“…upon Moses—not in the later ‘Mathānī’ that we ourselves have introduced.”

Kaʿb ibn Asad then said to him, “What prevents you, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from following him?”

He answered, “You.”

Kaʿb replied, “Why so? By the Torah, have I ever come between you and him?”

Zubayr said, “You are the holder of our covenant and compact; if you follow him, we shall follow him, but if you refuse, we shall refuse.”

ʿAmr ibn Saʿdā thereupon turned to Kaʿb and repeated the substance of their exchange until Kaʿb concluded, “I have nothing to add beyond what I have already said; my soul is not content to become a follower.” Reported by al-Bayhaqī (1).

The Expedition against Banū Lihyān, during which the Prophet performed the Prayer of Fear at ʿUsfān

Al-Bayhaqī mentions it here in Dalāʾil (2), but, as far as I have seen, Ibn Isḥāq records it only through Ibn Hishām (3), via Ziyād on his authority, dating it to Jumādā al-Awwal of the sixth year after the Hijrah, following the Battle of the Trench and Banū Qurayẓah. That appears closer to al-Bayhaqī’s own wording, and Allah knows best; we shall therefore postpone the full account until that point.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī (4) said: Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ informed us, saying, “Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Aṣamm related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār narrated to us, saying: Yūnus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, from Ibn Isḥāq, who said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm and others told us:

When Khubayb and his companions were killed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out to avenge their blood, hoping to catch Banū Lihyān off guard. He took the Syrian route to give the impression that he was not heading for Banū Lihyān, until he reached their territory. There he found that they had been alerted and had taken refuge on the mountain peaks. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, ‘If we descend upon ʿUsfān, Quraysh will think we are heading for Mecca.’ He proceeded with two hundred mounted men until he halted at ʿUsfān, after which he dispatched two horsemen who rode as far as Kurāʿ al-Ghamīm and then returned. Abū ʿAyyāsh al-Zurqī reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the Prayer of Fear at ʿUsfān.

Imām Aḥmad (5) said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, saying: al-Thawrī narrated to us, from Manṣūr, from Mujāhid, from Abū ʿAyyāsh, who said:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at ʿUsfān when the idolaters—commanded by Khālid ibn al-Walīd—confronted us, positioning themselves between us and the qiblah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in the Ẓuhr prayer. The idolaters said, ‘They were in a position where, had we attacked them unawares, we could have overpowered them.’ Then they said, ‘Now another prayer will soon fall due—one dearer to them than their own children and selves.’

Abū ʿAyyāsh added, ‘Jibrīl then came down with these verses between Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr: “And when you are among them and lead them in prayer …” (al-Nisāʾ 4:102).

When the time for that prayer arrived, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered us to take up our weapons. We formed two ranks behind him. He bowed, and we all bowed with him; he raised his head, and we all raised ours; then he prostrated with the row that—”