Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ وَأَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَالِكٍ الْمُدْلِجِيُّ وَهُوَ ابْنُ أَخِي سُرَاقَةَ بْنِ مَالِكِ بْنِ جُعْشُمٍ أَنَّ أَبَاهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ سُرَاقَةَ يَقُولُ جَاءَنَا رُسُلُ كُفَّارِ قُرَيْشٍ يَجْعَلُونَ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفِي أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ دِيَةَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا لِمَنْ قَتَلَهُمَا أَوْ أَسَرَهُمَا فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ فِي مَجْلِسٍ مِنْ مَجَالِسِ قَوْمِي بَنِي مُدْلِجٍ أَقْبَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ حَتَّى قَامَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ يَا سُرَاقَةُ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ آنِفًا أَسْوَدَةً بِالسَّاحِلِ إِنِّي أُرَاهَا مُحَمَّدًا وَأَصْحَابَهُ قَالَ سُرَاقَةُ فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُمْ هُمْ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّهُمْ لَيْسُوا بِهِمْ وَلَكِنْ رَأَيْتَ فُلَانًا وَفُلَانًا انْطَلَقَ آنِفًا قَالَ ثُمَّ لَبِثْتُ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ سَاعَةً حَتَّى قُمْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ بَيْتِي فَأَمَرْتُ جَارِيَتِي أَنْ تُخْرِجَ لِي فَرَسِي وَهِيَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ أَكَمَةٍ فَتَحْبِسَهَا عَلَيَّ وَأَخَذْتُ رُمْحِي فَخَرَجْتُ بِهِ مِنْ ظَهْرِ الْبَيْتِ فَخَطَطْتُ بِرُمْحِي الْأَرْضَ وَخَفَضْتُ عَالِيَةَ الرُّمْحِ حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ فَرَسِي فَرَكِبْتُهَا فَرَفَعْتُهَا تَقَرَّبُ بِي حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ أَسْوَدَتَهُمَا فَلَمَّا دَنَوْتُ مِنْهُمْ حَيْثُ يُسْمِعُهُمْ الصَّوْتُ عَثَرَتْ بِي فَرَسِي فَخَرَرْتُ عَنْهَا فَقُمْتُ فَأَهْوَيْتُ بِيَدَيَّ إِلَى كِنَانَتِي فَاسْتَخْرَجْتُ مِنْهَا الْأَزْلَامَ فَاسْتَقْسَمْتُ بِهَا أَضُرُّهُمْ أَمْ لَا فَخَرَجَ الَّذِي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ لَا أَضُرَّهُمْ فَرَكِبْتُ فَرَسِي وَعَصَيْتُ الْأَزْلَامَ فَرَفَعْتُهَا تَقَرَّبُ بِي حَتَّى إِذَا دَنَوْتُ مِنْهُمْ عَثَرَتْ بِي فَرَسِي فَخَرَرْتُ عَنْهَا فَقُمْتُ فَأَهْوَيْتُ بِيَدَيَّ إِلَى كِنَانَتِي فَأَخْرَجْتُ الْأَزْلَامَ فَاسْتَقْسَمْتُ بِهَا فَخَرَجَ الَّذِي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ لَا أَضُرَّهُمْ فَعَصَيْتُ الْأَزْلَامَ وَرَكِبْتُ فَرَسِي فَرَفَعْتُهَا تَقَرَّبُ بِي حَتَّى إِذَا سَمِعْتُ قِرَاءَةَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ لَا يَلْتَفِتُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يُكْثِرُ الِالْتِفَاتَ سَاخَتْ يَدَا فَرَسِي فِي الْأَرْضِ حَتَّى بَلَغَتْ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ فَخَرَرْتُ عَنْهَا فَزَجَرْتُهَا وَنَهَضْتُ فَلَمْ تَكَدْ تُخْرِجُ يَدَيْهَا فَلَمَّا اسْتَوَتْ قَائِمَةً إِذْ لَا أَثَرَ بِهَا عُثَانٌ سَاطِعٌ فِي السَّمَاءِ مِثْلُ الدُّخَانِ قَالَ مَعْمَرٌ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَلَاءِ مَا الْعُثَانُ فَسَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ هُوَ الدُّخَانُ مِنْ غَيْرِ نَارٍ قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ فِي حَدِيثِهِ فَاسْتَقْسَمْتُ بِالْأَزْلَامِ فَخَرَجَ الَّذِي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ لَا أَضُرَّهُمْ فَنَادَيْتُهُمَا بِالْأَمَانِ فَوَقَفُوا فَرَكِبْتُ فَرَسِي حَتَّى جِئْتُهُمْ فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي حِينَ لَقِيتُ مَا لَقِيتُ مِنْ الْحَبْسِ عَنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ سَيَظْهَرُ أَمْرُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّ قَوْمَكَ قَدْ جَعَلُوا فِيكَ الدِّيَةَ وَأَخْبَرْتُهُمْ مِنْ أَخْبَارِ سَفَرِهِمْ وَمَا يُرِيدُ النَّاسُ بِهِمْ وَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ الزَّادَ وَالْمَتَاعَ فَلَمْ يَرْزَآنِي شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَسْأَلَانِي إِلَّا أَنْ أَخْفِ عَنَّا فَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ لِي كِتَابَ مُوَادَعَةٍ آمَنُ بِهِ فَأَمَرَ عَامِرَ بْنَ فُهَيْرَةَ فَكَتَبَ لِي فِي رُقْعَةٍ مِنْ أَدِيمٍ ثُمَّ مَضَى.
