They differed just as the Emigrants (Muhājirūn) had differed. ʿUmar then said, “Withdraw from me,” and instructed Ibn ʿAbbās to call for the elders who had emigrated at the time of the Conquest—the senior Emigrants. When they arrived, not two of them disagreed; they all said, “Turn back.” So ʿUmar announced to the people, “At daybreak I shall mount and depart,” meaning that he intended to return.

Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah—whom the Prophet ﷺ had named “the trustworthy one of this nation”—remarked, “Commander of the Believers, are we fleeing from the decree of Allah? You mean to take the people back and thus flee from Allah’s decree.”

ʿUmar replied, “If anyone other than you had said that, O Abū ʿUbaydah…” He disliked differing with him, yet he continued, “How could you say such a thing?” Then he offered a convincing parable: “Tell me, if you owned camels and brought them into a valley with two sides, one lush and the other barren, would it not be by Allah’s decree if you grazed them on the fertile side, and likewise by Allah’s decree if you grazed them on the barren side? Plainly you would choose the fertile ground over the barren.”

While they were thus engaged, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf—who had stepped away on an errand—returned and said, “I have knowledge of this matter,” referring to what he had heard from the Prophet ﷺ. He then recited the hadith: “If you hear that it has broken out in a land, do not enter it; and if it appears while you are in it, do not leave, fleeing from it.” This coincided exactly with the Prophet’s ruling, so ʿUmar praised Allah for guiding him to the correct decision.

The hadith contains several benefits. One is that the caliph may personally lead a campaign whenever the need arises. Another is the admirable statecraft of the Commander of the Believers, ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with him—for in spite of his piety, knowledge, intelligence, and usual sound judgment, he did not settle the matter until he had consulted and reviewed it with others.