The conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb

At Marr al-Zahran on the eve of the conquest of Mecca, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib brought Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to the Muslim camp under safe-conduct; he beheld the size of the army and its ten thousand fires, and became Muslim the next morning after al-Abbas pressed him. The Prophet made his house a place of safety for the people of Mecca ¹.

Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalb went out on the Prophet's white mule looking for someone to carry word to Quraysh so they might seek safety before the army entered Mecca by force ². He overheard Abu Sufyan and Budayl ibn Warqa marvelling at the number of fires, which Abu Sufyan took for the fires of Banu Bakr — and Budayl corrected him ².

Al-Abbas mounted him behind him and rode with him to the Prophet; Umar ibn al-Khattab met him and moved to strike his neck, but al-Abbas gave him protection until he brought him into the command tent ³. In the morning the Prophet said to him: "alas for you, Abu Sufyan — has the time not come for you to know that there is no god but God?" He testified to God's oneness, then hesitated over the prophethood, until al-Abbas said: "alas for you — become Muslim and testify before your neck is struck." So he bore the true testimony and became Muslim ⁴.

Al-Abbas asked the Prophet to honour Abu Sufyan for his standing among his people, and the Prophet said: "whoever enters Abu Sufyan's house is safe; whoever closes his door upon himself is safe; whoever enters the mosque is safe" ⁵. Abu Sufyan was held in the narrow of the valley while the tribal battalions passed him under their banners, until the green battalion passed with the Prophet and his Companions in their armour; he was awed by what he saw and went off crying out the amnesty to Quraysh ⁶.