Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (4/192)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

I say: Qatādah reports that when the blow struck the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on his cheek he lost consciousness. Sālim, the freedman of Abū Ḥudhayfah, passed by, seated him upright, and wiped the blood from his face. The Prophet came to, repeating:

“How can a people ever prosper after doing this to their Prophet while he is calling them to Allah?”

Thereupon Allah revealed: “The matter is not yours at all…” (Āl ʿImrān 3:128). Ibn Jarīr transmits this as a mursal tradition, and the issue will be discussed at length in its proper place.

I further say: At the beginning of the day the advantage lay with the Muslims against the unbelievers, just as Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“And Allah surely fulfilled His promise to you when, by His permission, you were killing them, until, when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order and disobeyed after He had shown you what you love—some of you desiring the life of this world and some desiring the Hereafter—He then turned you away from them so that He might test you. Yet He has pardoned you, and Allah is gracious to the believers. When you were fleeing up the slope, paying heed to no one, while the Messenger was calling you from behind, He requited you with grief upon grief…” (Āl ʿImrān 3:152–153).

Imām Aḥmad narrated: Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd told us; ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī al-Renād told us, from his father, from ʿUbaydullāh, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

“Allah never granted victory to me in any situation as He did on the Day of Uḥud.”

We expressed our surprise, whereupon he said, “Between me and anyone who doubts it stands the Book of Allah, for He says concerning the Day of Uḥud: ‘And Allah surely fulfilled His promise to you when, by His permission, you were killing them.’” Ibn ʿAbbās explained that the word ḥass here means “to slay.” He then recited: “until, when you lost courage and disputed about the order…” up to His words, “Yet He has pardoned you, and Allah is gracious to the believers,” and added: “This refers to the archers. The Prophet ﷺ had stationed them in a certain spot and said,

‘Shield our rear. If you see us being killed, do not come to our aid; and if you see us victorious, do not join us.’

When the Prophet ﷺ had taken booty and the Muslim forces overran the idolaters’ camp, all the archers rushed down and entered the camp to plunder. The ranks of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had by then closed”—and here he interlaced his fingers—“and become entangled. When the archers abandoned the gap they had been guarding, the cavalry poured through that opening against the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ; they struck at one another and became confused, and many Muslims were killed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had…"

(1) See Zad al-Maʿad fī Hady Khayr al-ʿIbād by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, vol. 3, p. 176, edited by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Arnaʾūṭ and Shaykh Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ, published by al-Risālah Foundation, Beirut. (2) Narrated by Aḥmad in al-Musnad, vol. 1, p. 287. (3) In manuscript A: “aḥimmū ẓahranā,” preserving the variant reading (ṭ), in agreement with the version in al-Musnad. (4) In manuscript A: “wa-intashabū,” likewise preserving the variant (ṭ). (5) That is, when the archers abandoned their assigned positions. In Mukhtār al-Ṣiḥāḥ under the entry khalal: “akhkhalla al-rajul bima rkazihi: he left his post.” (6) And Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah states in Zad al-Maʿad (vol. 3, p. 176), ed. Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ and ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Arnaʾūṭ, al-Risālah Foundation, Beirut: “The advantage during the early part of the day lay with the Muslims over the unbelievers. The enemy of Allah was routed and fled in disorder until they reached their families. When the archers witnessed their brethren’s defeat, they abandoned the positions that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had entrusted them to guard, and cried out, ‘O people, the spoils!’ Their commander reminded them of the Prophet’s pledge, but they paid no heed, believing that the polytheists would not return. They then departed in search of booty, leaving our flank undefended. The enemy cavalry seized the unguarded pass, passed through it, and was able to advance until they reached the rear of the Muslims. May Allah grant the highest honor of martyrdom to seventy of them.”

