3. A further lesson is that a man should see his family off when they leave him at night, or at any other time in which he fears for their safety.

4. It is also incumbent upon a person to remove the causes of misgivings from people’s hearts. If he fears that someone might entertain an evil thought about him, he must dispel that suspicion by explaining the reality so that no ill feeling settles in the other person’s heart.

5. When something happens that amazes a person, he should say, “Subḥān Allāh” (Glory be to Allah), just as the two Anṣār did—and the Prophet ﷺ approved their reaction.

6. The ḥadīth likewise demonstrates the Prophet’s ﷺ compassion for his community and his keenness to protect them from harm.

As for the second ḥadīth, narrated by al-ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him), it concerns the episode of Ḥunayn. Ḥunayn is the name of a valley where the Prophet ﷺ marched against the tribe of Thaqīf. The Companions—who had just conquered Mecca in Ramadan of the eighth year after the Hijrah—set out with ten thousand men from outside Mecca and two thousand of its new Muslim inhabitants, a total of twelve thousand. Some of them said to one another, “Today we shall not be defeated for lack of numbers,” admiring their strength. Allah wished to show them that victory comes only from Him, and that neither numbers nor power can avert His decree.

They faced Thaqīf, whose fighters numbered only three thousand five hundred, while the Muslims were twelve thousand strong together with the Messenger ﷺ. Thaqīf laid an ambush for them in the valley of Ḥunayn; and once an ambush is sprung, with some troops pressing forward while others fall back, rout is likely. The Companions broke ranks and fled until only about one hundred men from the twelve thousand remained with the Messenger ﷺ, as Allah says, “then you turned on your heels.”

Muḥammad ﷺ—whom Allah had endowed with immense courage and resolution where courage is required—drove his mule toward the enemy, proclaiming, “I am the Prophet, without falsehood; I am the son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib,” making his presence known. He then ordered al-ʿAbbās, a man of powerful voice, to call the Companions back. Al-ʿAbbās cried out, “O Companions of the Samurah … O Companions of the Samurah, come quickly!”

The samurah was the tree beneath which the Companions had pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at al-Ḥudaybiyyah never to flee; yet on this day they had fled. By calling, “O Companions of the Samurah,” al-ʿAbbās reminded them of that pledge. It was under that very tree that they swore never to run, concerning which Allah says, “Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree” (Q 48:18). Allah thus informed them of His pleasure, and the Prophet ﷺ promised that none who took that pledge would enter the Fire—great tidings indeed, for they will never enter it at all.

Al-ʿAbbās’s call—“O Companions of the Samurah!”—elicited the response, “At your service, at your service!” They came back as quickly as cows charging toward their calves. They fought the enemy, and the Prophet ﷺ took a handful of pebbles, hurled them at the faces of the disbelievers, and said, “Be scattered, by the Lord of Muḥammad.” And so it was: Thaqīf was defeated, and the Prophet ﷺ acquired an immense amount of booty—camels, sheep, and other wealth.

Thus this ḥadīth is one of the signs of Allah, for He granted the believers victory after showing them His might, making clear that the matter is His alone: victory is not secured by numbers, power, or resolve, but only by Allah. The Exalted says, “Allah has already given you victory in many situations, and on the Day of Ḥunayn when your numbers pleased you but they availed you nothing, and the earth, vast as it is, became tight for you; then you turned and fled. Thereafter Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and He sent forces you did not see, and He punished those who disbelieved; such is the recompense of the disbelievers. Then after that Allah turns in mercy to whom He wills” (9:25–27).

From this ḥadīth we learn:

1. The extraordinary bravery of the Prophet ﷺ, shown in both word and deed: in deed, by urging his mule toward the enemy, and in word, by proclaiming in his resonant voice, “I am the Prophet without falsehood; I am the son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib.”

2. A person must not be impressed with his own strength, numbers, knowledge, wealth, intelligence, or intellect. Most often, when he becomes self-admiring, Allah lets him be defeated. If he boasts of his numbers, he is routed; if of his knowledge, he goes astray; if of his intellect, he becomes bewildered. Therefore, do not be taken with yourself or any of your abilities. Seek Allah’s help and entrust the matter to Him so that He may accomplish what you desire.

3. It is permissible to ride a mule. A mule is the offspring of a donkey and a horse—the donkey mates with a mare, producing a mule. While its flesh is impermissible to eat and considered impure, its exterior is ritually pure, like that of a cat whose body is pure though its urine and feces are impure. The mule’s sweat and the act of touching it while riding are pure, for the Prophet ﷺ rode one while it was sweating, possibly in the rain, and no report indicates that he took precautions. This shows that it is pure, and this is the stronger opinion.

4. One should address people with words that motivate them. Al-ʿAbbās did not cry out, “O believers,” or “O Companions,” but rather, “O Companions of the Samurah,” because that stirred their spirits and reminded them of the pledge they had sworn to the Messenger ﷺ.

5. Allah may grant victory to a smaller party—even if it is on falsehood—over a larger party, even if it is on truth. Here the smaller party of disbelievers numbered three thousand five hundred, while the larger party consisted of the twelve-thousand Companions with the Messenger ﷺ among them. We also learn that the final outcome belongs to the God-fearing; even if Muslims suffer defeat despite their numbers, the ultimate victory is theirs, for Allah says, “So be patient; indeed, the outcome belongs to the righteous” (11:49).

Allah is the One who grants success.

1850 – Abū al-Faḍl al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was present with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the Day of Ḥunayn. Abū Sufyān ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and I stayed close to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and did not leave him, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was riding a white mule. When the Muslims and the idolaters met, the Muslims turned and fled. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ began urging his mule toward the disbelievers, while I held the bridle of the Prophet’s mule, restraining it so that it would not surge forward, and Abū Sufyān held the stirrup of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “ʿAbbās, call out to the Companions of the Samurah.” Al-ʿAbbās, who had a powerful voice, said: So I cried at the top of my lungs, “Where are the Companions of the Samurah?” By Allah, when they heard my voice it was as though they turned like cows rushing toward their calves, and they said, “At your service, O…"