May my father be sacrificed for you, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “I have been granted permission to depart.” Abu Bakr said, “May I accompany you, Messenger of Allah—may my father be sacrificed for you?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Yes.” Abu Bakr said, “Then take one of these two riding-camels of mine, Messenger of Allah—may my father be sacrificed for you.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “At its price.”

Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “We prepared their provisions with the utmost haste and put food for them in a leather bag. Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, tore off a piece of her waistband and tied the mouth of the bag with it. It was for this that she was called ‘She of the Two Waistbands.’”

She said: “Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr took refuge in a cave on Mount Thawr, where they remained for three nights. Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr, an intelligent and quick-witted young man, would spend the night with them. He would leave them before dawn and be in Makkah with Quraysh by morning, as though he had spent the night there. Whenever he heard of any plot being devised against them, he would retain it and bring them news of it when darkness fell.

“Amir ibn Fuhayrah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, would graze for them a small flock of sheep. Once a portion of the night had passed, he would bring the flock to them, and they would spend the night in comfort, drinking the milk of their flock, some of it warmed with heated stones. Amir ibn Fuhayrah would then drive the flock away at the first light of dawn. He did this on each of those three nights.

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr hired a man from the tribe of al-Dil, a branch of Banu Abd ibn Adi, as an exceptionally skilled guide. An exceptionally skilled guide is one highly proficient in finding the way. He was allied with the family of al-As ibn Wail al-Sahmi and followed the religion of the Quraysh disbelievers, yet they trusted him. They entrusted their two riding-camels to him and arranged to meet him at the Cave of Thawr at dawn after three nights. Amir ibn Fuhayrah and the guide then set out with them, taking them by the coastal route.”

Ibn Shihab said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Malik al-Mudliji, the nephew of Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Jushum, informed me that his father told him that he heard Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Jushum say: “Messengers of the Quraysh disbelievers came to us, offering a bounty equal to the blood-money for each of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, to whoever killed or captured either of them.

“While I was sitting in a gathering of my people, Banu Mudlij, one of them came up and stood over us as we sat there. He said, ‘Suraqah, I have just seen some dark figures by the coast, and I think they are Muhammad and his companions.’

“Suraqah said: ‘I knew that it was indeed they, but I said to him, “They are not them. You have merely seen So-and-so and So-and-so, whom we saw setting out.” I remained in the gathering for a while, then rose and entered my house. I instructed my servant-girl to take my horse behind a hill and keep it there for me. I took my spear and left through the back of the house, dragging its point along the ground and keeping its upper end lowered until I reached my horse. I mounted it and urged it onward at a trot until I drew near to them. Then my horse stumbled, and I fell from it.

“‘I got up and reached for my quiver, taking out the divining arrows. I cast them to determine whether I should harm them or not, and the result I disliked came out. Yet I mounted my horse and disregarded the arrows. It brought me closer until I could hear the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, reciting. He did not look back, whereas Abu Bakr kept looking around repeatedly. Then my horse’s forelegs sank into the ground up to its knees, and I fell from it. I rebuked it, and it rose, scarcely able to pull its forelegs free. Once it was standing upright, dust rose from the place where its forelegs had been, ascending into the sky like smoke.

“‘I again cast the divining arrows, and the result I disliked came out. So I called out to them, assuring them of safety, and they stopped. I mounted my horse and came to them, and after what I had experienced, I became convinced