The Prophet ﷺ had scarcely departed when Abū Maʿbad returned, driving his flock. Entering the tent, he was startled to see milk.

“Where did this milk come from?” he asked his wife.

Her true name was ʿĀtika bint Khālid of the clan of Khuzaʿah, though people called her Umm Maʿbad. She hesitated, not knowing how to frame her reply. Finally she said:

“A man of striking presence passed this way—his face radiant, his bearing luminous. His figure was perfectly proportioned, neither gaunt nor heavy. His eyes were dark and deep, framed with long lashes; his voice clear; his neck graceful. His brows arched and almost met. A full beard shaded his face. Even in silence, dignity enveloped him; when he spoke, brilliance poured forth. His words fell like strings of pearls—measured, precise, and captivating. He was neither too tall nor too short, but balanced in form. Among his companions he was the most handsome, and they deferred to him. When he spoke, they listened attentively. When he commanded, they hastened to obey. They strove to honor him. No trace of age or weakness marred him. Altogether, he was a figure of magnetic majesty.”

Abū Maʿbad interrupted: “This must be the very man who has appeared among Quraysh! If only I had met him—I would have joined his company.”

The Prophet’s ﷺ camel moved on from the tent of Umm Maʿbad into the valley of Qudayd, a broad plain stretching nearly 150 kilometers toward the Red Sea. Its northern reach bordered the lava fields of al-Mushallal.

Meanwhile, Quraysh intensified their pursuit. They declared a rich reward: whoever killed the Prophet ﷺ or brought him back alive would receive one hundred camels. Enticed by the bounty, men scoured the land in every direction. A party even reached the tent of Umm Maʿbad.

“Has a man of such and such description passed this way?” they asked.

She replied cautiously: “I know nothing of that. Only a stranger came who milked a barren goat for us.”

“That is the one we seek,” Quraysh muttered.

And thus the Prophet’s ﷺ trail was hunted, his very life set at the price of a hundred camels—yet Allah’s protection enfolded him at every step.