God has already helped you on many fields of battle such as Badr and against Qurayza and al-Nadīr and remember on the day of Hunayn — a valley between Mecca and Tā’if; that is remember the day on which you fought Hawāzin — this was in Shawwāl in year 8 of the Hijra when idh substitutes for yawma ‘the day’ your vast numbers were pleasing to you such that you were saying ‘We shall not be defeated today not on account of our being few’ and they numbered 12000 while the disbelievers were 4000; but it availed you nothing and the earth for all its breadth bi-mā rahubat the mā refers to the verbal noun in other words understand it as being ma‘a rahbihā ‘despite its breadth’ it was straitened for you such that you could not find a place in which you felt secure because of the severe fear that afflicted you; then you turned back retreating fleeing the Prophet s however on his white mule remained firm with only al-‘Abbās by his side while Abū Sufyān was charging on his mount.
