The Battle of Mu'tah

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched an expedition to Mu'tah. He appointed Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander and said: "If Zayd is martyred, then Ja'far will be commander; if Ja'far is martyred, then Abdullah bin Rawahah will be commander."
Ahmad recorded it as part of a long hadith. Its chain contains a narrator, al-Hajjaj bin Artah, who is a mudallis. The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), the horseman of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched the Army of the Commanders and said: "Zayd bin Harithah will be your commander. If Zayd is martyred, then Ja'far bin Abi Talib; if Ja'far is martyred, then Abdullah bin Rawahah al-Ansari (will be your commander)." Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! I do not shrink from your appointing Zayd over me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let it stand, for you do not know which is better." Then they set off, and as long a time passed as Allah willed. Then one day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the pulpit and ordered that it be announced that the people should gather. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Good has occurred (the narrator is unsure about one word here). Shall I tell you about this army of yours that went to fight? They went and met the enemy, and Zayd was martyred, so pray for his forgiveness." The people prayed for his forgiveness. (Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "Then Ja'far bin Abi Talib took the banner. They attacked the enemy with full force until he too was martyred. I bear witness to his martyrdom, so pray for his forgiveness. Then Abdullah bin Rawahah took the banner. He stood firm until he too was martyred, so pray for his forgiveness as well. Then Khalid bin al-Walid took the banner. He had not been appointed commander, but he took up the command himself." The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his finger and said: "O Allah, he is one of Your swords, so help him." The narrator says: From that day Sayyiduna Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) was named Sayf Allah (the Sword of Allah). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Set off and reinforce your brothers, and let no one stay behind at all." The narrator says: So the people set off in intense heat, on foot and mounted.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Khalid bin Sumayr, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) (on this expedition), and he handed the flag to Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched an expedition and appointed Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander, and said: "If Zayd is killed (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are) is martyred, then your commander will be Ja'far; if he is killed (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are) if he is martyred, then your commander will be Abdullah bin Rawahah." They met the enemy, and Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) took hold of the banner and fought until he was martyred. Then Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) took the banner and kept fighting until he was martyred. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) took it and kept fighting until he was martyred. Then Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) took the banner, and Allah Almighty granted him victory. News of them reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to the people, and after praising and extolling Allah Almighty, he said: "Indeed, your brothers met the enemy. Zayd took the banner and fought until he was killed (the narrator is unsure; or perhaps the words are) he was martyred. Then after him Ja'far bin Abi Talib took the banner and fought until he was killed (the narrator is unsure; or perhaps the words are) he was martyred. Then Abdullah bin Rawahah took the banner and fought until he was killed (the narrator is unsure; or perhaps the words are) he was martyred. Then one of the swords of Allah, Khalid bin al-Walid, took that banner, and Allah Almighty granted him victory." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the family of Ja'far a respite of three days. After three days he came to them and said: "After today, do not weep over my brother. Bring my nephews to me." The narrator says: We were brought, and we were small children. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call the barber and bring him to me." The barber was brought, and he shaved our heads. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As for Muhammad (bin Ja'far), he resembles our uncle Abu Talib, and as for Abdullah (bin Ja'far), he resembles me in outward appearance and in character." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took my hand, raised both my hands and supplicated: "O Allah, be the guardian of Ja'far's family after him, and place blessing in Abdullah's trading." He made this supplication three times. The narrator says: Our mother came and mentioned our orphanhood and expressed her grief about it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you fear poverty and want for them? I am their guardian in this world and the Hereafter." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Abu Dawud and others have recorded part of it.
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it, and the narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Yusr bin Amr al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I gave the banner to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him). He was martyred, so I gave it to Thabit bin Aqram al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), and he gave that banner to Khalid bin al-Walid. Sayyiduna Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: "Why have you given it to me?" He said: "You know more about warfare than I do."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, who is da'if (weak).

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).

