Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

A Sheikh of Madinah Munawwarah, may Allah have mercy on him, says that there was a deep friendship between me and a scribe of Ubaidullah bin Ziyad, may Allah be pleased with him. I said to him, "Make a copy for me of a letter that Abdullah bin Abi Awfa, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to Ubaidullah bin Ziyad." He made a copy for me, and in it was: It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Awfa, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Do not pray for encountering the enemy, but when you do face the enemy, remain steadfast. Remember, Paradise is under the shade of swords. The practice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was that he would wait until the time of decline (zawal), and when the sun had declined, he would attack the enemy and say: O Allah! Revealer of the Book, Sender of the clouds, Defeater of the armies, defeat them and help us.