In Dhu al-Qa'dah of 6 AH, the Prophet ﷺ set out from Madinah with about 1,400 companions toward Makkah, intending to perform Umrah. On the way, he heard that a group of riders had been seen near Ghayqah. Thinking they might be from the Quraysh, he sent a small party to find out, but it proved to be a false alarm.
When the Muslims reached Asfan, about midway between Madinah and Makkah, a scout returned with news. He was Busr ibn Sufyan al-Khuza'i, whom the Prophet ﷺ had sent ahead to Makkah posing as an ordinary pilgrim. He reported that the Quraysh had armed themselves and put on their leopard skins, a sign of war. They had even brought their women with them, as they had at Uhud. They had also sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to camp at Ghumaym, a plain outside Makkah, to block the Muslims' path.
The Prophet ﷺ halted the caravan, camped in a shaded spot and addressed the companions. He first gave his own view, that they should attack the surrounding tribes who had sent men to join the Quraysh. Then he asked what they thought. Abu Bakr RA said that they had left home intending only to visit the House of Allah, not to fight. He advised that they continue toward Makkah, and fight only if they were attacked. The Prophet ﷺ liked this advice and accepted it, and the caravan moved on.