Among the signs of his prophethood

3243—“Now”—and in another version, “Today”—“we shall attack them”—meaning, the Meccan polytheists who were defeated in the Battle of the Trench—“and they shall not attack us; [rather, we shall march against them].”

It was recorded by al-Bukhari (4109 and 4110), al-Tayalisi (1289), Ahmad (4/262), al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (7/115/6484 and 6485), Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (4/345 and 7/135), and al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala'il (3/457–458), through a number of chains, including those of Sufyan and Shu'bah, from Abu Ishaq, who said: I heard Sulayman ibn Surad say: I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when the confederates had been driven away from him—meaning, on the day of the Trench—...

The wording is al-Bukhari’s, along with the first addition, which is also found in al-Bayhaqi. The final addition is Ahmad’s, while the second version is al-Tabarani’s and comes through the route of Shu'bah.

Abu Nu'aym said after citing the hadith:

“Well-known through the narration of al-Thawri; established and authentic.”

I say: It has a corroborating report from Jabir ibn Abdullah, narrated by Ubaydah ibn al-Aswad, from Mujalid, from Amir, from him.

This chain is good as corroborative evidence. This Ubaydah is truthful, though he may have practised concealment in transmission. Mujalid—who is Ibn Sa'id—is not strong, as al-Hafiz states in al-Taqrib. Nevertheless, in al-Fath (7/405), he definitively judged its chain to be good! Yet it contains the issues I have mentioned, as well as what is yet to come. For al-Bazzar said after it: “They differed concerning its chain of transmission: Zakariyya ibn Abi Za'idah narrated it from al-Sha'bi, from al-Harith ibn al-Barsa'; whereas Mujalid said: from al-Sha'bi, from Jabir.”