Mus'ab bin Abdullah al-Zubayri narrates from his father that al-Harith bin Hisham was among those who took part in the Battle of Badr with the polytheists, and was defeated and fled. Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) taunted him for this and composed verses about him: "If what you told me was a lie, / then you escaped as al-Harith bin Hisham escaped; / he abandoned his loved ones, though he should have fought for them, / and escaped with only his horse and its bridle." Then al-Harith bin Hisham composed these verses in apology for fleeing that day: "Allah knows well that I did not abandon fighting them (without reason), / until they struck my horse with a tawny, foaming horse; / then I knew that if I fought alone, / I would be killed, and my presence on the field would not harm my enemy at all; / so I turned back from them, while my loved ones were among them, / in the hope of (a chance of) revenge against them on another day." Then he took part in the Battle of Uhud with the polytheists, and remained firmly attached to polytheism until he accepted Islam on the day of the Conquest of Makkah.