When the Prophet (ﷺ) alighted at Marr az-Zahran, al-Abbas said: I thought, I swear by Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) enters Mecca with the army by force before the Quraysh come to him and seek protection from him, it will be their total ruin. So I rode on the mule of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and thought, Perhaps I may find a man coming for his needs who will to the people of Mecca and inform them of the position of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that they may come to him and seek protection from him. While I was on my way, I heard AbuSufyan and Budayl ibn Warqa' speaking.

I said: O AbuHanzalah! He recognized my voice and said: AbulFadl? I replied: Yes. He said: who is with you, may my parents be a sacrifice for you? I said: Here are the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his people (with him).

He asked: Which is the way out? He said: He rode behind me, and his companion returned. When the morning came, I brought him to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he embraced Islam.

I said: Messenger of Allah, AbuSufyan is a man who likes this pride, do something for him. He said: Yes, he who enters the house of AbuSufyan is safe; he who closes the door upon him is safe; and he who enters the mosque is safe. The people scattered to their houses and in the mosque.