Khadijah's necklace

Among the Makkans taken captive at Badr was Abu-l 'As ibn ar-Rabi', husband of Zaynab, the Prophet's ﷺ eldest daughter, who had not accepted Islam.

Ransom began to arrive from Makkah for the various captives. What Zaynab sent for her husband included, by report, a necklace that had belonged to her mother Khadijah — given to her by Khadijah at her own wedding, years before.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw it, he is reported to have been visibly moved, and to have asked the Muslims present whether they would consider releasing Abu-l 'As without payment and returning the ransom to Zaynab, as a kindness to her. They agreed.

The release carried a condition: that Zaynab would go to Madinah. Abu-l 'As accepted it, and Zaynab made the journey — reported as a difficult one — to join her father.

He himself did not accept Islam at that point. He and Zaynab remained apart, on opposite sides of the same conflict, for some years yet.