Section: His ﷺ return from al-Ṭāʾif and the division of the booty taken from Hawāzin at Ḥunayn, before he entered Mecca to perform ʿumrah from al-Jiʿrānah.
Ibn Isḥāq (d. 151 AH) said: When the Messenger of God ﷺ withdrew from al-Ṭāʾif he set out across the plain of Dahna until he halted at al-Jiʿrānah with the Muslims who were with him, carrying with him a great number of captives from Hawāzin. One of his Companions, as they were breaking camp from Thaqīf, said, “Messenger of God, invoke a curse upon them.” He replied, “O Allah, guide Thaqīf and bring them to us.”
The delegation of Hawāzin then reached him at al-Jiʿrānah. The Messenger of God ﷺ held six thousand Hawāzin captives—women and children—and a quantity of camels and sheep whose number no one could estimate.
Ibn Isḥāq also said: ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb related to me—and, in the version narrated by Yūnus ibn Bukayr from him, he said: ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb told us—on the authority of his father, from his grandfather, who said:
We were with the Messenger of God ﷺ at Ḥunayn. After he had taken what he took of Hawāzin’s property and captives, their delegation overtook him at al-Jiʿrānah, having embraced Islam. They said, “Messenger of God, we are your kin and tribe. Calamity has befallen us in a way that is not hidden from you, so show us the favor God has shown you.” Their spokesman, Zuhayr ibn Ṣurad Abū Ṣurad, then rose and said:
“Messenger of God, the women confined among the captives are your aunts and foster-mothers who once cared for you. Had we sought refuge with Ibn Abī Shamir or al-Nuʿmān ibn al-Mundhir and suffered at their hands what we have suffered at yours, we would still have hoped for their kindness and compassion—and you, Messenger of God, are the best of all who may be entreated.” He then recited:
Bestow your grace upon us, Messenger of God, in your generosity,
for you are the one in whom we hope and on whom we rely.
Show mercy to a clan whose fate has hemmed it in,
its unity torn apart by the turnings of the age.
War has left them wailing upon the rocky heights,
their hearts weighed down with grief and crushing sorrow.
Unless the bounty you spread comes quickly to their aid—
O most even-tempered of men when character is tried—
Be gracious to the women who once suckled you,
when your mouth was filled with pearls of their pure milk.
Have mercy on the nurses who cared for you,
whose devotion adorned all you did and left undone.
Do not leave us like one whose fortune’s ostrich has flown;
spare a remnant of us, for we are a people of renown.
We are thankful for blessings even when others deny them,
and with us is gratitude stored up beyond this day.