As he was about to leave, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“O al-ʿAbbās, hold him at the narrow pass of the valley by the mountain, so that Allah’s troops may pass by him and he may see them.”

He said: So I went out with him and held him where the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had instructed me to hold him. The tribes then passed by him beneath their banners. Whenever a tribe passed, he would ask, “Who are these?” and I would reply, “Sulaym.” He would say, “What concern have I with Sulaym?” Then another tribe would pass, and he would ask, “Who are these?” I would reply, “Muzaynah,” and he would say, “What concern have I with Muzaynah?” This continued until all the tribes had passed by (1): no tribe passed without his asking, “Who are these?” and my replying, “The clan of so-and-so,” to which he would say, “What concern have I with the clan of so-and-so?”

Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by with his green battalion (2), containing the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār. Nothing of them could be seen except their eyes amid the iron. He said, “Glory be to Allah! Who are these, O al-ʿAbbās?”

I said, “This is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, accompanied by the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār.”

He said, “No one has the power or strength to withstand these. By Allah, O Abū al-Faḍl, the authority of your nephew has become immense this morning!”

I said, “O Abū Sufyān, it is prophethood.”

He said, “Then that is well.”

I said, “Make haste to your people.”

So he went out, and when he came to them, he cried out at the top of his voice: “O assembly of Quraysh! Muhammad has come upon you with a force you have no power to withstand. Whoever enters the house of Abū Sufyān is safe.” Then his wife Hind bint ʿUtbah rose against him, seized him by his moustache, and said: