2063 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Ahmad ibn Ibrahim told me; ʿAli ibn Ishaq narrated to us; ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; ʿIsa ibn ʿUmar informed us, on the authority of al-Suddi, who said: A paternal cousin of ʿAmr ibn ʿUtbah related to me:

“We camped in a delightful meadow, and ʿAmr ibn ʿUtbah remarked, ‘How lovely this pasture is! How fitting it would be, right now, if a herald were to cry out, yā khayl Allāh, irkabī (O cavalry of Allah, mount up!).’ He then went forth, was the first man to meet the enemy, was struck down, and was brought back to be buried on that very spot.

“Not long thereafter a herald did indeed cry, yā khayl Allāh, irkabī—the alarm of Madinah over a nearby town that had been attacked. ʿAmr dashed out with the swiftest of the people, one of the very first to leave. News of this reached ʿUtbah, who said, ‘Bring ʿAmr to me, bring ʿAmr to me!’ He sent men after him, but they did not catch up with him until he had been wounded. I do not think he was buried anywhere but where the tip of his spear had stood, and on that day ʿUtbah was commanding the forces.

“Someone other than al-Suddi said: He received a wound and exclaimed, ‘By Allah, it is but a small wound, and Allah gives blessing to what is small. Leave me here until I can walk; if I live, then move me.’ He died right there—may Allah have mercy on him.”