—and if they had named a hundred, every single one of them would have been slain.

The Jew then turned to Zayd again and said, “Make your will, for you will never return alive—if Muhammad is truly a prophet.”

Zayd replied, “I bear witness that he is a truthful and upright Prophet.” (Related by al-Bayhaqī.)

Ibn Isḥāq relates: When the time came for the army to depart, the people bid farewell to the commanders appointed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah was taking leave with the others, he wept. They asked, “What makes you weep, Ibn Rawāḥah?”

He said, “By Allah, it is not love of this world, nor longing to stay with you. Rather, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recite a verse from the Book of Allah that speaks of the Fire:
‘There is not one of you but will pass over it; that is, with your Lord, a decree firmly set’ (Maryam 19:71).
I do not know how I shall fare once I have to cross it.”

The Muslims replied, “May Allah accompany you, shield you, and return you to us in righteousness.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah then recited:

Yet I ask the All-Merciful for forgiveness,
and for a single blow whose force makes brains foam,
or else a thrust from a raging warrior’s hands,
a spear that tears through entrails and liver,
so that when they pass by my grave they will say,
“May Allah guide this warrior who fought well and was guided.”

Ibn Isḥāq goes on: When the men were ready to leave, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, took his leave, and said:

May Allah make firm the good He has granted you—
with the firmness He gave Moses, and a victory like the one they won.
I have discerned in you even greater goodness;
Allah knows my sight is clear.
You are the Messenger—whoever is denied your bounties
and your presence has indeed been dealt a harsh fate.

Ibn Isḥāq adds: The army set out, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ walked with them to see them off. After bidding them farewell and turning back, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah said:

Peace remains behind with the man I have just bid farewell
among the palms—the finest escort and friend.