It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: In the year of the conquest of Makkah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions set out until he camped at Marr al-Zahran with ten thousand Muslims. The tribe of Banu Sulaym numbered seven hundred and Banu Muzaynah one thousand, and in every tribe there was a considerable number and the spirit of Islam. All the Muhajirun and Ansar had gathered with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and not one of them had stayed behind. The news had been kept hidden from Quraysh, so no news of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was reaching them, nor did they know what he (peace and blessings be upon him) was going to do. Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah bin al-Mughirah met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Thaniyyat al-Uqab, between Makkah and Madinah, and sought permission to come into his presence. Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) spoke to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! These are your paternal cousin, your cousin through your paternal aunt, and your brother-in-law." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have no need of them. As for my paternal cousin Abu Sufyan, he has violated my honour; and as for my cousin through my paternal aunt and my brother-in-law Abdullah, he is the one who said to me in Makkah the insolent things that he said." When this news reached the two of them, and Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith had his son with him, Abu Sufyan said: "By Allah! Either the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will give me permission, or I will take this son of mine by the hand and go off into the land until we die of thirst or hunger." When this reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), his heart softened towards them and he gave them permission to come in. Then Abu Sufyan recited these verses concerning his acceptance of Islam and his apology for what had happened in the past: "By your life! On the day I carried the banner of the disbelievers so that the horsemen of al-Lat might overcome the horsemen of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), I was like a bewildered traveller wandering lost in a dark night; but now the time of truth has come for me to be shown the way and to be guided. Tell the tribe of Thaqif that I do not wish to fight you, and tell them that this intention of mine is clear to you. I was guided to Allah by the guide whom I had chased away from every place. I used to strive hard to flee far from Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and I was called (by his name) even though I did not ascribe myself to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They are a group who, whoever does not speak according to their wishes is blamed and called foolish, even if he is a man of sound opinion. I want to please them, and I am not one to cling to the people unless I am guided in every gathering; and I was not with those who attacked Amir, nor have my tongue and my hand grown weary of any good. The tribes that have come from distant lands, and the troops that have come from Siham and Surdad, and indeed the one whom you drove out and reviled will strive for you with the striving of one who is not sluggish or idle." The narrator says: When he recited before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) the line "I was guided to Allah by the guide whom I had chased away from every place", the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) struck him on the chest and said: "Yes! It was you who chased me away from every place." Ibn Ishaq says: The blessed mother of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away at al-Abwa' while she was going to visit her maternal relatives among Banu al-Najjar. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it. Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith was also the foster brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), since Halimah al-Sa'diyyah nursed them both, and he was also his paternal cousin. Then he treated the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in an improper manner and satirised him several times, until Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) answered him in his famous ode in which he says: "You satirised Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and I answered on his behalf, and the reward for that is with Allah." This hadith and the ode are lengthy and are narrated in the Sahih of Imam Muslim. Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission to satirise Abu Sufyan, but he would not give him permission.