the soothsayers, but it is not their speech. I have measured his words against the meters of poetry, and it does not fit the tongue of anyone after me that it is poetry. By Allāh! He is truthful, and they are liars. He said: I said: Protect me until I go and see. He said: I came to Mecca and approached one of their men, and I said: Where is this one you call the apostate? He pointed to me and said: The apostate?! Then the people of the valley attacked me with every stone and bone until I fell unconscious. He said: When I regained consciousness, I felt as if I were a red target. He said: I went to Zamzam, washed the blood from me, and drank from its water. I stayed, O son of my brother, for thirty days and nights, having no food except Zamzam water, and I became so fat that the folds of my belly broke apart, and I felt no hunger in my liver. He said: While the people of Mecca were in a bright moonlit night, a sleep overcame them, and no one circled the House, except two women among them calling upon Isāf and Nāʾilah. He said: They came upon me during their circumambulation, and I said: Let one of you marry the other. He said: They did not desist from their words. He said: They came upon me, and I said they are like wooden logs, but I do not speak in euphemisms. They went away wailing and saying: If only there were someone from our people here! He said: The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) and Abū Bakr met them as they were descending. He said: "What is wrong with you?" They said: The apostate is between the Kaʿbah and its curtains. He said: "What did he say to you?" They said: He said to us a word that fills the mouth. The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) came and touched the Black Stone, and he and his companion circled the House, then prayed. When he finished his prayer, Abū Dharr said: I was the first to greet him with the greeting of Islam. He said: I said: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allāh! He said: "And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allāh." Then he said: "Who are you?" He said: I said: From Ghifār. He reached out his hand and placed his fingers on his forehead. I thought to myself: Did he dislike that I belong to Ghifār?! I went to take his hand, but his companion stopped me—he knew him better than I did—then he raised his head and said: "How long have you been here?" He said: I said: I have been here for thirty days and nights. He said: "Who was feeding you?"