He then cited, in corroboration of it, a report from Aishah attributed to the Prophet, similar in wording; a second from Ibn Masud, attributed to the Companion; I have just documented both of them; and a third from Abu Dharr, whose text contains an additional wording. I have documented it in al-Mishkat (5347).
- “Whenever he prayed, he would whisper something. He said: ‘Have you noticed that? I recalled one of the prophets who was given troops from among his people, and he said: “Who can stand against these, or who can fight them?”—or words to that effect. Allah then revealed to him: “Choose for your people one of three: that I unleash their enemy against them, or famine, or death.” So he consulted his people about this, and they said: “We entrust the matter to you; you are the Prophet of Allah.” He then rose and prayed. Whenever they were distressed, they would turn to prayer. He said: “My Lord, neither famine nor the enemy; rather, death.” So death was unleashed upon them for three days, and seventy thousand of them died. Thus, the words you see me whispering are: “O Allah, through You I fight, through You I attack, and there is no might or power except through You.”’
Ibn Nasr narrated it in al-Salah (35/2): Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Abu Usamah informed us: Sulayman ibn al-Mughirah narrated to us from Thabit al-Bunani, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Suhayb, who said—and then cited it.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Imam Ahmad also narrated it (4/333, 6/16) through two other routes from Sulayman ibn al-Mughirah, with this chain; and through Hammad ibn Salamah, who narrated to us from Thabit, with similar wording. It states that the prayer was the dawn prayer, that the whispering took place after it, and that this was during the days of Hunayn. Al-Darimi also narrated from it (2/217) his words: “O Allah, through You I strive, through You I attack, and through You I fight.” Both their chains are authentic according to the criteria of Muslim.
- “When one of you—or, he said, when a man—stands in prayer,