In a report transmitted from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh it is mentioned that the eye of Qatādah ibn al-Nuʿmān was struck on the Day of Uḥud until it dangled upon his cheek. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ put it back in its place, whereupon it became the finest and sharpest of his two eyes, and it would never suffer inflammation when the other one did (1).
Al-Dāraqutnī (2) also recorded—through an unusual chain—from Mālik, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Ṣaʿṣaʿah, from his father, from Abū Saʿīd, from his brother Qatādah ibn al-Nuʿmān, who said: “Both my eyes were struck on the Day of Uḥud and fell onto my cheeks. I brought them to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; he returned them to their sockets, spat upon them, and they began to shine brightly once more.”
The better-known version, however, is the first: that only one eye was injured. For this reason, when one of Qatādah’s descendants came to pay his respects to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, the latter asked, “Who are you?” He replied extemporaneously (3):
“I am the son of the man whose eye ran down his cheek—
Restored by the Chosen One’s hand in perfect form.
It returned just as it had been at the very start:
How fair that eye, and how fair that cheek!”
At this ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz recited (4):
“Such are true virtues—not two wooden bowls of milk
Watered down, turning foul like waste.”
He then honored the man with a handsome gift—may Allah have mercy on him.
Section
Ibn Hishām (5) relates that Umm ʿUmārah, Nasībah bint Kaʿb al-Māzaniyyah, fought on the Day of Uḥud. Saʿīd ibn Abī Zayd al-Anṣārī reports that Umm Saʿd bint Saʿd ibn al-Rabīʿ used to say:
“I visited Umm ʿUmārah and said, ‘Aunt, tell me your story.’ She replied, ‘I went out early in the day to see what the people were doing, carrying a water-skin with me. I reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was among his Companions and the advantage and the upper wind were with the Muslims. But when the Muslims fell back, I moved over to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; I set about fighting, shielding him with my sword and shooting arrows on his behalf, until the wounds reached me.’
“She continued, ‘I saw on her shoulder a hollow wound that gaped deep. I asked, “Who struck you with this?” She said, “Ibn Qumayʿah—may Allah abase him. When the people turned away from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ he came forward shouting, ‘Show me Muhammad! I shall not survive if he survives!’ I, Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr, and others who had remained with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ confronted him. He dealt me this blow, and I struck him several times in return, but the enemy of Allah was wearing two coats of armor.”’