Toggle above to switch between keyword search and direct hadith lookup
Hadith 1177
اُردوEn
Sayyiduna Iyas bin Salamah narrates that my father (Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’) (may Allah be pleased with him) related to me, saying: We reached Hudaybiyyah with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and we were fourteen hundred men (this is the well-known narration, and in one narration it is thirteen hundred, and in another, fifteen hundred), and there were fifty goats there which the well’s water could not satisfy (meaning, the water was so little). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on the edge of the well and either made supplication or put his blessed mouth into the well, and it immediately gushed forth. Then we ourselves drank and gave water to the animals as well. After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called us to pledge allegiance at the root of a tree (this tree is called the Tree of Ridwan, and its mention is in the Holy Qur’an). I was among the first people to pledge allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he continued to take pledges until half the people had pledged, at which point he said, “O Salamah! Pledge allegiance.” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! I have already pledged allegiance to you at the beginning.” He said, “Then do it again.” And when he saw me unarmed, he gave me a large or small shield. Then he continued to take pledges until the people were finishing. At that time, he said, “O Salamah! Will you not pledge allegiance to me?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! I have already pledged allegiance to you among the first and then among the middle group.” He said, “Then do it again.” So I pledged allegiance to him a third time. Then he said, “O Salamah! Where is that large or small shield I gave you?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! My uncle ‘Amir met me and he was unarmed, so I gave it to him.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed and said, “Your example is like that of the earlier person who prayed, ‘O Allah! Grant me a friend whom I love more than my own life.’”
Then the polytheists sent messages for peace, until people from each side began to go to the other, and we made peace. Salamah said: I was in the service of Talhah bin ‘Ubaydullah, watering his horse, scratching its back, taking care of it, and eating with him. And I had migrated to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), leaving behind my home and wealth. When peace was made between us and the people of Makkah and we began to meet each other, I came to a tree, cleared the thorns from beneath it, and lay down at its root. Meanwhile, four men from the polytheists of Makkah came and began to speak ill of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I became angry and (for the sake of expediency) moved to another tree. They hung their weapons and lay down. While they were in this state, suddenly someone called out from the valley, “Run, O Muhajirun! Ibn Zunaim (a companion) has been killed.” Hearing this, I drew my sword and attacked those four men who were sleeping. I took their weapons, bundled them together in one hand, and said, “By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), whoever among you raises his head, I will sever that limb (i.e., the head) from his body.” Then I drove them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and my uncle ‘Amir brought a man from ‘Abalat (a branch of Quraysh) called Makriz, dragging him on a horse with a saddle, along with seventy men from the polytheists. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them and said, “Let them go. Let the breaking of the treaty begin from the polytheists’ side, and then let it happen again from their side (meaning, if we kill these people after the treaty, it would be considered as us breaking the treaty, which is not appropriate. Let the disbelievers break the treaty first, not just once but twice, then it will not be wrong for us to retaliate).” Eventually, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forgave those people, and then Allah revealed this verse: “It is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah after He had given you victory over them...” (Al-Fath: 24). Then we returned to Madinah and stopped at a place on the way where there was a mountain between us and the polytheists of Banu Lihyan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the one who would climb that mountain at night and guard him and his companions. I climbed that mountain two or three times at night (and kept watch). Then we reached Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave his camels to his servant Rabah, and I was with him, and I took Talhah’s horse with him to water it at the river. In the morning, ‘Abdur Rahman Fazzari (a polytheist) raided and drove away the Prophet’s camels and killed the shepherd. I said, “O Rabah! Take this horse and go to Talhah and inform the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the disbelievers have raided his camels.” Then I stood on a hillock, faced Madinah, and called out three times, “Ya Sabahah! Ya Sabahah!” (These words were used to gather people at the time of attack). After that, I pursued the raiders, shooting arrows and reciting rajaz poetry (the rajaz was): “I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” Then I would approach someone and shoot an arrow into his saddle, which would pierce through to his shoulder, and say, “Take this! I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” By Allah, I kept shooting arrows at them and wounding them. Whenever one of their riders turned towards me, I would sit at the root of a tree and shoot an arrow, wounding the rider or his horse, until they entered a narrow mountain pass. Then I climbed the mountain and started throwing stones at them, and kept pursuing them until not a single camel created by Allah, which belonged to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was left behind by me, and the raiders did not leave it (so Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) recovered all the camels). Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then I kept pursuing them, shooting arrows, until they threw away more than thirty cloaks and spears to lighten themselves. Whatever they threw, I would mark it with a stone so that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions would recognize it (as spoils of war and collect it), until they came to a narrow pass where they met the son of Badr Fazzari, and they all sat down to eat lunch. I sat on top of a small hillock. Fazzari said, “What do I see?” They said, “This man has troubled us. By Allah, he has been with us since the dark of night, continuously shooting arrows until he has taken everything we had.” Fazzari said, “Four of you go and kill him.” Hearing this, four men climbed the mountain towards me. When they came close enough to hear me, I said, “Do you know who I am?” They said, “No.” I said, “I am Salamah, the son of Akwa’ (Akwa’ was his grandfather, but he attributed himself to his grandfather due to fame). By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), I will kill whomever I wish among you (with an arrow), and none of you can kill me.” One of them said, “It seems so.” Then they all turned back, and I had not left from there when the horsemen of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared, coming through the trees. At the front was Sayyiduna Akhram Asadi, behind him Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah, and behind him Miqdad bin Aswad Kindi (may Allah be pleased with them). Sayyiduna Akhram took hold of the reins of his horse. Seeing this, the raiders fled. I said, “O Akhram! Do not engage them until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions arrive, lest they kill you.” He said, “O Salamah! If you believe in Allah and the Last Day and know that Paradise and Hell are true, then do not stop me from martyrdom (meaning, at most, I will be martyred at their hands, and what could be better than that?).” I left him, and he confronted ‘Abdur Rahman Fazzari. Akhram wounded his horse, and ‘Abdur Rahman killed Akhram with a spear, mounted Akhram’s horse, and at that moment Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), the horseman of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), arrived and killed ‘Abdur Rahman with a spear. By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), I pursued them, running so fast that I saw neither any companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) behind me nor their dust, until the raiders reached a valley with water before sunset, called Dhi Qarad. They were thirsty and went down to drink water. When they saw me running after them, I drove them away from the water so that they could not drink a single drop. Whenever they ran towards a pass, I ran after them, and whenever I caught up with one, I shot an arrow into his shoulder blade and said, “Take this! I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” He said, “May his mother weep for him (may Akwa’s son die)! Is he the same Akwa’ who was with me in the morning?” I said, “Yes, O enemy of your own soul! It is the same Akwa’ who was with you in the morning.” Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The two horses of the raiders (having become exhausted from running) were left behind, so I drove those horses to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a valley, where I met ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who had a vessel of milk and another of water. I performed ablution and drank the milk (Allahu Akbar! The courage of Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him): from early morning till night, running, while horses and camels tired, people died, goods were left, but Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) did not tire, nor did he eat or drink all day. This was the special help of Allah, which is granted to those who walk His path with courage and steadfastness). Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who was at the water where I had driven away the raiders. I saw that he had taken all the camels and all the things I had seized from the polytheists, including the spears and cloaks. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) slaughtered one of the camels I had recovered, and he was roasting its spleen and hump meat for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Grant me permission to take a hundred men from the army and pursue the raiders so that none of them remains to inform their people.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed until his molar teeth became visible in the light of the fire, and he said, “O Salamah, can you do this?” I said, “Yes, by Him who honored you.” He said, “They have now reached the border of Ghatafan, and they are being hosted there.” Meanwhile, a man from Ghatafan came and said, “So-and-so slaughtered a camel for them, and while they were skinning it, they saw dust rising and said, ‘People have come,’ so they fled from there as well.” In the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Among our horsemen today, the best is Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), and among the foot soldiers, the best is Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him).” