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Imām Aḥmad relates (1): “ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us; Ibn Jurayj reported; ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUthmān ibn Khuthaym informed us that Muḥammad ibn al-Aswad ibn Khalf told him that his father, al-Aswad, saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taking people’s pledge on the Day of the Conquest.

He said: The Prophet sat at the foot of the hill of Qarn Musqalah and accepted the people’s pledge to embrace Islām and bear witness.

I asked, ‘What is the bearing of witness?’

He replied: Muḥammad ibn al-Aswad ibn Khalf informed me that he pledged them to believe in Allah and to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. Aḥmad alone transmits this report.

Al-Bayhaqī adds: People—young and old, men and women—approached him, and he pledged them to Islām and to the testimony of faith.

Ibn Jarīr (2) records: The people of Mecca assembled to give their pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for Islām. According to what has reached me, he sat for them on al-Ṣafā while ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb stood below him; he required of the people hearing and obedience to Allah and His Messenger to the extent of their ability.

When he had completed the pledge with the men, he turned to the women. Among them was Hind bint ʿUtbah, concealed and disguised because of what she had done to Ḥamzah; she feared that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ might call her to account.

When the women drew near, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“Pledge to me that you will not associate anything with Allah.”

Hind said, “By Allah, you are binding us to something you have not bound upon the men.”

He continued, “Nor will you steal.”

She said, “By Allah, I have taken from Abū Sufyān’s wealth now and again. I did not know whether that was lawful for me or not.” Abū Sufyān, who was present, remarked, “Whatever you took in the past is forgiven you.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, “Are you Hind bint ʿUtbah?” She answered, “Yes—so pardon what is past; may Allah pardon you.”

He then said, “Nor will you commit fornication.”

She exclaimed, “O Messenger of Allah, does a free woman ever fornicate?”

He next said, “Nor will you kill your children.”

She replied, “We reared them when they were small, and you killed them at Badr when they were grown; you and they know best.” ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb laughed until he was astonished.

He then said, “Nor will you bring any calumny that you invent between your hands and feet.”

She said, “By Allah, bringing calumny is disgraceful, and a little lenience is better.”

He then said, “Nor will you disobey me.”

She responded, “In what is right.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said to ʿUmar, “Take their pledge and seek Allah’s forgiveness for them, for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” So ʿUmar accepted their pledge.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never shook hands with women; he touched only a woman whom Allah had made lawful to him or a woman who was a close relative.

Both Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (3) relate from ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—that she said, “By Allah, the hand of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never touched the hand of any woman at all.”