Suraqa reported,

Messengers from the disbelievers of Quraysh came to us, offering as a reward the blood-money of each man, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr , to whoever killed or captured them.While I was sitting in one of the gatherings of my people, Banu Mudlij, a man from them came forward and stood over us and said, "Suraqa, I just saw some dark figures along the coast. I think they are Muhammad and his companions."Suraqa said, "I knew they were indeed them, but I said, 'They are not them. Rather, you saw so-and-so and so-and-so who set off just now.'"He continued, "I then stayed in the gathering for a while before I got up and went into my house. I ordered my slave-girl to bring out my horse for me, keeping it behind a hill where she would hold it ready for me. I took my spear and went out from the back of the house. I dragged my spear along the ground, lowering its tip, until I reached my horse. I mounted it and drove it on at a quick pace until I saw their dark figures.When I drew near them, close enough that they could hear a voice, my horse stumbled and I fell off. I got up and reached with my hand into my quiver and drew out the divining arrows. I cast lots with them to see whether I would harm them or not, and the one I disliked came out, that I would not harm them. So I mounted my horse, disobeying the arrows, and drove it on at a quick pace.When I drew near them, my horse stumbled and threw me off again. I got up and reached for my quiver and drew out the arrows and cast lots, and again the one I disliked came out, that I would not harm them. So I disobeyed the arrows and mounted my horse and drove it on at a quick pace.When I could hear the Prophet's ﷺ recitation, and he was not turning around, while Abu Bakr kept turning around frequently, my horse's forelegs sank into the ground up to its knees, and I fell off. I scolded it and made it rise, but it could barely free its forelegs. When it stood upright, suddenly a column of dust like smoke rose into the sky from where its hooves had been."Muamar said, "I asked Abu Amr bin Ala, 'What is uthan?' He was silent for a moment, then said, 'It is smoke without fire.'"Zuhri said in his report, "I cast lots with the divining arrows and the one I disliked came out, that I would not harm them. So I called out to them with a promise of safety, and they stopped. I mounted my horse and rode up to them. When I had experienced what I had experienced of being held back from them, it occurred to me that the cause of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would surely prevail.I said to him, 'Your people have set a blood-money reward for you,' and I told them about what people were planning for them on their journey. I offered them provisions and goods, but they took nothing from me and asked nothing of me except that I keep our encounter quiet.I then asked him to write me a guarantee of safe-conduct that I could rely upon, so he ordered Amir bin Fuhayra, who wrote it for me on a piece of leather. Then he went on his way."

حدثنا عبد الرزاق عن معمر عن الزهري قال الزهري وأخبرني عبد الرحمن بن مالك المدلجي وهو ابن أخي سراقة بن مالك بن جعشم أن أباه أخبره أنه سمع

سراقة يقول

جاءنا رسل كفار قريش يجعلون في رسول الله ﷺ وفي أبي بكر رضي الله عنه دية كل واحد منهما لمن قتلهما أو أسرهما فبينا أنا جالس في مجلس من مجالس قومي بني مدلج أقبل رجل منهم حتى قام علينا فقال يا سراقة إني رأيت آنفا أسودة بالساحل إني أراها محمدا وأصحابه قال سراقة فعرفت أنهم هم فقلت إنهم ليسوا بهم ولكن رأيت فلانا وفلانا انطلق آنفا قال ثم لبثت في المجلس ساعة حتى قمت فدخلت بيتي فأمرت جاريتي أن تخرج لي فرسي وهي من وراء أكمة فتحبسها علي وأخذت رمحي فخرجت به من ظهر البيت فخططت برمحي الأرض وخفضت عالية الرمح حتى أتيت فرسي فركبتها فرفعتها تقرب بي حتى رأيت أسودتهما فلما دنوت منهم حيث يسمعهم الصوت عثرت بي فرسي فخررت عنها فقمت فأهويت بيدي إلى كنانتي فاستخرجت منها الأزلام فاستقسمت بها أضرهم أم لا فخرج الذي أكره أن لا أضرهم فركبت فرسي وعصيت الأزلام فرفعتها تقرب بي حتى إذا دنوت منهم عثرت بي فرسي فخررت عنها فقمت فأهويت بيدي إلى كنانتي فأخرجت الأزلام فاستقسمت بها فخرج الذي أكره أن لا أضرهم فعصيت الأزلام وركبت فرسي فرفعتها تقرب بي حتى إذا سمعت قراءة النبي ﷺ وهو لا يلتفت وأبو بكر رضي الله عنه يكثر الالتفات ساخت يدا فرسي في الأرض حتى بلغت الركبتين فخررت عنها فزجرتها ونهضت فلم تكد تخرج يديها فلما استوت قائمة إذ لا أثر بها عثان ساطع في السماء مثل الدخان قال معمر قلت لأبي عمرو بن العلاء ما العثان فسكت ساعة ثم قال هو الدخان من غير نار قال الزهري في حديثه فاستقسمت بالأزلام فخرج الذي أكره أن لا أضرهم فناديتهما بالأمان فوقفوا فركبت فرسي حتى جئتهم فوقع في نفسي حين لقيت ما لقيت من الحبس عنهم أنه سيظهر أمر رسول الله ﷺ فقلت له إن قومك قد جعلوا فيك الدية وأخبرتهم من أخبار سفرهم وما يريد الناس بهم وعرضت عليهم الزاد والمتاع فلم يرزآني شيئا ولم يسألاني إلا أن أخف عنا فسألته أن يكتب لي كتاب موادعة آمن به فأمر عامر بن فهيرة فكتب لي في رقعة من أديم ثم مضى