16
the Muslim’s best wealth will be sheep, which he takes to mountain peaks and places where rain falls, fleeing with his faith from tribulations.” (1)
In the Sahih, it is reported from Usāma ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:
“I see tribulations falling among your homes like raindrops.” (2)
Those who transmitted the hadiths concerning abstention from fighting during tribulation and warning against it—such as Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, Muhammad ibn Maslama, and Usāma ibn Zayd—fought neither alongside Alī nor alongside Muāwiya.
Hudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “There is no one among the people whom tribulation overtakes but that I
(1) The hadith of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) is found in: *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 1/9 (Book of Faith, chapter “Fleeing from Tribulations Is Part of Religion”) and 4/127 (Book of the Beginning of Creation, chapter “The Muslim’s Best Wealth Is Sheep Which He Takes to the Mountain Peaks”); *Sunan al-Nasā’ī*, with al-Suyūtī’s commentary, 8/107–108 (Book of Faith and Its Laws, chapter “Fleeing with One’s Religion from Tribulations”); *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 2/1317 (Book of Tribulations, chapter “Solitude”); *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 3/6, 43, 57; and *al-Muwatta’*, 2/970 (Book of Seeking Permission, chapter “What Has Been Related Concerning Sheep”). *Lisān al-ʿArab* states: “The *shaʿafa* of anything is its uppermost part. The *shaʿafa* of a mountain—with all its consonants vowelled—is its summit. Its plurals are *shaʿaf*, *shiʿāf*, and *shuʿūf*, meaning mountain peaks. The hadith states: ‘Among the best of people is a man on one of the mountain peaks with a small flock of his own, until death comes to him while he remains apart from the people.’” See also Ibn al-Athīr’s *al-Nihāya fī Gharīb al-Hadīth*, entry *shaʿaf*.
(2) The hadith of Usāma ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both), with some variation in wording, is found in: *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 3/21–22 (Book of the Virtues of Medina, chapter “The Fortifications of Medina”), 4/198 (Book of Virtues, chapter “The Signs of Prophethood in Islam”), and 9/48 (Book of Tribulations, chapter “The Prophet’s Statement—peace and blessings be upon him—‘Woe to the Arabs because of an evil that has drawn near’”); [*Sahīh Muslim*], 4/2211 (Book of Tribulations and the Portents of the Hour, chapter “Tribulations Descending Like Raindrops”); and *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 5/200.
يَكُونَ خَيْرَ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمٌ يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ الْقَطْرِ يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ»
"
(١)
.
وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -
أَنَّهُ قَالَ:
"
«إِنِّي لَأَرَى الْفِتَنَ تَقَعُ خِلَالَ بُيُوتِكُمْ كَمَوَاقِعِ الْقَطْرِ»
"
(٢)
.
وَالَّذِينَ رَوَوْا أَحَادِيثَ الْقُعُودِ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ وَالتَّحْذِيرِ مِنْهَا، كَسَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْلَمَةَ وَأُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوا لَا مَعَ عَلِيٍّ وَلَا مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ.
وَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: " «مَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ تُدْرِكُهُ الْفِتْنَةُ إِلَّا أَنَا
(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ١/٩ (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ، بَابُ مِنَ الدِّينِ الْفِرَارُ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ) ، ٤/١٢٧ (كِتَابُ بَدْءِ الْخَلْقِ، بَابُ خَيْرِ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمٌ يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ ; سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ (بِشَرْحِ السُّيُوطِيِّ) ٨/١٠٧ - ١٠٨ (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ وَشَرَائِعِهِ ; بَابُ الْفِرَارِ بِالدِّينِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ) ; سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٣١٧ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ، بَابُ الْعُزْلَةِ) ; الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/٦، ٤٣، ٥٧ ; الْمُوَطَّأِ ٢/٩٧٠ (كِتَابُ الِاسْتِئْذَانِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي أَمْرِ الْغَنَمِ) . وَفِي لِسَانِ الْعَرَبِ " شَعَفَةُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَعْلَاهُ وَشَعَفَةُ الْجَبَلِ بِالتَّحْرِيكِ رَأْسُهُ، وَالْجَمْعُ شَعَفٌ وَشِعَافٌ وَشُعُوفٌ وَهِيَ رُءُوسُ الْجِبَالِ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: مِنْ خَيْرِ النَّاسِ رَجُلٌ فِي شَعَفَةٍ مِنَ الشِّعَافِ فِي غُنَيْمَةٍ لَهُ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُ الْمَوْتُ وَهُوَ مُعْتَزِلٌ النَّاسَ ". وَانْظُرْ " النِّهَايَةَ فِي غَرِيبِ الْحَدِيثِ " لِابْنِ الْأَثِيرِ مَادَّةَ " شَعَفَ ".
(٢) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٣/٢١ - ٢٢ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الْمَدِينَةِ، بَابُ آطَامِ الْمَدِينَةِ) ، ٤/١٩٨ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، بَابُ عَلَامَاتِ النُّبُوَّةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ) ، ٩/٤٨ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ، بَابُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ) ; ٤/٢٢١١ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ وَأَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ، بَابُ نُزُولِ الْفِتَنِ كَمَوَاقِعِ الْقَطْرِ) ; الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٥/٢٠٠.