Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (سيرة 2/31)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

they persist in hostility, they will be a band whose neck Allah has severed; or do you think we should head straight for the House, and if anyone bars us from it we fight him?’

Abū Bakr replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best. We have only come to perform ʿumrah; we did not come to fight anyone. Still, whoever stands between us and the House, we shall fight him.’ He ﷺ said, ‘Then set off.’

Al-Zuhrī relates in the narration: they marched on, and when they were some way along the road the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Khalid ibn al-Walid is at al-Ghamīm with a cavalry detachment of Quraysh acting as a lookout, so take the route to the right.’ By Allah, Khalid had no idea of their presence until he saw the rising dust of the army; he galloped off to warn Quraysh.

The Prophet ﷺ continued until, when he reached the pass from which he would descend upon them, his mount knelt down. The people cried out, ‘Hal! Hal!’ trying to urge her forward, but she stayed put. They said, ‘Al-Qaṣwāʾ has balked, al-Qaṣwāʾ has balked!’ He answered, ‘Then move on.’

Al-Zuhrī added that Abū Hurayrah said, ‘I never saw anyone consult his Companions more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’

Al-Miswar and Marwān recount in their version: they moved on, and when they were partway along the road the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Khalid ibn al-Walid is at al-Ghamīm with the cavalry of Quraysh’—and here the report returns to its place—then the Prophet ﷺ declared, ‘Al-Qaṣwāʾ has not balked, nor is such conduct her nature; rather, she has been restrained by Him who restrained the elephant. By Him in whose hand is my soul, they will not ask of me any plan that magnifies the sanctities of Allah except that I will grant it to them.’ He then prodded her and she sprang up with him.

He turned aside until he camped at the far edge of Ḥudaybiyyah beside a shallow water-hole that held only a little water; people were taking from it only sparingly. Before long they had drained it dry and they complained of thirst to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So he drew an arrow from his quiver and ordered them to place it in the well,

لجوا تكن عنقا قطعها الله، أم ترون أن نؤم البيت فمن صدنا عنه قاتلناه "؟ قال أبو بكر: الله ورسوله أعلم إنما جئنا معتمرين ولم نجئ لقتال أحد، ولكن من حال بيننا وبين البيت قاتلناه. قال: "فروحوا إذا". قال الزهري في الحديث: فراحوا، حتى إذا كانوا ببعض الطريق، قال النبي ﷺ: "إن خالد بن الوليد بالغميم في خيل لقريش طليعة فخذوا ذات اليمين". فوالله ما شعر بهم خالد حتى إذا هو بقترة الجيش، فانطلق يركض نذيرا لقريش. وسار النبي ﷺ حتى إذا كان بالثنية التى يهبط عليهم منها بركت راحلته، فقال الناس: حل حل، فألحت، فقالوا: خلأت القصواء خلأت القصواء. قال: فروحوا إذا. قال الزهري: قال أبو هريرة: ما رأيت أحدا كان أكثر مشاورة لأصحابه من رسول الله ﷺ. قال المسور ومروان في حديثهما: فراحوا حتى إذا كانوا ببعض الطريق، قال النبي ﷺ: "إن خالد بن الوليد بالغميم في خيل لقريش" -رجع الحديث إلى موضعه- قال النبي ﷺ: "ما خلأت القصواء وما ذلك لها بخلق، ولكن حبسها حابس الفيل". ثم قال: "والذي نفسى بيده لا يسألوني خطة يعظمون فيها حرمات الله إلا أعطيتهم إياها". ثم زجرها فوثبت به. قال: فعدل حتى نزل بأقصى الحديبية على ثمد قليل الماء، إنما يتبرضه الناس تبرضا، فلم يلبثه الناس أن نزحوه، فشكو إلى رسول الله ﷺ العطش. فانتزع سهما من كنانته ثم أمرهم أن يجعلوه فيه،