Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39398 — Reports on the letters of the Prophet

It is narrated from Qays that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched the army of Dhat al-Salasil to Lakhm, Judham and Masanif al-Sham under the command of Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator said: His companions were few in number. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Amr said to the people: "None of you is to light a fire." This was very hard on the people, so they spoke to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), asking him to speak to Sayyiduna Amr. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr spoke to Sayyiduna Amr about it, and he said: "Whoever lights a fire, I will push him into that very fire." Then Sayyiduna Amr fought the enemy, overcame them and uprooted their army. The people asked: "Shall we not pursue the enemy?" Sayyiduna Amr said: "No! I fear that there may be reinforcements for them behind this mountain, by which they would cut the Muslims to pieces." When the people returned to the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they complained to him about Sayyiduna Amr. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Amr! Are they telling the truth?" Sayyiduna Amr said: "My companions were few. I feared that the enemy would be drawn to them because of their small number (so I forbade lighting fires). When Allah Almighty gave me victory over them, these people said: 'Pursue them.' I said: 'I fear that behind this mountain there are reinforcements for the enemy that will cut the Muslims to pieces.'" The narrator said: It was as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) praised what Sayyiduna Amr had said.