Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 14337

Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, the Arabs apostatised and hypocrisy raised its head. My father faced such a situation that, had it descended upon firm mountains, it would have shattered them. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: On whatever point the people disagreed, my father arrived there with all that was needed to set it right. Then Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "By Allah, he was a man of great resolve and a peerless personality; he made proper preparation for every matter." Here the narrator al-Riyashi said: When a man is so accomplished that no one can be likened to him, these expressions are used of him: "nasij wahdih, 'uyayr wahdih, juhaysh wahdih" (one of a kind). A poet said: "The mount brought a man wrapped in his cloak; it was a mount with a small forehead; swiftly it brought a peerless man. He strikes his fire-stick to set all of Qays alight, and whatever champion faces him, he brings him down." The narrator says: that is, he overpowers him. Al-Riyashi says: Al-Asma'i recited these verses to me: "What is the matter with this sleep that is overcoming me? I try to push it away from me, and it overpowers me."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat through various routes, the narrators of one of which are thiqat (trustworthy).