English Translation
Abd al-Razzaq told us, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri — al-Zuhri said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Malik al-Mudliji, who is the nephew of Suraqa ibn Malik ibn Ju'shum, informed me that his father informed him that he heard Suraqa say: The messengers of the disbelievers of Quraysh came to us, offering, for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and for Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, a blood-money reward for each of them to whoever killed them or captured them. While I was sitting in one of the gatherings of my people, Banu Mudlij, a man from among them came forward until he stood before us and said: "O Suraqa, I have just now seen some dark figures on the coast; I think they are Muhammad and his companions." Suraqa said: I knew that it was indeed them, but I said: "They are not them; rather, you saw so-and-so and so-and-so, who set off just now." He said: Then I remained in the gathering for a while until I got up and entered my house. I ordered my slave-girl to bring out my horse for me — it was behind a hillock — and to hold it for me. I took my spear and went out with it from the back of the house. I trailed my spear along the ground and lowered its upper end until I reached my horse. I mounted it and urged it on, drawing near, until I saw the two dark figures. When I drew close to them, to where the sound could be heard by them, my horse stumbled with me and I fell off it. I got up and reached with my hands into my quiver and drew out the divining arrows, and I sought an omen with them as to whether I should harm them or not. What came out was what I disliked — that I should not harm them. So I mounted my horse and disobeyed the arrows, and urged it on, drawing near, until, when I drew close to them, my horse stumbled with me again and I fell off it. I got up and reached with my hands into my quiver and took out the arrows and sought an omen with them, and what came out was what I disliked — that I should not harm them. So I disobeyed the arrows and mounted my horse and urged it on, drawing near, until, when I heard the recitation of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — he not turning around at all, while Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, turned around frequently — the forelegs of my horse sank into the ground up to the knees, and I fell off it. I rebuked it and stood up, and it could barely pull its legs out. When it stood upright, there rose from where it had sunk a cloud of dust billowing into the sky like smoke. Ma'mar said: I asked Abu Amr ibn al-Ala what "uthan" meant. He was silent for a while, then said: "It is smoke without fire." Al-Zuhri said in his account: So I sought an omen with the arrows, and what came out was what I disliked — that I should not harm them. So I called out to them offering safety, and they stopped. I mounted my horse and came to them. It occurred to me, when I experienced what I experienced of being held back from them, that the affair of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would prevail. So I said to him: "Your people have set a blood-money reward for you," and I told them the news of their journey and what people intended for them, and I offered them provisions and goods, but they did not take anything from me, nor did they ask me for anything except that I keep their matter secret. Then I asked him to write me a document of safe-conduct that I could rely on. So he ordered Amir ibn Fuhayra, who wrote it for me on a piece of leather. Then he went on his way.