He went on, “By Allah, you are certainly a daring woman! And what makes you feel safe?—a trial could break out or you might be forced to flee.”

She said, “He kept reproaching me until I wished the earth would split open then and there and swallow me. Then the man in the helmet lifted the visor from his face—and it was Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh. He said, ‘ʿUmar, you have gone on long enough today. Where is there any refuge or flight except to Allah?’

“Just then a man from the idolaters of Quraysh, known as Ibn al-ʿArqa, shot an arrow at Saʿd. Calling out, ‘Take this—from Ibn al-ʿArqa!’ he struck Saʿd on the median vein and severed it. Saʿd prayed, ‘O Allah, do not let me die until my eyes are cooled by what happens to Qurayẓah.’ They had been his allies in the pre-Islamic days. His wound was treated, and Allah sent a wind against the polytheists, so Allah spared the believers from further fighting—Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty. Abū Sufyān and his forces fled to Tihāmah, ʿUyaynah ibn Badr and his men withdrew to Najd, and the Banū Qurayẓah returned to their fortresses.

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then went back to Madinah, laid down his arms, and ordered a leather pavilion to be erected for Saʿd inside the mosque. Gabriel came to him, dust still upon his teeth, and said, ‘Have you laid down your weapons? By Allah, the angels have not yet laid down theirs. Go out to the Banū Qurayẓah and fight them.’

“So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ put on his armor again and announced to the people that they should set out. He passed by the dwellings of Banū Ghanm, neighbors of the mosque, and asked, ‘Who came past you?’ They replied, ‘Dihyah al-Kalbī.’ Dihyah’s beard, hair, and face resembled those of Gabriel.

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the Banū Qurayẓah and besieged them for twenty-five nights. When the siege became unbearable and hardship severe, they were told, ‘Submit to the judgment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ They consulted Abū Lubābah ibn ʿAbd al-Munḍir, who gestured that it meant slaughter. They said, ‘We will submit to the judgment of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Submit to the judgment of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh,’ and they agreed.

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent for Saʿd ibn Muʿādh. He was brought on a donkey with a saddle of palm fiber, carried because of his wound. His people walked all around him, saying, ‘O Abū ʿAmr, these are your allies and protégés, those who aided you—you know their record.’ But he neither answered them nor turned toward them.”