قلت: وذكر قتادة أن رسول اللَّه ﷺ لمّا وقع لشقّه أُغمي عليه، فمرّ به سالمٌ مولى أبي حذيفة، فأجلسه ومسح الدم عن وجهه، فأفاق وهو يقول: "كيف يفلح قومٌ فعلوا هذا بنبيّهم وهو يدعوهم إلى اللَّه" ؟ فأنزل اللَّه: ﴿لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ﴾ الآية. رواه ابن جريرٍ، وهو مرسلٌ، وسيأتي بسط هذا في فصل وحده. قلت: كان أول النهار للمسلمين على الكُفَّار (١) ، كما قال اللَّه تعالى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (١٥٢) إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ﴾ الآية [آل عمران: ١٥٢ - ١٥٣] . قال الإمام أحمد (٢) : ثنا سليمان بن داود، أنا عبد الرحمن بن أبي الرناد، عن أبيه، عن عبيد اللَّه، عن ابن عباسٍ أنّه قال: ما نصر اللَّه في موطني كما نصر يوم أحدٍ. قال: فأنكرنا ذلك، فقال: بيني وبين من أنكر [ذلك] كتاب اللَّه، إن اللَّه يقول في يوم أحدٍ: ﴿وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ﴾ يقول ابن عباسٍ: والحسّ القتل. ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْر﴾ إلى قوله: ﴿ [وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ] وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ وإنما عنى بهذا الرّماة، وذلك أنّ النبيّ ﷺ أقامهم في موضعٍ، ثم قال: "احموا ظهورنا (٣) ، فإن رأيتمونا نُقتل فلا تنصرونا، وإن رأيتمونا نغنم فلا تَشركونا" . فلمّا غنم النبيّ ﷺ وأباحوا عسكر المشركين، أكبّ الرّماة جميعًا، فدخلوا في العسكر ينهبون، وقد التقت صفوف أصحاب رسول اللَّه ﷺ ، فهم هكذا - [وشبّك] بين [أصابع] يديه- والتبسوا (٤) ، فلمّا أخلّ الرّماة تلك الخَلَّة (٥) التي كانوا فيها، دخلت الخيل من ذلك الموضع على أصحاب النبيّ ﷺ ، فضرب بعضهم بعضًا والتبسوا، وقتل من المسلمين ناسٌ كثيرٌ (٦) ، وقد كان لرسول اللَّه ﷺ

(١) انظر "زاد المعاد في هدي خير العباد" لابن قيم الجوزية (٣/ ١٧٦) بتحقيق والدي الشيخ عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، وزميله الشيخ شعيب الأرناؤوط، طبع مؤسسة الرسالة ببيروت. (٢) رواه أحمد في "المسند" (١/ ٢٨٧). (٣) في (أ): "احمو ظهرنا" وأثبت لفظ (ط)، وهو الموافق لما في "المسند". (٤) في (أ): "وانتشبوا" وأثبت لفظ (ط). (٥) أي: ولما ترك الرُّماة مركزهم. جاء في "مختار الصحاح" (خلل): "أخلَّ الرجل بمركزه تركه". (٦) وقال الإمام ابن قيم الجوزية في "زاد المعاد" (٣/ ١٧٦) بتحقيق الشيخين الفاضلين شعيب الأرناؤوط وعبد القادر الأرناؤوط، طبع مؤسسة الرسالة ببيروت: "وكان الدولة أول النهار للمسلمين على الكُفَّار، فانهزم عدوّ اللَّه، وولَّوا مدبرين حتى انتهوا إلى نسائهم، فلما رأى الرُّماة هزيمتهم، تركوا مركزهم الذي أمرهم رسول اللَّه ﷺ بحفظه، وقالوا: يا قوم الغنيمة، فذكّرهم أميرهم عهد رسول اللَّه ﷺ ، فلم يسمعوا، وظنّوا أن ليس للمشركين رجعة، فذهبوا في طلب الغنيمة، وأخلّونا بالثغر، وكَرَّ فرسان المشركين، فوجدوا الثغر خاليًا، قد خلا من الرُّماة، فجازوا منه، وتمكنوا حتى أقبل آخرهم، فأحاطوا بالمسلمين، فأكرم اللَّه من أكرم منهم بالشهادة، وهم سبعون".