When Abdul-Muttalib encountered the opposition of Quraysh when he was digging Zamzam, he vowed that if he should have ten sons to grow up and protect him, he would sacrifice one of them to Allah at the Kaba. Afterwards when he had ten sons who could protect him he gathered them together and told them about his vow and called on them to keep faith with Allah. They agreed to obey him and asked what they were to do. He said that each one of them must get an arrow, write his name on it, and bring it to him: this they did, and he took them before Hubal in the middle of the Kaba. (The statue of) Hubal stood by a well there. It was that well in which gifts made to the Ka'ba were stored.

Now beside Hubal there were seven arrows, each of them containing some words. One was marked ‘blood-money’. When they disputed about who should pay the bloodwit they cast lots with the seven arrows and he on whom the lot fell had to pay the money. Another was marked ‘yes’, and another ‘no’, and they acted accordingly on the matter on which the lot had been summoned. Another was marked 'of you' another 'mulsaq' (not a tribe member) another ‘not of you’; and the last was marked ‘water’.

If they wanted to dig for water, they cast lots containing this arrow and wherever it came forth they set to work. If they wanted to circumcise a boy, or make a marriage, or bury a body, or doubted someone’s genealogy, they took him to Hubal with a hundred dirhams and a slaughter camel and gave them to the man who cast the lots; then they brought near the man with whom they were concerned saying, ‘O our Allah this is A the son of B with Whom we intend to do so and so; so show the right course concerning him.’ Then they would say to the man who cast the arrows ‘Cast!’ and if there came out ‘of you’ then he was a true member of their tribe; and if there came out ‘not of you’ he was an ally; and if there came out 'mulsaq' he had no blood relation to them and was not an ally. Where ‘yes’ came out in other matters, they acted accordingly; and if the answer was ‘no’ they deferred the matter for a year until they could bring it up again. They used to conduct their affairs according to the decision of the arrows.

Abdul-Muttalib said to the man with the arrows, ‘Cast the lots for my sons with these arrows’, and he told him of the vow which he had made. Each man gave him the arrow on which his name was written. Now Abdullah was his father’s youngest son, and he was his favourite son, and his father thought that if the arrow missed him he would be spared. (He was the father of the prophet of Allah (sas).) When the man took the arrows to cast lots with them, Abdul-Muttalib stood by Hubal praying to Allah. Then the man cast lots and Abdullah’s arrow came out. His father led him by the hand and took a large knife; then he brought him up to Isaf and Na’ila ( two idols of Quraysh at which they slaughtered their sacrifices) to sacrifice him; but Quraysh came out of their assemblies and asked what he was intending to do. When he said that he was going to sacrifice him, they and his sons said ‘By Allah! you shall never sacrifice him unless there is an established excuse. If you do a thing like this there will be no stopping men from coming to sacrifice their sons, and what will become of the people then?’ Then said al-Mughira b. Abdullah b. 'Amr b. Makhzum, Abdullah’s mother being from his tribe, ‘By Allah, you shall never sacrifice him unless there is an established excuse. Though his ransom be all our property we will redeem him.’ Quraysh and his sons said that he must not do it, but take him to the Hijaz for there there was a she-deviner who had a familiar spirit, and he must consult her. Then he would have liberty of action. If she told him to sacrifice him, he would be no worse off; and if she gave him a favourable response, he could accept it.

So they went off as far as Medina and found that she was in Khaybar. So they rode on until they got to her, and when Abdul-Muttalib acquainted her with the facts she told them to go away until her familiar spirit visited her and she could ask him. When they had left her Abdul-Muttalib prayed to Allah, and when they visited her the next day she said, ‘Word has come to me. How much is the blood money among you ?’ They told her that it was ten camels, as indeed it was. She told them to go back to their country and take the young man and ten camels. Then cast lots for them and for him; if the lot falls against your man, add more camels, until your lord is satisfied. If the lot falls against the camels then sacrifice them in his stead, for your lord will be satisfied and your man escape death.

So they returned to Mecca, and when they had agreed to carry out their instructions, Abdul-Muttalib was praying to Allah. Then they brought near Abdullah and ten camels while Abdul-Muttalib stood by Hubal praying to Allah. Then they cast lots and the arrow fell against Abdullah. They added ten more camels and the lot fell against Abdullah, and so they went on adding ten at a time, until there 100 were one hundred camels, when finally the lot fell against them. Quraysh and those who were present said, ‘At last your lord is satisfied Abdul-Muttalib.’ ‘No, by Allah,’ he answered (so they say), ‘not until I cast lots three times.’ This they did and each time the arrow fell against the camels. They were duly slaughtered and left there and no man was kept back or prevented from eating them.