Fleeing On The Day Of The March

Ibn ‘Abbas said “When the verse “If there are twenty amongst you patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred” was revealed. It was heavy and troublesome for Muslims when Allah prescribed for them that one (fighting Muslim) should not fly from ten (fighting Non-Muslims). Then a light commandment was revealed saying “For the present Allah hath lightened your (task).” The narrator Abu Tawbah recited the verse to “they will vanquish two hundred.” When Allah lightened the number, patient and perseverance also decreased according to the number lightened from them.”

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو تَوْبَةَ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ خِرِّيتٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ نَزَلَتْ { إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ } فَشَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ حِينَ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ لاَ يَفِرَّ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ عَشَرَةٍ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ جَاءَ تَخْفِيفٌ فَقَالَ { الآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ } قَرَأَ أَبُو تَوْبَةَ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ } قَالَ فَلَمَّا خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمْ مِنَ الْعِدَّةِ نَقَصَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ بِقَدْرِ مَا خَفَّفَ عَنْهُمْ .

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

Ibn Umar was sent with a detachment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The people wheeled round in flight. He said: I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped, we said (i.e. thought): How should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah's wrath. Then we said (thought): Let us enter Medina, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered (Medina) and thought: If we present ourselves before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting) for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood up to him and said: We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said: No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said; I am the main body of the Muslims.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، كَانَ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ مِنْ سَرَايَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَحَاصَ النَّاسُ حَيْصَةً فَكُنْتُ فِيمَنْ حَاصَ - قَالَ - فَلَمَّا بَرَزْنَا قُلْنَا كَيْفَ نَصْنَعُ وَقَدْ فَرَرْنَا مِنَ الزَّحْفِ وَبُؤْنَا بِالْغَضَبِ فَقُلْنَا نَدْخُلُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَنَتَثَبَّتُ فِيهَا وَنَذْهَبُ وَلاَ يَرَانَا أَحَدٌ - قَالَ - فَدَخَلْنَا فَقُلْنَا لَوْ عَرَضْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَنَا تَوْبَةٌ أَقَمْنَا وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ ذَهَبْنَا - قَالَ - فَجَلَسْنَا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قُمْنَا إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْنَا نَحْنُ الْفَرَّارُونَ فَأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَالَ " لاَ بَلْ أَنْتُمُ الْعَكَّارُونَ " . قَالَ فَدَنَوْنَا فَقَبَّلْنَا يَدَهُ فَقَالَ " أَنَا فِئَةُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ " .