“Bring me some docile, well-fattened camels,” I said. “Keep them close by, and if you hear that a force of Muhammad has entered this land, come and inform me.” He did so.

One morning he came and said, “ʿAdiyy, whatever you intended to do when Muhammad’s cavalry descends upon you, do it now. I have seen standards raised.” I asked about them and was told, “They are the armies of Muhammad.”

I said, “Bring up my camels.” He brought them, and I set off with my wife and children, saying, “I shall join the people of my religion, the Christians, in Syria.” I took the Jawshiyyah route(1) and left a daughter of Ḥātim in the settlement. When I reached Syria I stayed there, but detachments of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed through my lands and, in the course of their raids, captured the daughter of Ḥātim. She was brought to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ among the captives of Ṭayyʾ, and word had already reached him that I had fled to Syria.

The daughter of Ḥātim was placed in an enclosure by the mosque gate where the captives were kept. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by her; she stood before him—she was a composed, eloquent woman—and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my father has died and the advocate is absent. Show me favor—may Allah grant you His favor.” He asked, “And who is your advocate?” She replied, “ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim.” He said, “The one who fled from Allah and His Messenger?” Then he went on and left me.

The next day he passed by again; I repeated the same plea and he answered me as before. On the third day he passed me, and I had lost hope, when a man behind him signalled for me to rise and speak to him. I rose and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my father has perished and the advocate is absent. Show me favor—may Allah grant you His favor.” He ﷺ replied, “I have granted it. Do not leave until you find someone you trust from your people who can escort you to your land; then inform me.”

I asked who had signalled to me and was told it was ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. I remained until a caravan of Balī or Quḍāʿah arrived—my intention was to go to my brother in Syria. I came and said, “O Messenger of Allah, a party of my people has arrived; among them are men I trust who can take me home.” He clothed me, mounted me, and provided me with provisions, and I travelled with them until I reached Syria.

ʿAdiyy continues: By Allah, I was sitting among my family when I saw a woman rider heading toward our quarters. I said, “It is the daughter of Ḥātim!”—and indeed it was she. When she halted beside me she began to upbraid me(2): “O severer of kin, O wrong-doer! You fled with your wife and children and left the remainder of your father’s household exposed!” I said, “Dear sister, speak only good words. By Allah, I have no excuse; what you say is the truth.”

She dismounted and stayed with me. She was a prudent woman, so I asked her, “What do you think about this man?” She replied, “By Allah, I think you should go to him quickly. If the man is a prophet, the one who reaches him first gains the merit; and if he is a king, you will never be humiliated while enjoying the honor of Yemen—and you are who you are.” I said, “By Allah, that is sound advice.”

So I set out until I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Madinah. I entered while he was in the mosque and greeted him with peace. He said, “Who is the man?” I replied, “ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rose, took me by the hand, and led me to his house. By Allah, while he was leading me there, an elderly, frail woman met him and detained him. He stood with her for a long time, listening to her need, and I said