The Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had set out with no doubt that victory would be granted, because of a vision that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had seen. But when they saw what had happened, overwhelming distress came over the people, to the point that they nearly perished. The case of Abu Jandal only added to their anguish.

Umar said: “By Allah (1), I had never doubted since I embraced Islam except on that day.”

Al-Zuhri said in his narration from Urwah, from Marwan (2) and al-Miswar—and Abu Wail also narrated it from Sahl ibn Hunayf—that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I went to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘Are you not truly the Prophet of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are we not upon the truth, while our enemy is upon falsehood?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are not those of us who are killed in Paradise, while those of them who are killed are in the Fire?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Why, then, should we accept humiliation in our religion?’ He said, ‘I am the Messenger of Allah; I do not disobey Him, and He is my Helper.’

“I said, ‘Did you not tell us that we would come to the House and circumambulate it?’ He said, ‘Yes. But did I tell you that we would come to it this year?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘You will indeed come to it and circumambulate it.’

“Then I went to Abu Bakr and said, ‘O Abu Bakr, is this not truly the Prophet of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are we not upon the truth, while our enemy is upon falsehood?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are not those of us who are killed in Paradise, while those of them who are killed are in the Fire?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Why, then, should we accept humiliation in our religion?’ He said, ‘Man, he is the Messenger of Allah. He does not disobey his Lord, and He is his Helper. So hold fast to his stirrup; by Allah, he is upon the truth.’

“I said, ‘Did he not tell us that we would come to the House and circumambulate it?’ He said, ‘Yes. But did he tell you that you would come to it this year?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘You will indeed come to it and circumambulate it.’”

Al-Zuhri said: Umar said, “I thereafter performed deeds because of that.”

He said: When the written agreement had been finalized, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to his Companions, “Rise, slaughter your sacrificial animals, and then shave your heads.” By Allah, not a single man among them rose, until he had said this three times. When none of them rose, he got up and went in to Umm Salamah, and told her what he had encountered from the people. Umm Salamah said, “O Prophet of Allah, would you like them to comply? Go out, but do not speak a word to any of them until you have slaughtered your sacrificial camels and summoned your barber to shave your head.”

So he went out and did not speak to any of them until he had done so: he slaughtered his sacrificial camels and summoned his barber, who shaved his head. When they saw this, they rose and slaughtered their animals, and began shaving one another’s heads, so overcome with grief that they nearly killed one another.

Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas said: Some men shaved their heads on the day of al-Hudaybiyyah, while others shortened their hair. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “May Allah have mercy on those who shave their heads.” They said, “And those who shorten their hair?” He said, “May Allah have mercy on those who shave their heads.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, and those who shorten their hair?” He said: