Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we set out with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for the expedition of Dhat al-Riqa’. In this expedition, a woman from among the polytheists was also killed. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set out to return, the husband of that woman came back. Seeing his wife dead, he swore that he would not rest until he had shed blood among the companions of Muhammad. After taking this oath, he set out following the footprints of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Meanwhile, when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reached a certain place and camped, he said, “Who will keep watch tonight?” At this, a Muhajir and an Ansari volunteered and said, “O Messenger of Allah! We will do it.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Then do this: go and keep watch at the mouth of this mountain pass,” because they had camped in a mountain pass. When both of them reached there, the Ansari asked the Muhajir, “Which part of the night do you prefer that I suffice for you? The first or the last?” He said, “You take the first part, and I will take the second.” So the Muhajir lay down and slept, and the Ansari stood up and began to pray. Meanwhile, the polytheist arrived. When he saw the figure of a man from afar, he realized that this was the guard of the people. So he aimed from a distance and shot an arrow at him, which struck his body. The Ansari pulled it out and threw it away, and continued to pray steadfastly. The polytheist shot a second arrow, which also struck his body. The Ansari pulled it out and threw it away, then went into bowing and prostration and woke up his companion. He told him to sit down, and he himself jumped up. When the polytheist saw both of them, he realized that the people had become aware of him, so he fled. Then the Muhajir, seeing the Ansari’s flowing blood, said in amazement, “Subhan Allah!” and asked, “Why didn’t you wake me up?” The Ansari replied, “I was reciting a surah and I did not like to end my prayer without completing it. But when I saw that he had showered me with arrows, then I bowed and woke you up. By Allah, if I had not feared that the duty of keeping watch would be neglected, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had assigned to me, my soul would have departed before I finished that surah.”