Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (4/179)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

I say:
Those people are the ones meant in the Almighty’s words, “And so that He might make evident those who were hypocrites. It was said to them, ‘Come, fight in the path of Allah, or at least defend.’ They replied, ‘If we knew there would be fighting, we would certainly follow you.’ On that day they were closer to disbelief than to faith. They utter with their tongues what is not in their hearts, and Allah knows best what they conceal” (Āl ʿImrān 3:167).

In other words, they were lying when they said, “Had we thought there would be fighting, we would have followed you,” for the prospect of battle was obvious, clear, and unquestionable. They are likewise the ones about whom Allah revealed, “So why are you divided regarding the hypocrites while Allah has cast them back (into error) for what they earned?” (al-Nisāʾ 4:88). One group of believers said, “We should fight them,” whereas another said, “We should not,” as is established in the Ṣaḥīḥ (1).

Al-Zuhrī reports that at that moment the Anṣār sought permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to seek help from their Jewish allies in Madinah, but he said, “We have no need of them.”

ʿUrwah and Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah add that when ʿAbd Allah ibn Ubayy and his followers turned back, the clans of Banū Salamah and Banū Ḥārithah were on the verge of faltering, yet Allah steadied them. Concerning this He said, “When two parties among you were about to lose courage, while Allah was their Protector; and in Allah let the believers place their trust” (Āl ʿImrān 3:122).

Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allah commented, “I would not wish that this verse had not been revealed, for Allah says, ‘and Allah was their Protector,’” as is recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs (2).

Ibn Isḥāq (3) continues: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ proceeded until he passed through the volcanic tract of the Banū Ḥārithah. A horse there flicked its tail and struck the tip of a sword, causing it to slide from its sheath. The Prophet ﷺ said to the sword’s owner, “Sheathe your weapon, for I foresee that swords will be unsheathed today.”

He then asked his Companions, “Who will guide us to the enemy from close at hand, along a path that will not bring us directly before them?”

Abū Khaythamah, a member of the Banū Ḥārithah ibn al-Ḥārith, answered, “I will, O Messenger of Allah.” He led them through the lava field of the Banū Ḥārithah and among their properties until he brought them into the estate of Murbaʿ ibn Qayẓī. Murbaʿ was a hypocrite who was blind. When he heard the sound of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims with him, he began throwing dust in their faces, saying, “If you truly are the Messenger of Allah, I do not permit you to enter my garden.”

Ibn Isḥāq (4) relates that it was told to him that Murbaʿ scooped up a handful of dust and said, “By Allah, if I were sure I would strike no one but you, Muḥammad, I would hurl it at your face.” The Muslims rushed forward to kill him, but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not kill him; this blind man is blind of heart as well as blind of sight.” Nevertheless, Saʿd ibn Zayd of the Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal struck him on the head with his bow before the Prophet’s prohibition reached him, splitting his scalp. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then continued on until he encamped in the ravine of

(1) See Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 4589; Sahih Muslim, no. 2776. (2) Narrated in al-Bukhari, no. 4051, and Muslim, no. 2505. (3) See al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, p. 64. (4) See al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, p. 65.

قلت: وهؤلاء القوم هم المرادون بقوله تعالى: ﴿وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ نَافَقُوا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوِ ادْفَعُوا قَالُوا لَوْ نَعْلَمُ قِتَالًا لَاتَّبَعْنَاكُمْ هُمْ لِلْكُفْرِ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْهُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَكْتُمُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ١٦٧] يعني، أنّهم كاذبون في قولهم: لو نعلم قتالًا لاتّبعاكم. وذلك لأنّ وقوع القتال أمره ظاهرٌ بينٌ واضحٌ، لا خفاء به ولا شكّ فيه، وهم الذين أنزل اللَّه فيهم: ﴿فَمَا لَكُمْ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِئَتَيْنِ وَاللَّهُ أَرْكَسَهُمْ بِمَا كَسَبُوا﴾ الآية [النساء: ٨٨] . وذلك أن طائفةً قالت: نقاتلهم. وقال آخرون: لا نقاتلهم. كما ثبت وبُيّن في "الصحيح" (١) . وذكر الزّهريّ أن الأنصار استأذنوا حينئذٍ رسول اللَّه ﷺ في الاستعانة بحلفائهم من يهود المدينة، فقال: "لا حاجة لنا فيهم" . وذكر عروة وموسى بن عقبة أنّ بني سلمة وبني حارثة، لما رجع عبد اللَّه بن أُبيٍّ وأصحابه، همّتا أن تفشلا، فثبّتهما اللَّه تعالى. ولهذا قال: ﴿إِذْ هَمَّتْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ تَفْشَلَا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُمَا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ١٢٢] . قال جابر بن عبد اللَّه: ما أُحبّ أنها لم تنزل، واللَّه يقول: ﴿وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُمَا﴾. كما هو ثابتٌ في "الصحيحين" عنه (٢) . قال ابن إسحاق (٣) : ومضى رسول اللَّه ﷺ حتى سلك في حرّة بني حارثة، فذبّ فرسٌ بذَنبه، فأصاب كلّاب سيفٍ فاستلّه فقال رسول اللَّه ﷺ لصاحب السيف: "شِم سيفك -أي أغمده- فإنّي أرى السيوف ستُسلّ اليوم" . ثم قال النبيّ ﷺ لأصحابه: "مَن رجلٌ يخرج بنا على القوم من كثَبٍ -أي من قربٍ- من طريقٍ لا يمرّ بنا عليهم؟ " . فقال أبو خيثمة أخو بني حارثة بن الحارث: أنا يا رسول اللَّه. فنفذ به في حرّة بني حارثة وبين أموالهم، حتى سلك به في مالٍ لمربع بن قيظيٍّ، وكان رجلًا منافقًا ضرير البصر، فلما سمع حسّ رسول اللَّه ﷺ ومن معه من المسلمين، قام يحثي في وجوههم التراب ويقول: إن كنت رسول اللَّه، فإنّي لا أحلّ لك أن تدخل في حائطي. قال ابن إسحاق (٤) : وقد ذُكر لي أنّه أخذ حفنةً من ترابٍ في يده، ثم قال: واللَّه لو أعلم أنّي لا أصيب بها غيرك يا محمد، لضربت بها وجهك. فابتدره القوم ليقتلوه، فقال رسول اللَّه ﷺ : "لا تقتلوه، فهذا الأعمى أعمى القلب أعمى البصر" . وقد بدر إليه سعد بن زيدٍ أخو بني عبد الأشهل، قبل نهي رسول اللَّه ﷺ ، فضربه بالقوس في رأسه فشجّه، ومضى رسول اللَّه ﷺ حتى نزل الشّعب من

(١) انظر "صحيح البخاري" رقم (٤٥٨٩) و"صحيح مسلم" رقم (٢٧٧٦). (٢) رواه البخاري رقم (٤٠٥١) ومسلم (٢٥٠٥). (٣) انظر "السيرة النبوية" لابن هشام (٢/ ٦٤). (٤) انظر "السيرة النبوية" لابن هشام (٢/ ٦٥).