Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (2/106)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Kilab.
He was the chieftain of Quraysh and their commander on the day of Uhud and on the day of the Trench. He had certain failings and difficult deeds, but Allah rescued him through Islam on the day of the Conquest, and he accepted it almost under duress, fearful as he was. A few days later, however, his Islam became sound.
He was counted among the shrewdest of the Arabs, a man of judgment and honor among them. He was present at Hunayn, and his in-law, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, granted him a hundred camels and forty uqiyyahs of silver from the spoils to win his heart thereby (1). After that he abandoned the worship of Hubal and inclined fully to Islam.
He took part in the fighting at al-Taʾif, where one of his eyes was struck out; the other was lost on the day of Yarmuk, by which time—Allah willing—his faith had become excellent, for on that day he was urging the people to jihad. He fought under the banner of his son Yazid, crying, “O help of Allah, draw near! (2)”
He would stand over the battle formations (3), exhorting them and saying:
“Fear Allah, fear Allah! You are the helpers of Islam and the bulwark (4) of the Arabs, while those are the helpers of idolatry and the bulwark of Rome. O Allah, this is one of Your days; O Allah, send down Your victory.”

(1) See the hadith of Rafi ibn Khadij in Sahih Muslim, no. 1060, Book of Zakah, chapter “Giving to those whose hearts are to be reconciled to Islam”; also Ibn al-Qayyim, Zad al-Maad, 3/473; and Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 2/492-493. (2) Ibn Hajar notes in al-Isabah, 5/129: “Yaqub ibn Sufyan and Ibn Saad report with an authentic chain from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from his father, who said: ‘At the Battle of Yarmuk all voices fell silent except for one man calling, “O help of Allah, draw near!” I looked and saw that it was Abu Sufyan standing beneath the banner of his son Yazid.’” See also Ibn Asakir, Tahdhib, 6/408. (3) al-karadis (sing. kardus): squadrons of cavalry. It is said kardasa al-qaid khaylah—“the commander arrayed his horses squadron by squadron.” (4) Al-Istiab describes them as dhadat al-Arab (the defenders of the Arabs).

كِلاَبٍ. رَأْسُ قُرَيْشٍ، وَقَائِدُهُمْ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ، وَيَوْمَ الخَنْدَقِ. وَلَهُ هَنَاتٌ وَأُمُوْرٌ صَعْبَةٌ، لَكِنْ تَدَارَكَهُ اللهُ بِالإِسْلاَمِ يَوْمَ الفَتْحِ، فَأَسْلَمَ شِبْهَ مُكْرَهٍ خَائِفٍ. ثُمَّ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ صَلُحَ إِسْلاَمُهُ. وَكَانَ مِنْ دُهَاةِ العَرَبِ، وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الرَّأْيِ وَالشَّرَفِ فِيْهِمْ، فَشَهِدَ حُنَيْناً، وَأَعْطَاهُ صِهْرُهُ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنَ الغَنَائِمِ مائَةً مِنَ الإِبِلِ، وَأَرْبَعِيْنَ أُوْقِيَّةً مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ يَتَأَلَّفُهُ بِذَلِكَ (١) . فَفَرَغَ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ هُبَلَ، وَمَالَ إِلَى الإِسْلاَمِ. وَشَهِدَ قِتَالَ الطَّائِفِ، فَقُلِعَتْ عَيْنُهُ حِيْنَئِذٍ، ثُمَّ قُلِعَتِ الأُخْرَى يَوْمَ اليَرْمُوْكِ، وَكَانَ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَدْ حَسُنَ - إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - إِيْمَانُهُ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يُحَرِّضُ عَلَى الجِهَادِ. وَكَانَ تَحْتَ رَايَةِ وَلَدِهِ يَزِيْدَ، فَكَانَ يَصِيْحُ: يَا نَصْرَ اللهِ اقْتَرِبْ (٢) . وَكَانَ يَقِفُ عَلَى الكَرَادِيْسِ (٣) يُذَكِّرُ، وَيَقُوْلُ: اللهَ اللهَ، إِنَّكُمْ أَنْصَارُ الإِسْلاَمِ وَدَارَةُ (٤) العَرَبِ، وَهَؤُلاَءِ أَنْصَارُ الشِّرْكِ وَدَارَةُ الرُّوْمِ؛ اللَّهُمَّ هَذَا يَوْمٌ مِنْ أَيَّامِكَ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْزِلْ نَصْرَكَ.

(١) انظر حديث رافع بن خديج في صحيح مسلم (١٠٦٠) في الزكاة: باب إعطاء المؤلفة قلوبهم على الإسلام، و" زاد المعاد " ٣ / ٤٧٣، وسيرة ابن هشام، ٢ / ٤٩٢، ٤٩٣. (٢) قال الحافظ في " الإصابة " ٥ / ١٢٩: " وروى يعقوب بن سفيان، وابن سعد بإسناد صحيح عن سعيد بن المسيب، عن أبيه، قال: فقدت الاصوات يوم اليرموك، إلا صوت رجل يقول: يا نصرالله اقترب، قال: فنظرت، فإذا هو أبو سفيان تحت راية ابنه يزيد. وانظر " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٦ / ٤٠٨. (٣) الكراديس: كتائب الخيل، واحدها: كردوس، يقال: كردس القائد خيله: أي: جعلها كتيبة كتيبة. (٤) في " الاستيعاب " ذادة العرب.