IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA?L IBN KATH~ R 253Ibn Ishaq went on, "Muhammad h. Muslim b. Shihnh, 'Asim h. Wmar b.
Qatzcla, 'Abd All& b. Abii Bakr and Yazid b. R-n related to me from 'Urwa
b. al-Zuhayr and others of our scholars, from Ibn (Abhas, each of these having
related to me a part of this hadith which I have joined together in the following
account about Badr. They said that when the Messenger of God (SAAS) heard
that Abii Sufyan was arriving from Syria, he sent the Muslims out against them,
saying, 'This caravan belongs to Quraysh, and will carry much wealth. Attack it;
God may present it to you.'
" The men got ready, some pleased, others apprehensive because they had not
thought the Messenger of God (SAAS) would make war. When Abii Sufya
approached Hij% he sought information from each mounted man he encountered
since he was concerned what might develop. Eventually he received news from
some travellers that Muhammad had readied a force of men against hi and his
caravan. This alarmed Aho Sufya and he commissioned Damdam h. 'Amr
al-Ghifari, sending him on to Mecca with orders to go to Quraysh and get them
to prepare for battle to save their property, by telling them that Muhammad and
his men were about to attack it. Damdam h. 'Amr raced into Mecca to do so."
Ibn Ishaq stated, "An unimpeachable source related to me, from 'Ikrima, from
Ibn 'Ahhs and Yazid b. Riimnn related to me from Wrwa h. al-Zubayr as fol-
lows: 'Atika, daughter of 'Abd d-Mutdib had, three nights prior to the arrival
of Damdam, a dream that had terrified her. She sent for her brother alLCAbbas h.
'Ahd al-Mugalib and told him, 'Last night, brother, I swear I had a vision that
really scared me. I'm concerned that because of it some harm might come to you
or your people, so please keep confidential for me what I'm about to tell you.'
"'What was it you saw?' he asked.
" She replied, 'I saw a man arrive mounted on a camel who came to a halt in
the valley then shouted out at the top of his voice, "Come forth to your deaths
in three days hence, you people of perfidy!" I saw people gather around him. He
then entered the mosque, with the people following. While they were there
around him, his camel took him to the top of the ka'ba. Once there he called out
as before: "Come forth to your deaths in three days, you people of perfidy!" His
camel next took him up to the top of Mt. Abii Quhays where he shouted the
same. Then he picked up a rock, flung it away and it came on down, bursting into
fragments when it reached the bottom of the mountain. And no one house or
building in Mecca escaped being pierced by one of its fragments.'
"AlL'Abbs told her, 'That was some vision! Keep quiet about it. Don't tell
anyone!'
"AlL'Ahbs then went off and met with al-Walid b. Wtba, who was a friend of
his, told him of it and asked him to keep it confidential. Thereafter al-Walid told
it to his son Wtba, and so soon the story was spread all about and all Quraysh
were discussing it.
"Al-cAhha~ said, 'I arose early to circumambulate the ka'ba and there was Abii
Jahl b. Hishnm sitting with a group of Quraysh leaders discussing 'Atika's