back today with those who are with you, away from your cousin?’
“I went to him and found him surrounded by a group of men, in front of him and behind him. Ibn al-Ḥaḍramī was standing over him, declaring, ‘I have dissolved my pact with ʿAbd Shams, and today my pact is with Banū Makhzūm!’
“I said to him, ‘ʿUtbah says to you…’