Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/148)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Ibn Isḥāq said: Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān related to me, from Saʿd ibn Mālik, who said:

“Before the Hijrah we would taste the meagerness and hardship of life and could hardly bear it. Yet once we migrated, hunger and severe deprivation descended upon us—but we became accustomed to them and grew strong enough to endure.

As for Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr, he had been the most pampered youth in Mecca, living in luxury with his parents among us. When the same trials befell him he could not withstand them. I saw his skin flaking off him like a snake shedding its skin. More than once I saw him collapse, unable to walk, so we would line up our bows for him and then carry him on our shoulders.

On one occasion I rose in the night to relieve myself and heard something beneath my urine move away. I felt with my hand and found a piece of camel hide. I took it, washed it thoroughly, roasted it over the fire, pounded it, then tore it into three strips and lived off it for three days. (1)

Ibn Isḥāq added: Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr fought in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until he was killed. He was slain by Ibn Qamīʾah al-Laythī, who thought he had struck down the Messenger of Allah. He returned to Quraysh saying, “I have killed Muḥammad.”

When Muṣʿab was killed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entrusted the standard to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib and to other men from among the Muslims. (2)

(1) All the transmitters in this chain are reliable, but Salih ibn Kaysan—the tutor of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz—never met Saad ibn Malik; consequently the isnad is broken (munqati). Ibn al-Athir cites the report in Usd al-Ghaba 5/182, and al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Al-Isaba 9/209, both through Ibn Ishaq → Salih ibn Kaysan → a member of Saad’s household → Saad. The phrase “fa-iqtawaitu biha thalathan” means “I fortified myself with it for three days”; the verb derives from qawiya (to be strong), with the forms taqawwa and iqtawa. The poet Ruʾba says: “Wa quwwata-llahi biha iqtawayna” (“and by the power of Allah we drew strength from it”). (2) See Ibn Hisham, 2/73; Ibn Saad, 3/1/85; and Al-Istiab, 10/251.

ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: حَدَّثَنِي صَالِحُ بنُ كَيْسَانَ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: كُنَّا قَبْلَ الهِجْرَةِ يُصِيْبُنَا ظَلفُ العَيْشِ وَشِدَّتُهُ، فَلاَ نَصْبِرُ عَلَيْهِ، فَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ هَاجَرْنَا، فَأَصَابَنَا الجُوْعُ وَالشِّدَّةُ، فَاسْتَضْلَعْنَا بِهِمَا، وَقَوِيْنَا عَلَيْهِمَا. فَأَمَّا مُصْعَبُ بنُ عُمَيْرٍ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ أَتْرَفَ غُلاَمٍ بِمَكَّةَ بَيْنَ أَبَوَيْهِ فِيْمَا بَيْنَنَا، فَلَمَّا أَصَابَهُ مَا أَصَابَنَا لَمْ يَقْوَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ وَإِنَّ جِلْدَهُ لَيَتَطَايَرُ عَنْهُ تَطَايُرَ جِلْدِ الحَيَّةِ، وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ يَنْقَطِعُ بِهِ، فَمَا يَسْتَطِيْعُ أَنْ يَمْشِي، فَنَعْرِضُ لَهُ القِسِيَّ ثُمَّ نَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا. وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي مَرَّةً، قُمْتُ أَبُوْلُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَسَمِعْتُ تَحْتَ بَوْلِي شَيْئاً يُجَافِيْهِ، فَلَمَسْتُ بِيَدِي، فَإِذَا قِطْعَةٌ مِنْ جِلْدِ بَعِيْرٍ، فَأَخَذْتُهَا، فَغَسَلْتُهَا حَتَّى أَنْعَمْتُهَا، ثُمَّ أَحْرَقْتُهَا بِالنَّارِ، ثُمَّ رَضَضْتُهَا، فَشَقَقْتُ مِنْهَا ثَلاَثَ شقَّاتٍ، فَاقْتَوَيْتُ بِهَا ثَلاَثاً (١) . قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: وَقَاتَلَ مُصْعَبُ بنُ عُمَيْرٍ دُوْنَ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ حَتَّى قُتِلَ. قَتَلَهُ ابْنُ قَمِئَةَ اللَّيْثِيُّ، وَهُوَ يَظُنُّهُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ، فَرَجَعَ إِلَى قُرَيْشٍ، فَقَالَ: قَتَلْتُ مُحَمَّداً. فَلَمَّا قُتِلَ مُصْعَبٌ، أَعْطَى رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ اللِّوَاءَ عَلِيَّ بنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَرِجَالاً مِنَ المُسْلِمِيْنَ (٢) .

(١) رجاله ثقات. إلا أن صالح بن كيسان، مؤدب عمر بن عبد العزيز، لم يدرك سعد بن مالك فهو منقطع. وذكره ابن الأثير في " أسد الغابة " ٥ / ١٨٢، والحافظ في " الإصابة " ٩ / ٢٠٩ من طريق ابن إسحاق، عن صالح بن كيسان، عن بعض آل سعد عن سعد. وقوله: فاقتويت بها ثلاثا: أي تقويت. يقال: قوي فهو قوي: وتقوى واقتوى. وقال رؤبة: وقوة الله بها اقتوينا. (٢) انظر ابن هشام ٢ / ٧٣، وابن سعد ٣ / ١ / ٨٥ و" الاستيعاب " ١٠ / ٢٥١.