Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Jahal ibn Hisham, and al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq each went out alone, on three separate nights, to secretly listen outside the Prophet ﷺ's house as he prayed and recited the Qur'an at night; each unaware the others were doing the same. Each morning they would meet on the road and privately reproach one another for it, until on the third morning they agreed among themselves never to return. The next morning, al-Akhnas went first to Abu Sufyan and then to Abu Jahal to ask, in confidence, what each made of what they had heard.
Other events recorded around the same time. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
Tell me, O Abu Hanzala, what do you think of what you have heard from Muhammad ﷺ?
Said the morning after the third night of secretly listening to the Prophet ﷺ recite, once the three had agreed among themselves never to return.
O Abu al-Hakam, what do you think of what you have heard from Muhammad ﷺ?
Said after leaving Abu Sufyan's house and going on to Abu Jahal's, the same morning.
What did you hear?
We and Banu Abd Manaf competed for honor and position: they fed people, so we fed people; they engaged in battle, so we engaged in battle; they gave, so we gave; until we were neck and neck like race horses. Then they said, "We have a prophet among us who receives revelation from heaven"? How could we compete with that! By Allah, we will never believe in him.