Quraysh's letter to Abdullah ibn Ubayy after the Hijra

Quraysh wrote to Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul and to the polytheists among his companions in Medina: you have sheltered our companion, and by God you will fight him or expel him, or we will march against you with all of us until we kill your fighting men and take your women. ¹

As soon as the letter reached him, Abd Allah ibn Ubayy stood up to comply with Quraysh's orders; he resented the Prophet, because he saw that he had taken his kingdom from him. He gathered with the idol-worshippers to fight the Prophet. The Prophet came to them and said: the threat of Quraysh has reached you to the utmost; do you want to fight your sons and brothers? They dispersed when they heard that. Ibn Ubayy refrained from fighting, but the book holds that he was in league with Quraysh and was looking for a chance to bring evil between the Muslims and the polytheists. ^{1 2}

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh went to Mecca on a lesser pilgrimage and stayed with Umayya ibn Khalaf. Abu Jahl said to him: you circle Mecca in safety, when you have sheltered the apostates? Sa'd replied: by God, if you prevent me from this, I will prevent you from something more grievous to you: your road passes by the people of Medina. ²

Quraysh sent to the Muslims: let it not deceive you that you escaped us to Yathrib; we will come to you and destroy you in your own homeland. ^{2 3} The Prophet kept watch at night. Muslim relates from Aisha that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas came to guard him that night, and the Prophet prayed for him and slept. ^{2 4}

• The book gives the message from Quraysh in the wording of the letter; the details are related in Abu Dawud from Ibn Ka'b.