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سنن ابي داود
Abu Dawud
كتاب الجهادJihad (Kitab Al-Jihad)
باب فِيمَا يُسْتَحَبُّ مِنَ الْجُيُوشِ وَالرُّفَقَاءِ وَالسَّرَايَاChapter: Regarding What Is Recommended In Armies, Companies, And Expeditions.
Hadith 2611
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَبُو خَيْثَمَةَ ، حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ يُونُسَ ، عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ،عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : " خَيْرُ الصَّحَابَةِ أَرْبَعَةٌ ، وَخَيْرُ السَّرَايَا أَرْبَعُ مِائَةٍ ، وَخَيْرُ الْجُيُوشِ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافٍ ، وَلَنْ يُغْلَبَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ أَلْفًا مِنْ قِلَّةٍ " ، قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُد : وَالصَّحِيحُ أَنَّهُ مُرْسَلٌ .
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet ﷺ said: The best number of companions is four, the best number in expeditions four hundred, and the best number in armies four thousand; and twelve thousand will not be overcome through smallness of numbers. Abu Dawud said: What is correct is that this tradition is mursal (i. e. the link of the Companion is missing).
Related hadith on this topic
Brief Explanation
1؎: That is, there should be at least four, because if one of them ever falls ill and wishes to make a bequest to one of his companions, then two of them will remain for testimony. In this hadith (if authentic), the minimum number is mentioned. The scholars have written: Five is better than four, and in fact, the more there are, the greater the good.
2؎: An army of twelve thousand will never be defeated due to its small number; so if other nations do prevail over it, the cause of that defeat will not be paucity, but rather the army falling into self-admiration and pride, or some other similar reason.
2؎: An army of twelve thousand will never be defeated due to its small number; so if other nations do prevail over it, the cause of that defeat will not be paucity, but rather the army falling into self-admiration and pride, or some other similar reason.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The greater the number,
➋ the greater will be the blessing and benefit.
➌ If Muslims, numbering twelve thousand, are ever defeated somewhere,
➍ then the cause will not be their small number, but rather some other reason.
➎ For example, lack of piety (taqwa),
➏ arrogance,
➐ pride, cowardice, etc. However, this narration is mursal, which is considered weak according to the hadith scholars (muhaddithin).
➊ The greater the number,
➋ the greater will be the blessing and benefit.
➌ If Muslims, numbering twelve thousand, are ever defeated somewhere,
➍ then the cause will not be their small number, but rather some other reason.
➎ For example, lack of piety (taqwa),
➏ arrogance,
➐ pride, cowardice, etc. However, this narration is mursal, which is considered weak according to the hadith scholars (muhaddithin).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2611
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
English Commentary:
Explanation:
1:
"Saraya" is the plural of "Sariyya."
A "Sariyya" refers to a military expedition in which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not personally participate.
It is a detachment from the main army, consisting of up to four hundred soldiers at most.
Note:
(The narration of this hadith as "from Az-Zuhri, from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)" is only correct as mursal (with a missing link),
and it is also contrary to this divine verse:
﴿وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّئَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُواْ مِئَتَيْنِ﴾ (Al-Anfal: 66),
see:
As-Saheehah, no. 986,
Taraaji‘ Al-Albani: 152)
Explanation:
1:
"Saraya" is the plural of "Sariyya."
A "Sariyya" refers to a military expedition in which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not personally participate.
It is a detachment from the main army, consisting of up to four hundred soldiers at most.
Note:
(The narration of this hadith as "from Az-Zuhri, from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)" is only correct as mursal (with a missing link),
and it is also contrary to this divine verse:
﴿وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّئَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُواْ مِئَتَيْنِ﴾ (Al-Anfal: 66),
see:
As-Saheehah, no. 986,
Taraaji‘ Al-Albani: 152)
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1555
