Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/209)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

—that you would place Zayd in command over me.”

He replied, “Proceed, for you do not know which of those alternatives is better.”

The army set out and remained away for as long as Allah willed.

Later the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ascended the pulpit and ordered that a caller announce, “The prayer is to be gathered.” He ﷺ said, “Shall I not inform you about your army? They met the enemy, and Zayd fell as a martyr, so seek forgiveness for him. Then Jaʿfar took the banner and pressed against the enemy until he was killed; after that Ibn Rawāḥah seized it, stood his ground until he too was martyred; then Khālid took the banner.”

He had not been one of the appointed commanders; he appointed himself.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his two fingers and said, “O Allah (1), he is a sword from among Your swords, so grant him victory.”

From that day he was called “the Sword of Allah.”

He then said, “March out and reinforce your brothers; let no one stay behind.”

So the people set out despite the intense heat (2).

Ibn Isḥāq said: Yaḥyā b. ʿAbbād narrated to us from his father, who said: My foster-father, who belonged to Banū Murrah b. ʿAwf, told me, “It is as though I can still see Jaʿfar on the day of Muʾtah: he dismounted from a sorrel horse of his, hamstrung it, and then fought (3) until he was killed (4).”

Ibn Isḥāq said: He was the first person in Islam to hamstring his mount in battle, and he said:

(1) The printed edition omits the word “Allahumma” (O Allah). (2) The isnad is sound; Ahmad also records it, 5/299, 300–301. (3) The printed text is missing the phrase “thumma qatal” (then he fought). (4) All the transmitters are trustworthy and the chain is strong. The report is found in Abu Dawud, no. 2573 (Book of Jihad, chapter: “On hamstringing a mount in war”). Al-Hafiz cites it in Fath, 7/511, attributing it to Ahmad and al-Nasa’i; Ibn Hibban authenticates it, and Ibn Kathir in his Sira, 3/465–466, ascribes it to al-Bayhaqi and al-Nasa’i. It also appears in Ibn Sa‘d, 4/1/25. See further: Ibn Hisham, Sira, 2/378; Abu Nu‘aym, Hilya, 1/118; Zurqani, Sharh al-Mawahib, 2/271–272; Usd al-Ghaba, 3/343; and al-Isaba, 2/86.

تَسْتَعْمِلَ زَيْداً عَلَيَّ. قَالَ: (امْضُوا، فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَدْرِي أَيُّ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ) . فَانْطَلَقَ الجَيْشُ، فَلَبِثُوا مَا شَاءَ اللهُ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ صَعِدَ المِنْبَرَ، وَأَمَرَ أَنْ يُنَادَى: الصَّلاَةُ جَامِعَةٌ. قَالَ ﷺ: (أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُم عَنْ جَيْشِكُم، إِنَّهُم لَقُوا العَدُوَّ، فَأُصِيْبَ زَيْدٌ شَهِيْداً، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوا لَهُ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ اللِّوَاءَ جَعْفَرٌ، فَشَدَّ عَلَى النَّاسِ حَتَّى قُتِلَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَهُ ابْنُ رَوَاحَةَ، فَأَثْبَتَ قَدَمَيْهِ حَتَّى أُصِيْبَ شَهِيْداً، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ اللِّوَاءَ خَالِدٌ) . وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ الأُمَرَاءِ، هُوَ أَمَّرَ نَفْسَهُ. فَرَفَعَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ أُصْبُعَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: (اللَّهُمَّ (١) هُوَ سَيْفٌ مِنْ سُيُوْفِكَ، فَانْصُرْهُ) . فَيَوْمَئِذٍ سُمِّيَ: سَيْفَ اللهِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: (انْفِرُوا، فَامْدُدُوا إِخْوَانَكُم، وَلاَ يَتَخَلَّفَنَّ أَحَدٌ) . فَنَفَرَ النَّاسُ فِي حَرٍّ شَدِيْدٍ (٢) . ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بنُ عَبَّادٍ، عَنْ أَبِيْهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي الَّذِي أَرْضَعَنِي، وَكَانَ مِنْ بَنِي مُرَّةَ بنِ عَوْفٍ، قَالَ: لَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ يَوْمَ مُؤْتَةَ، حِيْنَ اقْتَحَمَ عَنْ فَرَسٍ لَهُ شَقْرَاءَ، فَعَقَرَهَا، ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ (٣) حَتَّى قُتِلَ (٤) . قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: وَهُوَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ عَقَرَ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ، وَقَالَ:

(١) سقط من المطبوع لفظ " اللهم ". (٢) إسناده صحيح، وأخرجه أحمد ٥ / ٢٩٩، ٣٠٠ - ٣٠١. (٣) سقط من المطبوع " ثم قاتل ". (٤) رجاله ثقات، وإسناده قوي، وأخرجه أبو داود (٢٥٧٣) في الجهاد: باب في الدابة تعرقب في الحرب. وذكره الحافظ في " الفتح " ٧ / ٥١١: وعزاه إلى أحمد والنسائي، وصححه ابن حبان، ونسبه ابن كثير في " سيرته " ٣ / ٤٦٥ - ٤٦٦ إلى البيهقي والنسائي. وأخرجه ابن سعد ٤ / ١ / ٢٥. وانظر " سيرة ابن هشام " ٢ / ٣٧٨ و" الحلية " لأبي نعيم ١ / ١١٨، و" شرح المواهب اللدنية " ٢ / ٢٧١ - ٢٧٢ و" أسد الغابة " ٣ / ٣٤٣، و" الإصابة " ٢ / ٨٦.