The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 3 of 4

IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA'IL IBN KATHIR 205
""'We then went back; the Messenger of God (SAAS) seated me on his camel
along with himself for the journey back to Medina."'"
Muslim related it thus from Qutayha. Al-Bukhzri related it from Aha 'Aqim
al-Sahli, from Yazid h. Abo Wbayda, from his freed-man Salama in similar
terms.
Iman Ahmad stated that Hzshim b. al-@sim related to hi, quoting 'Ikrima
b. 'Ammzr, quoting Iyys b. Salama b. al-Akwa', who reported that his father
had said to him, "At the time of the Hudaybiyya expedition, we came to Medina
with the Messenger of God (SAAS). Then I and Rab*, a slave of his, left,
without his prior knowledge. I went with a horse belonging to Talha b. Wbayd
All&; I wanted to graze it with the camels. But when it was dark 'Abd al-R&mxn
b. Wyayna raided the camels of the Messenger of God (SAAS). He killed their
herdsman and drove them away, he and the horsemen he had accompanying
him. I told Rahah to ride the horse back to Talha and to inform the Messenger
of God (SAAS) that his herd had been raided.
"I then climbed a hill, turned towards Medina and shouted three times, 'Yz
sabzhz!' I then pursued the enemy, bearing my sword and arrows. I began
shooting at them and wounding them; this was when there were plenty of trees
about. When one of the horsemen would come back at me, I'd sit at the base
of a tree and shoot. And every rider who came near I shot. As I shot at them,
I would call out, 'I'm Ibn al-Akwa'! Today the wicked will die!' When I would
attack one of their men on his mount, my arrows would fall on him until I
pierced him in the shoulder, then I'd cry out, 'Take that! I'm Ibn al-Akwa', and
today the wicked will die!'
"While I was in the trees, I plastered them with my arrows; when the mountain
trails were narrow, I would climb up the mountain side and hurl down rocks
on them. My engagement with them continued, with me following them and
calling out my battle cry, until God so arranged it that I retrieved and left behind
me all of the property of the Messenger of God (SAAS), having saved it from
their control. I went on shooting at them until I had got over 30 of their spears
and over 30 cloaks they were bearing. All of this they cast away I placed beneath
stones, gathering everything into position in the path the Messenger of God
(SAAS) would take. Later in the morning Wyayna b. Badr al-FazWi came to
reinforce them; at that point they were in a narrow defile. I climbed the mountain
so that I was above them. Wyayna asked them, 'What's this I see?' They replied,
'We've had too much trouble from this fellow. He's been with us from dawn till
now. He's seized everything we had and placed it all behind himself.' Wyayna
commented, 'Well, if this fellow saw that he was being hunted, he'd have left you
alone. Some of you should attack him.' A group of four of them did so, climbing
up the mountain.
"Having made them hear my call, I asked them, 'Well, do you know me?'
'Who are you?' they asked. 'I'm Ihn al-Akwa',' I told them. 'By Him who