She then saw the brooks of Mecca full of blood...

She then saw the brooks of Mecca full of blood, and awaking in fear, told the dream to her brother, Abbas, who related it to Atba bin Rabiah, on which the latter observed, “This dream indicates that a calamity is coming on the Quraish.” The story being circulated through Mecca, Abu Jahl exclaimed, “Atiqa lies; she has had no such dream; she is the second prophet of the children of Abdul Muttalib.” He then swore by Laat and Uzza, that if the dream was not verified in three days, a declaration should be signed that the Bani Hashim were the greatest liars among the Arabs.

The third day after Atiqa’s dream, Zamzam appeared in the valley of Mecca, in the woeful plight ordered by Abu Sufyan, on which the whole city was thrown into a tumult, and preparations were hastily made to fly to the rescue of the caravan. Suhail bin Amr, Safwan bin Umayyah, Abul Bakhtari bin Hisham, Manba bin Hajjaj, his brother, Baniya, Naufal bin Khuwailad proclaimed: It would be the greatest calamity that had ever befallen the tribe; Muhammad and his followers want to plunder you.

They want to make you helpless from operating any business henceforth. By Allah, there is none in Quraish who does not have a stake in that caravan. Then Safwan bin Umayyah advanced five hundred gold coins, which example was followed by Suhail, according to their ability or generosity, by all the Quraish, and preparations for a rapid march were soon made.

The army, mounted on strong, easy paced camels, set out with great speed, as Allah declares in Qur’an: And be not as those who went out their houses in an insolent manner, and to appear with ostentation unto men, and turned aside from the way of Allah; for Allah comprehended that which they do,” They said: “Whoever does not come with us, we will destroy his house.” Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, Naufal the son of Harith bin Abdul Muttalib, and Aqeel bin Abu Talib, were forced to go with them.

They took women to dance and sing, who drank wine on the way, beat tambours, sang and made merry. The Prophet was advancing with three hundred and thirteen men and on arriving within a stage or day’s march of Badr, he dispatched Bashir bin Abir Raba and Majdi bin Amrur to procure intelligence of the caravan. These men rode to the well of Badr, made their camels lie down, and drew water and drank. Their attention was now drawn to two women quarrelling about a dirham which one had loaned the other.