In the 6th century, a prominent figure of the Arabian world was Duraid ibn al-Sima, equally renowned as a poet and as a desert warrior. Once, he led a military expedition into the mountains south of Mecca, towards the pastures of the Beni Kinana tribe. Upon reaching the top of a hill, Duraid and his men caught sight of Rabia, a lone warrior leading a camel on which a woman was riding.
Duraid shouted to the warrior that he wouldn’t harm him if he left the camel and the woman. The warrior did not hesitate for a moment to reject such a dishonorable offer. Instead, even though outnumbered, he turned his horse three times to face his pursuers in battle, each time returning to his role as the lady’s escort. When he returned for the third time, even though his spear was already broken, Rabia stood by the lady’s side and, without changing the dignified trot of his horse, recited these verses:
Ride in peace, my lady,
Be assured and calm,
Do not fear and stand indifferent,
Let nothing agitate you,
I shall not flee before the enemy,
He shall feel my The impact was strong,
The strength of my charge will be known
By those who want to harm you.
Duraid was so impressed by this knightly act that he rode up to him and shouted: “Oh, rider! A man like you does not deserve death. But my men crave vengeance. They are on my heels, and you are now unarmed. Take my lance, friend, and I will tell them not to follow you.”
Later, in another skirmish, Duraid himself was captured and taken to the camp of the Rabian tribe of Beni Kinana. He was saved from death by Rabian’s widow who threw her cloak over him and announced: “Oh, warriors! This man is under my protection. It is he who gave his lance to Rabian when he found himself unarmed among enemies.”
Excerpt from the book: Barnaby Rogerson. The Prophet Muhammad. Sources. 2003.