Abbad bin Abdullah bin al-Zubayr narrates: My father, who is my foster-father, who belonged to Banu Murrah bin Awf and who took part in the Battle of Mu'tah, told me: It is as if I can still see Sayyiduna Ja'far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) when he got down from his deep reddish horse, then hamstrung it, and then was martyred fighting the enemy. When Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) took the banner. Then he advanced with it while mounted on his horse; he faced some hesitation in bringing himself down. Then he recited these verses: "I swear, O my soul, that you must face this situation, whether you do it gladly or under compulsion. I do not think of you that you would dislike Paradise, even if the people gather and start to wail. For how long you have lived at ease! And you are nothing but a drop in a waterskin." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O soul! Even if you are not killed (that is, martyred in battle), you will die (a natural death). Here is the dove of death come; what you wished for, you have now met. If you do what those two did, (then know that) you have been guided." Then he got down. When he got down, a cousin of his brought him a bone with meat on it and said: "Strengthen your back with this, for what you have faced in these days is before you." He took it in his hand and began tearing at it and eating. Then he saw commotion among the people on one side and said: "And you are occupied with the world?" Then he put that meat aside, took hold of his sword, advanced, and was martyred fighting. Then Thabit bin Aqram, who belonged to Banu al-Ajlan, took the banner and said: "O people, agree upon one man from among yourselves." The people said: "We agree on you." He said: "I will not do it." Then the people agreed upon Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him). When he took the banner, he pushed the enemy back, then drew aside until he withdrew. When these men were martyred, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Zayd bin Harithah took the banner and kept fighting with it until he was martyred. Then Ja'far took it and kept fighting until he was martyred." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell silent, until the faces of the Ansar changed and they supposed that perhaps news would also come about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) that they would not like. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then Abdullah bin Rawahah took it, and he kept fighting with it until he was martyred." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise these three were presented before me. I saw in a dream that they were seated on couches of gold. I saw in Abdullah bin Rawahah's couch some tilting away compared with the couches of his two companions, so I asked: 'What is the reason for this?' I was told: 'Those two advanced (to martyrdom), but Abdullah bin Rawahah first fell into hesitation and then advanced.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Ibn Shihab narrates: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched an expedition to Mu'tah. He appointed Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) as the commander of those people and said: "If Zayd is martyred, then Ja'far bin Abi Talib will be their commander; if Ja'far is martyred, then Abdullah bin Rawahah will be their commander." They set off until, at Mu'tah, they faced Ibn Abi Sabrah al-Ghassani. There were large armies there of Christian Arabs and Romans, and Tanukh and Bahram were also there. Ibn Abi Sabrah kept the fortress shut against the Muslims for three days. Then they came out from there, and the two sides fought on a green field; there was fierce fighting. Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) was holding the banner, and he was martyred. Then Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) took hold of it, and he was martyred. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) took hold of it, and he was martyred. After the commanders appointed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the people settled on Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander, and Allah Almighty routed the enemy and granted the Muslims the upper hand. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent these men in the month of Jumada al-Ula.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Ibn al-Musayyab narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise a tent made of pearl was presented before me; each of those three was on a couch. I saw Zayd and Ibn Rawahah, and their necks were slightly turned aside." The narrator says: Perhaps the words in the report are: "I asked," or perhaps the words are that the angel told me: "When death came upon the two of them, they tried to turn their faces away, or tried to turn their faces aside, or tried to draw their faces back; as for Ja'far, he did not do so." Ibn Uyaynah says: This is the occasion on which Sayyiduna Ibn Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited these verses, while Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "How pure is the fragrance of Paradise!"
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Zayd, whose hadith is hasan (good). The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih; however, this report is "mursal".

Sayyiduna Abu al-Yusr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when Abu Amir al-Ash'ari came to him and said: "You had sent me on such-and-such a task. I came to Mu'tah; the people there were drawn up in ranks. Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) mounted his horse, put on his armour, took the banner, and walked until he came to the enemy, and said: 'Who will deliver this to the one it belongs to?' One of those present said: 'I will.' He sent it with him. Then he advanced and struck with his sword until he was killed." Tears flowed from the eyes of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Zuhr prayer, then went inside and did not speak with us at all. Then the iqamah was called for the prayer, and he came out and led us in the Asr prayer, and did not speak with us at all. He did the same at the Maghrib and Isha prayers: he would go inside and not speak with us, although whenever he finished a prayer he used to turn his face towards us. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out for the Fajr prayer at his usual time, the time at which he used to come out before. At that time Abu Amir al-Ash'ari and I were sitting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat down between us and said: "Shall I not tell you about a dream that I saw? I entered Paradise and saw Ja'far with two wings soaked in blood, and Zayd was opposite him, and Ibn Rawahah was with them, looking as though he had turned his face away. I will tell you about that: when Ja'far advanced and saw that he would be killed, he did not turn his face away; Zayd did likewise; but Ibn Rawahah turned his face away."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Thabit bin Dinar Abu Hamzah, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyidah Asma' bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions were martyred, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to my home. At that time I had tanned forty hides and had kneaded the dough; I had bathed my children, cleaned them up and oiled them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bring Ja'far's children to me." I brought them to him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smelled them, and tears flowed from his eyes. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, why are you weeping? Has some news reached you about Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, they were martyred today." Sayyidah Asma' (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I got up and began to cry out, and the women gathered around me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to his family and said: "Do not neglect the family of Ja'far in this; prepare food for them, for they are occupied (with grief) over their (departed) one." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Ibn Majah has recorded part of this report.
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains two women for whom I have found no one either declaring them trustworthy or criticising them. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Urwah narrates: In the Battle of Mu'tah, from the Ansar, Sayyiduna al-Harith bin al-Nu'man bin Yisaf bin Nadlah bin Abd Awf bin Ghanm, Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah bin Ghanm and Sayyiduna Suraqah bin Amr bin Atiyyah bin Khansa' were martyred.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah, who is hasan al-hadith (good in hadith), and there is weakness in him.