16
There can be no doubt that he killed only some of the disbelievers. The same applies to the other Companions renowned for combat, such as ‘Umar, al-Zubayr, Hamzah, al-Miqdād, Abū Talhah, al-Barā’ ibn Mālik, and others—may Allah be pleased with them. Every one of them killed a group of disbelievers with his sword. Al-Barā’ ibn Mālik killed one hundred men in single combat, apart from those he helped to kill (1).
The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“The voice of Abū Talhah in the army is better than an entire company of men” (2).
He also said:
“Every prophet has a devoted disciple, and my devoted disciple is al-Zubayr” (3).
Both hadiths are found in the authentic collections.
The accounts of the military campaigns relate that, on the day of Uhud, the Prophet said to ‘Alī—after ‘Alī had said to Fātimah concerning the sword (4), “Wash it—it is beyond reproach”—“If you have done well, so have so-and-so and so-and-so” (5).
(1) Ibn Abd al-Barr mentioned this report in *al-Istīāb*, 1/142; Ibn Hajar in *al-Isāba*, 1; and Ibn al-Athīr in *Usd al-Ghāba*, 1/207.
(2) Al-Suyūtī cited in *Sahīh al-Jāmi al-Saghīr*, 5/249, a hadith stating: “The voice of Abū Talhah in the army is better than a thousand men.” He gave its source as “Simawayh, from Anas.” Al-Albānī commented in 5/250 that it is authentic and stated that the hadith is found in *al-Musnad*, *al-Mustadrak*, and other works.
(3) The hadith is narrated from Jābir ibn Abd Allāh—may Allah be pleased with him—in: *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 4/27 (Book of Jihad, chapter on the merit of the vanguard), 5/21 (Book of the Merits of the Prophet’s Companions, chapter on the merits of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām), and 5/111 (Book of Military Campaigns, chapter on the Battle of the Trench, namely al-Ahzāb); *Sahīh Muslim*, 4/1879 (Book of the Merits of the Companions, chapter on some of the merits of Talhah and al-Zubayr...); *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1/45 (Introduction, chapter on the merits of the Companions: the merits of al-Zubayr...); and *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 3/307, 314, 338.
(4) N and M read: “concerning his sword.”
(5) Ibn Hishām’s *Sīra*, 3/106, states: “When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—reached his family, he handed his sword to his daughter Fātimah and said, ‘My dear daughter, wash the blood from this, for by Allah, it served me faithfully today.’ Alī ibn Abī Tālib then handed her his sword and said, ‘Wash the blood from this one as well, for by Allah, it served me faithfully today.’ The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, ‘If you fought well, Sahl ibn Hunayf and Abū Dujānah fought well alongside you.’” Ibn Kathīr cited other versions in *al-Bidāya wa-al-Nihāya*, 4/47, including: “If you fought well, so too did Āsim ibn Thābit ibn Abī al-Aqlah, al-Hārith ibn Simmah, and Sahl ibn Hunayf.”
فَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْتُلْ إِلَّا بَعْضَ الْكُفَّارِ. وَكَذَلِكَ سَائِرُ الْمَشْهُورِينَ بِالْقِتَالِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، كَعُمَرَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ وَحَمْزَةَ وَالْمِقْدَادِ وَأَبِي طَلْحَةَ وَالْبَرَاءِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَغَيْرِهِمْ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ -، مَا مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا قَتَلَ بِسَيْفِهِ طَائِفَةً مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ. وَالْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ قَتَلَ مِائَةَ رَجُلٍ مُبَارَزَةً، غَيْرَ مَنْ شَرَكَ فِي دَمِهِ
(١)
.
وَقَدْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -:
"
«صَوْتُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ فِي الْجَيْشِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ فِئَةٍ»
"
(٢)
.
وَقَالَ:
"
«إِنَّ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ حِوَارِيَّ، وَإِنَّ حَوَارِيَّ الزُّبَيْرُ»
"
(٣)
. وَكِلَا الْحَدِيثَيْنِ فِي الصَّحِيحِ.
وَفِي الْمَغَازِي أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِعَلِيٍّ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ، لَمَّا قَالَ لِفَاطِمَةَ عَنِ السَّيْفِ
(٤)
:
"
«اغْسِلِيهِ غَيْرَ ذَمِيمٍ»
"
:
"
«إِنْ تَكُنْ أَحْسَنْتَ فَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ فُلَانٌ وَفُلَانٌ»
"
(٥)
.
(١) ذَكَرَ هَذَا الْخَبَرَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ فِي " الِاسْتِيعَابِ " ١/١٤٢، وَابْنُ حَجَرٍ فِي " الْإِصَابَةِ " ١، وَابْنُ الْأَثِيرِ فِي " أُسْدِ الْغَابَةِ " ١/٢٠٧.
(٢) ذَكَرَ السُّيُوطِيُّ " صَحِيحَ الْجَامِعِ الصَّغِيرِ " ٥/٢٤٩ حَدِيثًا نَصُّهُ: " صَوْتُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ فِي الْجَيْشِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ رَجُلٍ " وَقَالَ " سِمَوَيْهِ عَنْ أَنَسٍ " وَعَلَّقَ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ ٥/٢٥٠ بِقَوْلِهِ: إِنَّهُ صَحِيحٌ، وَذَكَرَ أَنَّ الْحَدِيثَ فِي الْمُسْنَدِ وَالْمُسْتَدْرَكِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا.
(٣) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٤/٢٧ (كِتَابُ الْجِهَادِ، بَابُ فَضْلِ الطَّلِيعَةِ) ، ٥/٢١ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ -، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ الْعَوَّامِ) ، ٥/١١١ (كِتَابُ الْمَغَازِي، بَابُ غَزْوَةِ الْخَنْدَقِ وَهِيَ الْأَحْزَابُ) ; مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٨٧٩ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، بَابُ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ. . .) (; سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/٤٥ (الْمُقَدِّمَةُ، بَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، فَضَائِلُ الزُّبَيْرِ. . .) ; الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/٣٠٧، ٣١٤، ٣٣٨.
(٤) ن، م: عَنْ سَيْفِهِ.
(٥) فِي سِيَرِ ابْنِ هِشَامٍ ٣/١٠٦: " فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - إِلَى أَهْلِهِ نَاوَلَ سَيْفَهُ ابْنَتَهُ فَاطِمَةَ، فَقَالَ: اغْسِلِي عَنْ هَذَا دَمَهُ يَا بُنَيَّةُ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ صَدَقَنِي الْيَوْمَ ; وَنَاوَلَهَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ سَيْفَهُ، فَقَالَ: وَهَذَا أَيْضًا فَاغْسِلِي عَنْهُ دَمَهُ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ صَدَقَنِي الْيَوْمَ ; فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: لَئِنْ كُنْتَ صَدَقْتَ الْقِتَالَ لَقَدْ صَدَقَ مَعَكَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ وَأَبُو دُجَانَةَ " وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ فِي الْبِدَايَةِ وَالنِّهَايَةِ ٤/٤٧ رِوَايَاتٍ أُخْرَى مِنْهَا: " لَئِنْ كُنْتَ أَحْسَنْتَ الْقِتَالَ فَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ عَاصِمُ بْنُ ثَابِتِ بْنِ أَبِي الْأَقْلَحِ وَالْحَارِثُ بْنُ صِمَّةَ وَسَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ ".