Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 10220

Urwah bin al-Zubayr narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched an expedition to Mu'tah; this was in Jumada al-Ula of the year 8 AH. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander and said to them: "If Zayd is martyred, then Ja'far bin Abi Talib will be the people's commander; if Ja'far is martyred, then Abdullah bin Rawahah will be the people's commander." The narrator says: Then the people made their preparations and got ready to set out; they numbered three thousand. When the time for their departure came, the people bade farewell to the commanders appointed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and prayed for their safety. When his companions bade farewell to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him), he began to weep. It was said to him: "O Ibn Rawahah, why are you weeping?" He said: "By Allah, there is no love of the world in me, but I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recite a verse of the Book of Allah in which Hell is mentioned (and Allah Almighty says): 'There is none of you but will come to it; this is a decree of your Lord that is settled.' So I cannot understand how I will be saved from it after coming to it." The Muslims said to them: "May Allah Almighty be with you, ward off trouble from you and return you to us in a good state." At that, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited these verses: "But I ask the Most Merciful for forgiveness, and (I ask for) a blow that is terrifying and throws out foam, or a wound (or thrust) dealt with a spear to the side of a thirsting man, which pierces through to his entrails and liver, so that when people pass by my grave they say: 'Allah Almighty guided this warrior, and he was rightly guided.'" Then, when those people intended to set out, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to take his leave of him, and he recited these verses: "May Allah Almighty make firm the good that has come to you, as Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) was made firm, and (may) help (come to you) like the help that they were given. I see in you such an abundance of good that in this I hold a view different from the people's. You are the Messenger; so whoever is deprived of your gifts and your attention, destiny will have kept him contemptible (or deprived)." Then those people set out, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also went out walking with them to see them off; then he left them and came back. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse: "Peace be upon the man whom you bade farewell among the date palms, who is not one left to his own state or plunged into distress." Then they set off until they reached Ma'an, a place in the land of Syria. They received the news that Heraclius had encamped at a place called Ma'ab in the land of al-Balqa' with one hundred thousand Romans, and that with him were also one hundred thousand men from the Arabised tribes of the borderlands, from Lakhm, Judham, Balqayn, Bahram and Bali, who had their own banner, and the man carrying that banner was a man named Malik bin Zanah. When the Muslims received this news, they stayed at Ma'an for two nights, considering their situation. They said: "We should write to the Messenger of Allah and inform him of the enemy's numbers; either the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will reinforce us, or he will give us some order, and we will carry it out." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him), encouraging the people, said: "O my people, by Allah, you are disliking the very thing for which you came out: you are seekers of martyrdom. We do not fight people on the basis of numbers, strength or multitude; we fight them on the basis of this religion by which Allah Almighty has honoured us. So set off, for one of two good things will surely come: either victory or martyrdom." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said this during their stay at that place. Ibn Ishaq narrates: Abdullah bin Abi Bakr told me that it is reported from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I was an orphan boy under the care of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him). He set out on his journey, and he had seated me behind him on his mount. We were travelling at night, and meanwhile I heard him recite these verses: "When you have delivered me and carried my saddle the distance of four (nights' journey) beyond al-Hisa'." When I heard these verses from his lips, I burst into tears. He jabbed me with his whip and said: "O boy, what is it to you if Allah Almighty grants me martyrdom and you return between the two sides of the saddle?" The people kept going until they reached the borders of al-Balqa'. There they met the army of Heraclius, in which there were both Romans and Arabs; the encounter was at a village of al-Balqa' called Masharif. Then the Muslims drew near, and the Muslims fell back to a village called Mu'tah, and at that place the two sides fought. The Muslims arranged themselves for battle: on their right wing was a man from Banu Udhrah named Qutbah bin Qatadah, and on their left wing a man from the Ansar named Ubadah bin Malik. Then the people met and fought fiercely. Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) was carrying the banner of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and taking part in the fighting, until he fell to the enemy's spears. Then Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) took the banner and kept fighting with it, until, when the fighting became intense, he got down from his horse and hamstrung it, and he was martyred fighting the enemy. Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person among the Muslims who hamstrung his own horse.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators up to Urwah are thiqat (trustworthy).