Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Asim bin Kulayb Jarmee narrates that the news of Nahawand and Hazrat Nu’man bin Muqarrin was delayed in reaching Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask people about this, but he did not receive any news of Nahawand or Ibn Muqarrin. Meanwhile, a villager came and said, “What news have you received about Nahawand and Ibn Muqarrin?” The people asked, “What news is there?” He replied, “Nothing.” Then Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was informed of this, so he called the villager and asked him, “Why did you mention Nahawand and Ibn Muqarrin? If you have any news, tell us.” The villager said, “O Commander of the Faithful! I am so-and-so, son of so-and-so, and I am from such-and-such tribe. I set out with my family and wealth, intending to migrate to Allah and His Messenger. We stayed at such-and-such places. When we set out, we saw a man on a red camel whom we had never seen before. We asked him, ‘Where have you come from?’ He said, ‘I have come from Iraq.’ We asked, ‘What is the news of the people there?’ He said, ‘There was a battle there, Allah granted victory over the enemy, and Ibn Muqarrin was martyred.’ By Allah, I do not know Nahawand or Ibn Muqarrin.” Hazrat Umar asked him, “Can you tell which day it was?” He replied, “I do not know.” Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Tell me the places where you stayed. Tell me the places of your stay.” He said, “We set out on such-and-such day and stayed at such-and-such places.” In this way, the day was determined. Hazrat Umar said to him, “Perhaps you met a messenger from among the jinn.” Then, after some time, the news of Nahawand arrived, and the battle had taken place on that very day.

Hazrat Kulayb narrates that when the news of Nahawand and Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin was delayed in reaching Hazrat Umar, he used to seek help from people regarding this matter.

Hazrat Mudrik bin Awf Ahmasi says that I was with Hazrat Umar when a messenger from Hazrat Nu’man bin Muqarrin came to him. Hazrat Umar asked him about the people. He mentioned the mujahideen who were martyred in the battle of Nahawand, and said that so-and-so son of so-and-so was martyred, and there are some others whom we do not know. Hazrat Umar said, “But Allah knows them.” Some eyewitnesses of that battle reported that a man fought very bravely whose name was Awf bin Abi Hiyyah Abu Shabeel Ahmasi. Upon hearing this, Mudrik bin Awf said, “By Allah! O Commander of the Faithful, he is my maternal uncle. People think that he brought destruction upon himself.” Hazrat Umar said, “These people are lying. He traded the world for the Hereafter.” Ismail narrates that when he was wounded, he was fasting. There was still some life left in him. He was offered water, but he refused to drink and passed away in that state.

Hazrat Abu Uthman narrates that when I brought the news of Nu'man bin Muqarrin's martyrdom to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he placed his hand on his head and began to weep.

Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib says that I remember when the news of the martyrdom of Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin reached Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam narrates that when Nahawand was conquered, many war captives fell into the hands of the Muslims. A wealthy man was ransoming those captives by paying their ransom and setting them free. A Muslim had received a very beautiful and young slave girl. He came to me and said, "Come with me to that wealthy man, perhaps he will pay me the price for this slave girl." (2) So I went with him, and we reached a proud old man who had a translator. He said to his translator, "Ask this slave girl whether this Arab has had intercourse with her." He was overcome with jealousy upon seeing the beauty of the slave girl. He said something in his own language to the slave girl, which I understood. I said to him, "By questioning the slave girl about his secret matter, you have committed a sin in the light of your book." He said to me, "You are lying, what do you know about what is in my book?" I said, "I know your book better than you." He said, "Do you know my book better than I do?" I said, "Yes, I know your book better than you." He asked, "Who is this?" People told him, "This is Abdullah bin Salam." Then I returned that day. (3) Then he sent a messenger to me and called me to him with insistence. I went to him with the intention that perhaps he would accept Islam and my record of deeds would increase in goodness. He kept me with him for three days. I would recite the Torah to him and he would weep. I said to him, "By Allah, this is the very Prophet whose mention you find in the Torah." He said, "Then what should I do about the Jews?" I said, "They will be of no use to you against Allah." Nevertheless, misfortune prevailed over him and he refused to accept Islam.

Hazrat Ma'qil bin Yasar narrates that Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) consulted Hormuzan regarding Persia, Isfahan, and Azerbaijan. He said that Isfahan is like the head, and Persia and Azerbaijan are like the arms. If you cut off one arm, the head will remain with the support of the other arm, but if you cut off the head, the arms will fall by themselves. Then Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the mosque and saw that Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin was praying. He sat near him, and when he finished his prayer, Hazrat Umar said to him, "I want to appoint you as a leader." He replied, "If it is to appoint me over a region, I am not willing, but if it is to send me for jihad, I accept." Hazrat Umar said, "You will go as a leader for jihad." He sent him off and told the people of Kufa to help him. Along with him were Zubair bin Al-Awwam, Amr bin Ma'dikarib, Hazrat Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him), Mughirah bin Shu'bah, Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and Ash'ath bin Qais. (2) Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin sent Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah to their king, whose name was "Dhul-Hajibain." He was informed that an envoy from the Arabs was coming. He consulted his companions whether he should sit in the manner of kings or in the manner of warriors. They advised him to sit in the manner of kings. So he sat on his throne and placed a crown on his head. His princes also sat around him, with earrings in their ears, gold bracelets on their hands, and silk garments on their bodies. Hazrat Mughirah was granted permission to meet; he was brought in under the guard of two men, with his sword and spear in his hands. Hazrat Mughirah made holes in their carpet with his spear so that they would consider it a bad omen. He stood before the king. There was an interpreter between them. The king said, "O people of Arabia, hunger and hardship have afflicted you, and you have come to us. If you wish, we can give you wealth and send you back." (3) Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah began to speak, praised Allah Almighty, and then said, "We Arabs were a humiliated people. People used to oppress us, but we did not oppress anyone. We used to eat dogs and carrion. Then Allah Almighty sent among us a Prophet, through whose advent we were honored. He was the best in lineage and the most truthful in speech. Allah Almighty granted His Prophet the religion, and whatever he said proved true. He also promised us that we would become the owners of such-and-such regions and would prevail over people. I see much adornment and decoration in your region, and those who are behind me will never give up these things." Then I said in my heart, "If I jump and sit on his throne, they will consider it a bad omen." So I jumped and sat on the throne with the king. They began to hit me with their legs and pull me with their hands. I said, "We do not do this with your envoys. If I have acted foolishly, do not punish me, for such is not done with envoys." (4) The king said, "If you wish, we can attack you, and if you wish, you can attack us." I said, "We will attack you." So the people were divided into groups of five, seven, six, and ten so that they could not flee. We advanced towards them and stood in ranks before them. They rushed towards us quickly. Hazrat Mughirah said to Hazrat Nu'man, "They have come quickly, they have set out; if you attack, it will be better." Hazrat Nu'man said, "You have many virtues and merits. You participated in many battles with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). I have seen with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he would not fight at the beginning of the day; when the sun would decline, the wind would blow, and help would descend, then he would fight." (5) Then Hazrat Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I will shake my flag three times. When I move the flag the first time, everyone should fulfill their needs and perform ablution. When I shake the flag the second time, everyone should pick up their weapons, and when I shake the flag the third time, attack. No one should turn towards anyone; even if Nu'man is killed, no one should turn towards him. I am the caller towards Allah. I make everyone swear to protect what has been entrusted to him." Then he said, "O Allah, grant Nu'man today the martyrdom of help and success..."

Muhammad says that when Hazrat Nu'man attacked, by God, we had not even fully launched the attack when he became a target among the people.

Hazrat Ma'qil bin Yasar narrates that Hazrat Umar consulted Hormuzan. (Then he narrated a hadith similar to 'Affan's.) There is this addition: Hazrat Nu'man took them to Nahavand, and there was a river between them and the people. Hazrat Mughira made the people cross the river, and at that time their king was Dhu al-Hajibayn.

Hazrat Rabi’ bin Khuthaym narrates that Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam received an old Jewish woman as his share from the spoils of Nahawand. He took her and passed by a wealthy Jewish chief and said to him, “Will you buy her?” The chief spoke to the old woman and found out that she followed his religion. He asked, “For how much will you sell her?” Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam replied, “For four thousand.” The chief said, “I do not need her.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam swore that he would not reduce the price. Then the chief whispered to Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam and recited this verse of the Holy Qur’an: { وَإِنْ یَأْتُوکُمْ أُسَارَی تُفَادُوہُمْ } Then he asked, “Are you Abdullah bin Salam?” He replied, “Yes.” Then the chief said, “Either sell me this slave woman or leave your religion.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam said, “I have given her to you; give me whatever you wish from the price as a gift.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam took two thousand and returned two thousand to him.

Hazrat Humaid bin Abdur Rahman Humairi narrates that there was a companion whose name was "Hammah." During the time of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he set out towards Isfahan with the intention of jihad. In this expedition, he prayed: O Allah! Hammah believes that he loves to meet You. If Hammah is truthful, then make his truth manifest, and if he is lying, then also decide his matter, even if he dislikes it. O Allah! Do not send Hammah back from this journey. The narrator says that afterwards, he passed away in Isfahan. After his death, Hazrat Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon and said in it: O people! According to the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and our knowledge, Hammah is a martyr.

Hazrat Alqamah narrates that we laid siege to the city of Nahavand, and I gave one of my garments to Hazrat Mu'azzad, and he tied it as a turban. A stone struck his head. He began to rub his head and, looking towards me, said: "This is very small, and Allah Almighty will grant blessing in what is small."

Hazrat Salat and Hazrat Abu Masaafi say that we were with Nu’man bin Muqarrin when a letter from Hazrat Umar bin Khattab came to us, in which he had written that when you face the enemy, do not flee, and when you receive wealth, do not be dishonest. So when we faced the enemy, Hazrat Nu’man told the people not to attack them yet. (It was Friday) Wait until the Commander of the Faithful prays to Allah for help from the pulpit. Then we attacked the enemy, and Hazrat Nu’man was immediately struck by death. After being severely wounded, he said, “Cover me with a cloth and attack the enemy, and do not become weak because of me.” Then Allah granted us victory. When Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was informed that Hazrat Nu’man and such-and-such people had been martyred, and some others whom we do not know, Hazrat Umar said, “But Allah knows them.”

Hazrat Abu Malik and Abu Masaafi say that we were with Hazrat Nu’man bin Muqarrin at Nahawand when a letter from Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, in which it was written: Perform the prayer at its appointed time, do not turn your back when facing the enemy, and when you are victorious, do not commit treachery.

Hazrat Abdul Malik bin Umair narrates that Hazrat Umar wrote in a letter to Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin that during battle, keep consulting and seeking help from Hazrat Tulaiha and Hazrat Amr bin Ma'di Karib. But do not assign them any responsibility. Because every creator knows his creation best.

Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Hazrat Nu'man bin Muqarrin was the commander of the army of Kufa, and Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari was the commander of the army of Basra.