Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb; should you find him off guard, kill him.”
ʿAmr relates: My companion and I set out until we reached the valley of Yaʾjaj, where we hobbled our camel. My companion then said to me, “O ʿAmr, shall we go on to Mecca, circumambulate the House seven times, and pray two rakʿahs?”
I replied, “I know Mecca better than a dapple-gray horse, and if they see me they will recognize me. I also know the Meccans: when evening comes, they swarm into their courtyards.” He insisted, however, so we continued and entered Mecca, performed seven circuits around the Kaʿbah (1) and prayed two rakʿahs.
As I was coming out, Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān met me, recognized me, and exclaimed, “ʿAmr ibn Umayya!” He immediately informed his father, and word spread among the Meccans, who said, “ʿAmr has not come for anything good.” ʿAmr had been a notorious killer in the Days of Ignorance. The Meccans mustered and gathered together, while ʿAmr and Salamah fled. Their pursuers ran after them and pressed into the mountain.
ʿAmr continues: I slipped into a cave and hid from them until morning. They spent the night searching for us in the hills, but God concealed from them the route to Madinah so that they could not track our mount. The next mid-morning ʿUthmān ibn Mālik ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Taymī came along, cutting grass for his horse. I said to Salamah ibn Aslam, “If he sees us he will alert the Meccans, and they are already close to losing our trail.” He kept drawing nearer to the mouth of the cave until he was looking down on us.
I went out to him and stabbed him beneath the breast with my dagger. He fell and cried out; the Meccans heard and came running back after having scattered. I slipped back into the cave and said to my companion, “Do not move.” They came up to the man and asked, “Who killed you?” He answered, “ʿAmr ibn Umayya al-Ḍamrī.” Abū Sufyān said, “We knew he had not come for any good purpose.” The wounded man could not reveal our hiding place; he was in his last breath and then died. They were distracted from pursuing us by tending to him, carried him away, and we remained where we were for two nights before venturing out.
My companion then said, “O ʿAmr ibn Umayya, what do you say to taking down Khubayb ibn ʿAdiyy?”
I asked, “Where is he?”
He replied, “Over there, crucified, with guards posted around him.”
I said, “Give me a moment and move away from me. If you fear anything, go to the camel and sit on it. Then go to the Messenger of God ﷺ, tell him what has happened, and leave me; I know the roads to Madinah.” I rushed over to Khubayb, lifted him onto my back, and had not gone more than twenty cubits before the guards awoke. They set off after me, so I threw down the stake—I shall never forget the thud it made (2)—and covered the body with earth using my foot. I then took the road of al-Ṣafrāʾ; they tired themselves out and turned back, while I could still outdistance them as long as I had breath.
My companion mounted the camel, rode to the Prophet ﷺ, and informed him. As for me, I continued until I reached al-Ghamīm, the valley of Ḍajnan. There I entered a cave with my bow, arrows, and dagger. While I was inside, a tall, one-eyed man of Banū Bakr, clan of Banū al-Dīl, came along driving sheep and goats. He stepped into the cave and said, “Who is the man?”
I answered, “A man from Banū Bakr.”
He said, “I too am from Banū Bakr,” then reclined and began to sing at the top of his voice:
‘I shall never become a Muslim as long as I live,
Nor ever follow the religion of the Muslims.’
I said to myself, “By God, I hope I will kill you.” When he fell asleep I went over to him and killed him—the worst killing I have ever inflicted on anyone. I then left and descended the slope. When I reached the open road, I encountered two men Quraysh had dispatched to gather intelligence.
I said, “Surrender and be taken captive.” One of them refused, so I shot him and killed him. When the other saw that, he surrendered; I bound him tightly and set off with him toward