The Last Attack upon the Muslims

when the messenger of allâh [pbuh] settled down in his head quarters in the hillock, the idolaters started their last attack upon the muslims. ibn ishaq related that: "while the prophet [pbuh] was on the way to the hillock, a group of quraishite elite ascended the mountain. they were led by khalid bin al-waleed and abu sufyan. so the messenger of allâh [pbuh] implored his lord saying: ‘o allâh, they (i.e. the idolaters) should not be higher (i.e. in position or in power) than us (i.e. the muslims). therefore ‘umar bin al-khattab and some of the emigrants fought the idolaters till they drove them down the mountain.[ibn hisham 2/86]

in al-maghazi — a book by al-umawi — it is stated that the idolaters went up the mountain. so the messenger of allâh [pbuh] said to sa‘d: "drive them off." "how can i drive them off by myself (i.e. without anyone to assist)." but the messenger of allâh [pbuh] repeated the phrase three times. sa‘d then took an arrow out of his quiver, shot it at one of them and killed him. he said: "then i took another one i know (to be good) and i shot with it another man. then i took a third i know and killed a third one. consequently they climbed down the mountain. i said to myself, ‘this must be a blessed arrow.’ i put it in my quiver." he kept it with him till he died. his children kept it with them ever after. [za'd al-ma'ad 2/95]