The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his companions arrived in Mecca having been weakened by the fever of Yathrib. The polytheists said, "Tomorrow there will come to you a people whom the fever has weakened and from which they have suffered greatly." So they sat down on the side facing the Hijr.The Prophet ﷺ ordered them to walk briskly for three rounds and to walk normally between the two corners, so that the polytheists could see their strength. The polytheists then said, "Are these the ones you claimed had been weakened by the fever? These men are stronger than such and such!"Ibn Abbas said, "Nothing prevented him from ordering them to walk briskly for all the rounds except his concern to spare them."
قدم رسول الله ﷺ وأصحابه مكة وقد وهنتهم حمى يثرب. قال المشركون: إنه يقدم عليكم غدا قوم قد وهنتهم الحمى، ولقوا منها شدة، فجلسوا مما يلي الحجر وأمرهم النبي ﷺ أن يرملوا ثلاثة أشواط ويمشوا ما بين الركنين ليرى المشركون جلدهم. فقال المشركون: هؤلاء الذين زعمتم أن الحمى قد وهتتهم؟ هؤلاء أجلد من كذا وكذا! قال ابن عباس: ولم يمنعه أن يأمرهم أن يرملوا الأشواط كلها إلا الإبقاء عليهم.
Bukhari reported it in Hajj (1602), and Muslim in Hajj (1266), both by way of Hammad bin Zayd, from Ayub, from Saeed bin Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, who narrated it, and the wording given is that of Muslim.His statement, "and walk between the two corners," means in the place where the eyes of the polytheists could not fall upon them, for they were not present in that direction.