I had hoped that what had occurred might guide him to Islam; but when I saw the fate that befell him and remembered that he died upon disbelief—despite all the hope I had cherished for him—it saddened me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then prayed good for him and spoke kindly to him.

Al-Bukhārī (1) relates: al-Humaydī narrated to us, Sufyān narrated to us, ʿAmr narrated from ʿAṭāʾ, from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding the verse, “Those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief” (Q 14:28). He said, “By Allah, they are the disbelievers of Quraysh.” ʿAmr added, “They are Quraysh, and Muhammad ﷺ is Allah’s favor. As for His words, ‘and led their people to the abode of ruin’ (Q 14:28), that means the Fire on the Day of Badr.”

Ibn Isḥāq (2) said that Ḥassān ibn Thābit (3) composed the following lines:

My people—those who gave their Prophet refuge
and believed him when every land was steeped in unbelief—
Save for a chosen few, forerunners of the righteous:
Helpers from the Ansār, helpers indeed.
They rejoiced in Allah’s decree, proclaiming
when the well-born, chosen noble came to them:
“Welcome! Peace and ease are yours;
what an excellent Prophet, what a splendid share and neighbor!”
They lodged him in a house where none need fear—
whoever became their neighbor found true security.
They shared their wealth with him when the Emigrants arrived,
while the denier’s allotted share was only the Fire.
We set out, and they set out, to Badr at the appointed hour;
had they possessed certain knowledge, they would never have marched.
Satan lured them with deception, then abandoned them—
the vile one betrays all who befriend him.
He said, “I am your protector,” then drove them
to the worst watering place, a place of disgrace and shame.
Then we met them, and they fled, forsaking their chiefs—
some armored men retreating, others slipping away in flight.

Imām Aḥmad (5) recorded: Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr (6) and ʿAbd al-Raz̤z̤āq both said, “Isrāʾīl narrated [from Simāk ibn Ḥarb] (7), from ʿIkrimah (8), from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished dealing with the slain, it was said to him, ‘Pursue the caravan; nothing stands between you and it.’ Al-ʿAbbās, who was still in bonds, called out, ‘That would not be fitting for you.’ He ﷺ asked, ‘Why not?’ He replied, ‘Because Allah promised you one of the two parties, and He has already fulfilled His promise to you.’”