Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (سيرة 1/392)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

They were hoping to attain the same merit won by the men of Badr, and they kept urging the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until he had put on his battle gear. After that they regretted it and said, “Messenger of Allah, remain (in Madinah); the decision is yours.” He replied, “It is not befitting for a prophet, once he has donned his weapons, to lay them aside until Allah has judged between him and his foe.”

They also reported that, before the Prophet ﷺ had put on his equipment, he told them: “I saw (in a dream) that I was inside a stout coat of mail, and I interpreted it as Madinah. I saw myself riding behind a ram, and I took it to mean the ram that leads the battalion. I saw that my sword, Dhū al-Faqār, had developed a notch, and I interpreted that as a notch among you. And I saw cattle being slaughtered—by Allah, cattle are good; by Allah, cattle are good.”

Yūnus related from al-Zuhrī concerning the Prophet’s march to Uḥud: When he reached al-Shawṭ of al-Janānah, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy withdrew with about a third of the army. The Prophet ﷺ continued on with his Companions, who numbered seven hundred, while Quraysh drew up in battle order with three thousand men. They had with them two hundred horses that they led on foot, placing Khālid ibn al-Walīd in command of the cavalry on the right wing and ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl on the left.

Ibn Luhayʿah narrated from Abū al-Aswad, from ʿUrwah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out with one thousand Muslims, while the idolaters were three thousand. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ camped at Uḥud, and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy turned back with three hundred. Both of the remaining groups were taken aback and nearly lost heart; the two groups were Banū Salamah and Banū Ḥārithah.

Ibn ʿUyaynah narrated from ʿAmr, from Jābir concerning Allah’s words, “When two parties among you were about to lose heart” (Āl ʿImrān 3:122): they were Banū Salamah and Banū Ḥārithah. He said, “I would not wish that this verse had not been revealed, for Allah says, ‘but Allah was their Protector’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:122). Agreed upon.

ورجوا من الفضيلة أن يصيبوا ما أصاب أهل بدر فما زالوا برسول الله ﷺ حتى لبس أداته، ثم ندموا وقالوا: يا رسول الله، أقم فالرأي رأيك. فقال لهم رسول الله ﷺ: "ما ينبغي لنبي أن يضع أداته بعد أن لبسها حتى يحكم الله بينه وبين عدوه". قالوا: وكان ما قال لهم رسول الله ﷺ قبل أن يلبس أداته: "إني رأيت أني في درع حصينة فأولتها المدينة، وأني مردف كبشا فأولته كبش الكتيبة، ورأيت أن سيفي ذا الفقار فل فأولته فلا فيكم، ورأيت بقرا تذبح، فبقر والله خير، فبقر والله خير". وقال يونس عن الزهري في خروج النبي ﷺ إلى أحد، قال: حتى إذا كان بالشوط من الجنانة، انخزل عبد الله بن أبي بقريب من ثل الجيش ومضى النبي ﷺ وأصحابه وهم في سبعمائة وتعبأت قريش وهم ثلاثة آلاف، ومعهم مائتا فرس قد جنبوها، وجعلوا على ميمنة الخيل خالد بن الوليد، وعلى ميسرتها عكرمة بن أبي جهل. وقال ابن لهيعة، عن أبي الأسود، عن عروة قال: فخرج رسول الله ﷺ والمسلمون وهم ألف، والمشركون ثلاثة آلاف. فنزل رسول الله ﷺ أحدا، ورجع عنه عبد الله بن أبي في ثلاثمائة، فسقط في أيدي الطائفتين, وهمتا أن تفشلا، والطائفتان: بنو سلمة وبنو حارثة. وقال ابن عيينة، عن عمرو عن جابر: ﴿إِذْ هَمَّتْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ تَفْشَلا﴾ [آل عمران: ١٢٢] ، بنو سلمة وبنو حارثة، ما أحب أنها لم تنزل لقوله: ﴿وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُمَا﴾ [آل عمران: ١٢٢] . متفق عليه.