It is again narrated from Ibn Abbas that a notorious infidel and famous wrestler, named Rakana, of the Bani Hashim, as he was pasturing sheep one day in a valley of Zamm, met the Prophet alone, and said, “Were it not for the relationship between us, my first salutation would have been to kill you, the reviler of our gods. Can your God deliver you from me? Let us wrestle; if you throw me, I will give you ten sheep. Muhammad raised him up and dashed him to the ground.
“This was not your own feat, said Rakana, your God did it for you.” But not satisfied with this, he twice again staked ten sheep and was thrown. He said: “May the Laat and Uzza be destroyed, they have not helped me!” The Prophet however, refused the thirty sheep he had won, and invited him to become a Muslim and said, “I don’t want you to go to Hell. If you become a Muslim you will be safe from divine punishment.”
He said: “I will not convert until you show me a miracle.” The Prophet said: “I make Allah a witness on you that if you see a miracle you will accept Islam.” He was near a tree. The Prophet ordered that tree to come to him. The tree split and came to the Prophet. Rakana said: “This indeed is a great miracle. Now tell it to go back.” The Prophet ordered it to go back and it returned and joined with its other half.
The Prophet asked if he was willing to accept Islam? He replied: I don’t want the ladies of my tribe to ridicule me that I was cowed down by you to accept Islam. But you may take the sheep that you have won.” The Prophet said: “I don’t need your sheep if you don’t want to embrace Islam.”