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me two shares, one for a horseman and one for a foot soldier, and combined both for me. Then, on the return to Madinah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made me ride with him on ‘Adhba’. We were traveling when an Ansari, who was never left behind in running, said, “Is there anyone who can outrun me to Madinah?” and kept repeating it. When I heard him, I said, “Do you not respect the elder’s honor? Do you not fear the elder?” He said, “No, but I do respect the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, allow me to race this man.” He said, “Alright, if you wish.” Then I said, “I am coming to you,” and I bent my foot and jumped off, then ran. When one or two ascents remained, I caught my breath, then ran after him, and when one or two ascents remained, I caught up with him, struck him between his shoulders with my fist, and said, “By Allah, now I have gone ahead.” Then I reached Madinah ahead of him (so it is clear that racing without any prize or reward is permissible, but there is a difference of opinion regarding prizes, as often prizes involve deception, gambling, etc.). By Allah, we stayed only three nights before we set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) towards Khaybar, and my uncle ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) began to recite rajaz poetry: “By Allah, if Allah had not guided us, we would not have found the way, nor given charity, nor prayed. And we have not become independent of Your grace, so keep our feet firm if we meet the disbelievers, and send down Your mercy and tranquility upon us.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Who is this?” The people said, “‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him).” He said, “May Allah forgive you.” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed specifically for someone’s forgiveness, he would surely be martyred. Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who was on his camel, called out, “O Messenger of Allah! Why did you not let us benefit from ‘Amir?” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When we reached Khaybar, its king, Marhab, came out brandishing his sword and reciting rajaz poetry: “Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, fully armed, experienced warrior, when battles blaze forth.” Hearing this, my uncle ‘Amir came out to face him and recited: “I am ‘Amir, fully armed, one who plunges into battle.” Then both struck at each other; Marhab’s sword struck my uncle ‘Amir’s shield, and ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) tried to strike from below, but his sword struck himself, cutting his jugular vein, and he was martyred by it. Salamah said: Then I came out and saw the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, “‘Amir’s deed has become void; he killed himself.” Hearing this, I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) weeping and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Has ‘Amir’s deed become void?” He said, “Who says so?” I said, “Some of your companions say so.” Then he said, “Whoever said it, lied. No! Rather, he has double the reward.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), whose eyes were sore, and he said, “I will give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, or Allah and His Messenger love him (in Ibn Hisham’s narration, it is added: Allah will grant victory at his hands, and he is not one who flees).” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then I went to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and brought him, his eyes were sore, until I brought him to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He put his saliva in his eyes, and they were cured immediately. Then he gave him the banner. Marhab was reciting the same rajaz: “Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, fully armed, brave, experienced warrior, when battles blaze forth.” Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: “I am the one whose mother named me Haydar, like the lion of the forests, very fearsome in appearance (so that seeing him causes fear). I give Sanda’rah in exchange for a Sa’ (Sanda’rah is a measure larger than Sa’, meaning they make a light attack on me, but I finish them off completely).” Then Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) struck Marhab on the head and sent him to Hell. After that, Allah granted victory at his hands.
Then the polytheists sent messages for peace, until people from each side began to go to the other, and we made peace. Salamah said: I was in the service of Talhah bin ‘Ubaydullah, watering his horse, scratching its back, taking care of it, and eating with him. And I had migrated to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), leaving behind my home and wealth. When peace was made between us and the people of Makkah and we began to meet each other, I came to a tree, cleared the thorns from beneath it, and lay down at its root. Meanwhile, four men from the polytheists of Makkah came and began to speak ill of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I became angry and (for the sake of expediency) moved to another tree. They hung their weapons and lay down. While they were in this state, suddenly someone called out from the valley, “Run, O Muhajirun! Ibn Zunaim (a companion) has been killed.” Hearing this, I drew my sword and attacked those four men who were sleeping. I took their weapons, bundled them together in one hand, and said, “By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), whoever among you raises his head, I will sever that limb (i.e., the head) from his body.” Then I drove them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and my uncle ‘Amir brought a man from ‘Abalat (a branch of Quraysh) called Makriz, dragging him on a horse with a saddle, along with seventy men from the polytheists. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them and said, “Let them go. Let the breaking of the treaty begin from the polytheists’ side, and then let it happen again from their side (meaning, if we kill these people after the treaty, it would be considered as us breaking the treaty, which is not appropriate. Let the disbelievers break the treaty first, not just once but twice, then it will not be wrong for us to retaliate).” Eventually, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forgave those people, and then Allah revealed this verse: “It is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah after He had given you victory over them...” (Al-Fath: 24). Then we returned to Madinah and stopped at a place on the way where there was a mountain between us and the polytheists of Banu Lihyan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the one who would climb that mountain at night and guard him and his companions. I climbed that mountain two or three times at night (and kept watch). Then we reached Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave his camels to his servant Rabah, and I was with him, and I took Talhah’s horse with him to water it at the river. In the morning, ‘Abdur Rahman Fazzari (a polytheist) raided and drove away the Prophet’s camels and killed the shepherd. I said, “O Rabah! Take this horse and go to Talhah and inform the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the disbelievers have raided his camels.” Then I stood on a hillock, faced Madinah, and called out three times, “Ya Sabahah! Ya Sabahah!” (These words were used to gather people at the time of attack). After that, I pursued the raiders, shooting arrows and reciting rajaz poetry (the rajaz was): “I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” Then I would approach someone and shoot an arrow into his saddle, which would pierce through to his shoulder, and say, “Take this! I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” By Allah, I kept shooting arrows at them and wounding them. Whenever one of their riders turned towards me, I would sit at the root of a tree and shoot an arrow, wounding the rider or his horse, until they entered a narrow mountain pass. Then I climbed the mountain and started throwing stones at them, and kept pursuing them until not a single camel created by Allah, which belonged to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was left behind by me, and the raiders did not leave it (so Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) recovered all the camels). Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then I kept pursuing them, shooting arrows, until they threw away more than thirty cloaks and spears to lighten themselves. Whatever they threw, I would mark it with a stone so that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions would recognize it (as spoils of war and collect it), until they came to a narrow pass where they met the son of Badr Fazzari, and they all sat down to eat lunch. I sat on top of a small hillock. Fazzari said, “What do I see?” They said, “This man has troubled us. By Allah, he has been with us since the dark of night, continuously shooting arrows until he has taken everything we had.” Fazzari said, “Four of you go and kill him.” Hearing this, four men climbed the mountain towards me. When they came close enough to hear me, I said, “Do you know who I am?” They said, “No.” I said, “I am Salamah, the son of Akwa’ (Akwa’ was his grandfather, but he attributed himself to his grandfather due to fame). By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), I will kill whomever I wish among you (with an arrow), and none of you can kill me.” One of them said, “It seems so.” Then they all turned back, and I had not left from there when the horsemen of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared, coming through the trees. At the front was Sayyiduna Akhram Asadi, behind him Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah, and behind him Miqdad bin Aswad Kindi (may Allah be pleased with them). Sayyiduna Akhram took hold of the reins of his horse. Seeing this, the raiders fled. I said, “O Akhram! Do not engage them until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions arrive, lest they kill you.” He said, “O Salamah! If you believe in Allah and the Last Day and know that Paradise and Hell are true, then do not stop me from martyrdom (meaning, at most, I will be martyred at their hands, and what could be better than that?).” I left him, and he confronted ‘Abdur Rahman Fazzari. Akhram wounded his horse, and ‘Abdur Rahman killed Akhram with a spear, mounted Akhram’s horse, and at that moment Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), the horseman of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), arrived and killed ‘Abdur Rahman with a spear. By Him who honored Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), I pursued them, running so fast that I saw neither any companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) behind me nor their dust, until the raiders reached a valley with water before sunset, called Dhi Qarad. They were thirsty and went down to drink water. When they saw me running after them, I drove them away from the water so that they could not drink a single drop. Whenever they ran towards a pass, I ran after them, and whenever I caught up with one, I shot an arrow into his shoulder blade and said, “Take this! I am the son of Akwa’, and today is the day of the destruction of the wicked.” He said, “May his mother weep for him (may Akwa’s son die)! Is he the same Akwa’ who was with me in the morning?” I said, “Yes, O enemy of your own soul! It is the same Akwa’ who was with you in the morning.” Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The two horses of the raiders (having become exhausted from running) were left behind, so I drove those horses to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a valley, where I met ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who had a vessel of milk and another of water. I performed ablution and drank the milk (Allahu Akbar! The courage of Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him): from early morning till night, running, while horses and camels tired, people died, goods were left, but Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) did not tire, nor did he eat or drink all day. This was the special help of Allah, which is granted to those who walk His path with courage and steadfastness). Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who was at the water where I had driven away the raiders. I saw that he had taken all the camels and all the things I had seized from the polytheists, including the spears and cloaks. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) slaughtered one of the camels I had recovered, and he was roasting its spleen and hump meat for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Grant me permission to take a hundred men from the army and pursue the raiders so that none of them remains to inform their people.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed until his molar teeth became visible in the light of the fire, and he said, “O Salamah, can you do this?” I said, “Yes, by Him who honored you.” He said, “They have now reached the border of Ghatafan, and they are being hosted there.” Meanwhile, a man from Ghatafan came and said, “So-and-so slaughtered a camel for them, and while they were skinning it, they saw dust rising and said, ‘People have come,’ so they fled from there as well.” In the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Among our horsemen today, the best is Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), and among the foot soldiers, the best is Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him).” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me two shares, one for a horseman and one for a foot soldier, and combined both for me. Then, on the return to Madinah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made me ride with him on ‘Adhba’. We were traveling when an Ansari, who was never left behind in running, said, “Is there anyone who can outrun me to Madinah?” and kept repeating it. When I heard him, I said, “Do you not respect the elder’s honor? Do you not fear the elder?” He said, “No, but I do respect the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, allow me to race this man.” He said, “Alright, if you wish.” Then I said, “I am coming to you,” and I bent my foot and jumped off, then ran. When one or two ascents remained, I caught my breath, then ran after him, and when one or two ascents remained, I caught up with him, struck him between his shoulders with my fist, and said, “By Allah, now I have gone ahead.” Then I reached Madinah ahead of him (so it is clear that racing without any prize or reward is permissible, but there is a difference of opinion regarding prizes, as often prizes involve deception, gambling, etc.). By Allah, we stayed only three nights before we set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) towards Khaybar, and my uncle ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) began to recite rajaz poetry: “By Allah, if Allah had not guided us, we would not have found the way, nor given charity, nor prayed. And we have not become independent of Your grace, so keep our feet firm if we meet the disbelievers, and send down Your mercy and tranquility upon us.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Who is this?” The people said, “‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him).” He said, “May Allah forgive you.” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed specifically for someone’s forgiveness, he would surely be martyred. Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who was on his camel, called out, “O Messenger of Allah! Why did you not let us benefit from ‘Amir?” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When we reached Khaybar, its king, Marhab, came out brandishing his sword and reciting rajaz poetry: “Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, fully armed, experienced warrior, when battles blaze forth.” Hearing this, my uncle ‘Amir came out to face him and recited: “I am ‘Amir, fully armed, one who plunges into battle.” Then both struck at each other; Marhab’s sword struck my uncle ‘Amir’s shield, and ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) tried to strike from below, but his sword struck himself, cutting his jugular vein, and he was martyred by it. Salamah said: Then I came out and saw the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, “‘Amir’s deed has become void; he killed himself.” Hearing this, I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) weeping and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Has ‘Amir’s deed become void?” He said, “Who says so?” I said, “Some of your companions say so.” Then he said, “Whoever said it, lied. No! Rather, he has double the reward.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), whose eyes were sore, and he said, “I will give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, or Allah and His Messenger love him (in Ibn Hisham’s narration, it is added: Allah will grant victory at his hands, and he is not one who flees).” Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then I went to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and brought him, his eyes were sore, until I brought him to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He put his saliva in his eyes, and they were cured immediately. Then he gave him the banner. Marhab was reciting the same rajaz: “Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, fully armed, brave, experienced warrior, when battles blaze forth.” Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: “I am the one whose mother named me Haydar, like the lion of the forests, very fearsome in appearance (so that seeing him causes fear). I give Sanda’rah in exchange for a Sa’ (Sanda’rah is a measure larger than Sa’, meaning they make a light attack on me, but I finish them off completely).” Then Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) struck Marhab on the head and sent him to Hell. After that, Allah granted victory at his hands.
