The long version: from morning to sundown

The Imam Ahmad said: Hashim ibn al-Qasim narrated to us: Ikrima ibn Ammar narrated to us: Iyas ibn Salama ibn al-Akwa’ related to me from his father: we arrived in Medina in the time of al-Hudaybiyya with the Messenger of Allah, and I went out, I and Rabah the lad of the Prophet, behind the Messenger of Allah, and I went out with a horse of Talha ibn Ubaydallah, intending to lead it with the camels. When it was at evening Abd ar-Rahman ibn Uyayna made a raid upon the camels of the Messenger of Allah, killed their herdsman, and went out driving them, he and men with him on horses. I said: O Rabah, mount this horse and join Talha and tell the Messenger of Allah that a raid has been made upon his herd. I stood upon a mound, turned my face toward Medina and called three times: O companions of the morning!

Then I followed the people with my sword and arrows, shooting and piercing them, and that when the trees grew thick; and whenever a horseman turned to me I sat for him at the root of a tree and shot, and no horseman advanced to me but I pierced him, saying: I am the son of al-Akwa’, and today is the day of the teat. When I was among the trees I burned them with arrows, and when the passes narrowed I climbed the mountain and repelled them with stones; that remained my task and theirs, pursuing and declaiming, until nothing that was behind the Messenger of Allah remained but I placed it behind my back and rescued it from their hands. I kept shooting them until they cast more than thirty lances and more than thirty cloaks they discarded, and nothing of that did they cast but I put a stone upon it,

piling it upon the road of the Messenger of Allah. When the forenoon lengthened Uyayna ibn Badr al-Fazari came to them in reinforcement while they were in a narrow pass, and I climbed the mountain so that I was above them. Uyayna said: what is this I see? They said: we met this spearman who has not left us since dawn until now, taking everything in our hands and putting it behind his back. Uyayna said: were it not that this one sees there is a pursuit behind him he would have left you; let a group of you rise against him. Four of them rose and climbed the mountain, and when I let them hear my voice I said: do you recognize me? They said: and who are you? I said: I am the son of al-Akwa’; by Him who honored the face of Muhammad, no man of you will seek me and catch me, nor seek I him and miss him. A man of them said:

I think it is he. I kept my seat until I saw the horsemen of the Messenger of Allah threading the trees, their first being al-Akhram al-Asadi, behind him Abu Qatada, the horseman of the Messenger of Allah, and behind Abu Qatada al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi. The idolaters turned in flight, and I descended the mountain and took the reins of his horse and said: O Akhram, warn the people, meaning beware of them, for I cannot be sure they will not cut you off; wait until the Messenger of Allah and his companions come. He said: O Salama, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day and know that Paradise is true and the Fire true, do not stand between me and martyrdom. So I slackened the reins of his horse, and he joined Abd ar-Rahman ibn Uyayna, and Abd ar-Rahman wheeled upon him; they exchanged two thrusts,

al-Akhram speared Abd ar-Rahman and Abd ar-Rahman struck him and killed him, and Abd ar-Rahman passed to the horse of al-Akhram. Abu Qatada joined Abd ar-Rahman; they exchanged two thrusts, he speared Abu Qatada, and Abu Qatada killed him, and Abu Qatada passed to the horse of al-Akhram. Then I went out racing after the people until I saw nothing of the dust of the companions of the Prophet, and they turned before sundown to a valley in which was water called Dhi Qarad, wanting to drink from it; they saw me at their heels, so they turned from it and sped through the pass of Dhi Bi’r, and the sun set. I caught a man and shot him, saying: ’Take this, I am the son of al-Akwa’, and today is the day of the teat,’ and he said: perdition to the mother of Akwa’’s son, this is morning! I said: yes,

O enemy of your own soul. The one I shot was Bukra, and I followed him with another arrow, two arrows sticking in him, and they left behind two horses; I brought them, driving them to the Messenger of Allah, who was at the water I had driven them from, Dhi Qarad, and the Prophet of Allah was with five hundred, and Bilal had slaughtered a beast of those I left and was roasting for the Messenger of Allah of its liver and hump. I came to the Messenger of Allah and said: O Messenger of Allah, let me choose a hundred of your companions and I shall fall upon the disbelievers at nightfall, and none of them will remain an informant but I kill him. He said: ’Would you have done that, O Salama?’ I said: yes, by Him who honored you. The Messenger of Allah laughed until I saw his molars in the light of the fire,

then said: ’they are just now grazing in the land of Ghatafan.’ A man of Ghatafan came and said: pass by so-and-so the Ghatafani, who will slaughter for them a beast; and as they began flaying its skin they saw a dust, left it and went out in rout. When morning came the Messenger of Allah said: ’The best of our horsemen today is Abu Qatada, and the best of our footmen Salama.’ The Messenger of Allah gave me the share of the horseman and the footman both, then rode me behind him upon the racing she-camel returning to Medina. When we were near a morning’s journey from it, among the people was an Ansari who was never outrun, and he kept calling: is there a rival? Will no man race me to Medina?

He repeated that many times while I was behind the Messenger of Allah riding behind him. I said to him: do you not honor a noble, nor fear an honorable one? He said: no, save the Messenger of Allah. I said: O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be your ransom, let me race the man.

He said: if you wish. I said: go, I am ahead of you. He leapt from his mount, I flexed my two legs and leapt from the she-camel, and I gave it a stride or two, meaning I gained a breath of my own, then I ran until I caught him and struck him between the shoulders with my hand, saying: I have outrun you by Allah, or words like that. He laughed and said: I think so.

Until we entered Medina. Thus Muslim reported it by routes, from Ikrima ibn Ammar, in like manner, having with him: ’I outrun him to Medina, and we stayed not but three days until we went out to Khaybar’; and Ahmad has this account.