It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the night of (the Battle of) al-Ahzab the people had dispersed from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (due to the severe cold and fear), and only twelve men remained with him (peace and blessings be upon him). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me while I was sitting with my head between my knees because of the intensity of the cold. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O son of al-Yaman! Get up and go to the camp of the Confederates (the army of the disbelievers), and see what state they are in." I said: O Messenger of Allah! By the One who sent you with the truth, I have stood up (to carry out your command) only out of shyness before you; otherwise the cold is very severe. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go out; this morning cold will not harm you. O son of al-Yaman! Go, and until you return to me, you will feel neither heat nor will the cold affect you." Sayyiduna Hudhayfah says: So I reached their camp and saw that Abu Sufyan was kindling a fire with a group around him, and the rest of the army had dispersed from there. He says: I went and sat among them, and Abu Sufyan sensed that a stranger had entered among them. He said: Let each one of you take hold of the hand of the companion sitting beside him (to identify him). Sayyiduna Hudhayfah says: (Acting cleverly) I immediately struck my hand on the hand of the man to my right and took hold of his hand, then I struck my hand on the man to my left and held his hand (so that they could not question me). I stayed among them for a little while, then got up from there and came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) was standing in prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled to me with his hand to come near. I came near, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled again that I should come nearer, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) put over me the sheet that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had wrapped around himself during the prayer. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, he said: "O son of al-Yaman! Sit down; what news have you brought?" I said: O Messenger of Allah! The people have dispersed from Abu Sufyan, and only a small group remains, warming themselves at a fire. Allah Almighty has sent upon them the same cold as was upon us, but the difference is that we hope from Allah what they do not hope (help and reward). This hadith has an authentic (sahih) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.