with me on this mule until I bring you to the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) to seek safety for you.' He said: 'So he rode behind me, and his two companions returned. I urged the mule forward, and whenever I passed by a fire of the Muslims, they would say: 'Who is this?' When they saw the mule of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), they would say: 'The uncle of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) on his mule,' until I passed by the fire of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu), and he said: 'Who is this?' He came towards me, and when he saw Abū Sufyān on the back of the camel, he said: 'Abū Sufyān, the enemy of Allāh! All praise is due to Allāh who has enabled us to capture you without a treaty or a covenant.' Then he rushed towards the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and I urged the mule on, outpacing him as a slow animal outpaces a slow man. I dismounted from the mule and entered upon the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and ʿUmar entered, saying: 'O Messenger of Allāh! This is Abū Sufyān, and Allāh has enabled us to capture him without a treaty or a covenant, so let me strike his neck.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allāh! I have granted him protection.' Then I sat with the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), took hold of his head, and said: 'By Allāh, no one shall speak to him tonight except me.' When ʿUmar persisted in his matter, I said: 'Hold on, O ʿUmar! By Allāh, if he were a man from the tribe of ʿAdī ibn Kaʿb, you would not have said this, but you know he is a man from the tribe of ʿAbd Manāf!' He said: 'Hold on, O ʿAbbās! By Allāh, your acceptance of Islam on the day you accepted it was more beloved to me than the acceptance of Islam by al-Khaṭṭāb if he had accepted it, and it is only because I knew that your acceptance of Islam was more beloved to the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) than the acceptance of Islam by al-Khaṭṭāb [if he had accepted it].' Then the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said:
معي هذه البغلة حتى آتي بك رسول الله ﷺ أستأمنه لك. قال: فركب خلفي، ورجع صاحباه، فحركت به، كلما مررت بنار من نيران المسلمين قالوا: من هذا؟ فإذا رأوا بغلة رسول الله ﷺ قالوا: عم رسول الله ﷺ على بغلته، حتى مررت بنار عمر بن الخطاب ﵁، فقال: من هذا؟ وقام إليِّ، فلما رأى أبا سفيان على عجز الناقة قال؛. أبو سفيان عدو الله! الحمد لله الذي أمكن منك بغير عقد ولا عهد، ثم خرج يشتد نحو رسول الله ﷺ، وركضت البغلة، فسبقته بما تسبق الدابة البطيئة الرجل البطيء، فاقتحمت عن البغلة، فدخلت على رسول الله ﷺ، ودخل عمر، فقال: يا رسول الله! هذا أبو سفيان، قد أمكن الله منه بغير عقد ولا عهد، فدعني فلأضرب عنقه. قال: قلت: يا رسول الله! إني [قد] أجرته، ثم جلست إلى رسول الله ﷺ، فأخذت برأسه فقلت: لا والله؛ لا يناجيه الليلة رجل دوني، فلما أكثر عمر في شأنه، قلت: مهلاً يا عمر! والله لو كان من رجال بني عديِّ بن كعب ما قلت هذا، ولكنك عرفت أنه رجل من رجال بني عبد مناف! فقال: مهلاً يا عباس! فو الله لإسلامك يوم أسلمت كان أحب إليّ من إسلام الخطاب لو أسلم، وما بي إلا أني قد عرفت أن إسلامك كان أحب إلى رسول الله ﷺ من إسلام الخطاب [لو أسلم] ، فقال رسول الله ﷺ: