Mukhtasar Muslim

Narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) received news of the arrival of Abu Sufyan’s caravan, he consulted (the companions). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not reply. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but again the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not address him. Finally, Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Ubadah (the chief of the Ansar) stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Are you asking us (i.e., the Ansar)? By Allah, in Whose hand is my soul, if you command us to drive our horses into the sea, we will surely do so, and if you command us to drive our horses to Bark al-Ghamad (a place very far from Makkah), we will surely do so. (Meaning, we are entirely obedient to your command, even though we did not make such a pledge to you. How admirable is the devotion of the Ansar!)” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called the people, and they set out until they camped at Badr. There they met the water carriers of the Quraysh. Among them was a black slave of Banu Hajjaj. The companions captured him and began to ask him about Abu Sufyan and his companions. He said, “I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, Utbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are present.” When he said this, they beat him, and when he said, “Alright, alright, I will tell you about Abu Sufyan,” they let him go. Then they would ask him again, and he would say the same: “I do not know about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, Utbah, Shaybah, and Umayyah bin Khalaf are among the people.” Then they would beat him, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was standing and praying. When he saw this, he finished his prayer and said, “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, when he tells you the truth, you beat him, and when he lies, you let him go.” (This was a miracle.) Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “This is the place where such-and-such disbeliever will die,” and he placed his hand on the ground to indicate. “And this is the place where such-and-such will fall.” The narrator said that wherever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his hand, there was not the slightest difference, and every disbeliever fell exactly at that spot. (This was another miracle.)