Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever draws a sword against us is not one of us.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that I was once sitting in the blessed presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a man sneezed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him by saying, "May Allah have mercy on you." When he sneezed again, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This man has a cold."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we set out with Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him), whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had appointed as our leader. We were going to fight against Banu Fazarah. When we reached a place near water, Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered us, and we camped there. After offering the Fajr prayer, he commanded us to attack the enemy, and we fell upon them and killed many people near that stream. Suddenly, I saw a swift group heading towards the mountain; there were women and children among them. I set off after them, but then I feared that they might reach the mountain before me, so I shot an arrow towards them, which landed between them on the mountain. Then I drove them towards Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) and brought them back to the stream. Among them was a woman from Banu Fazarah who was wearing a leather cloak, and with her was her daughter, who was one of the most beautiful girls among the Arabs. Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave that daughter to me as a reward. I did not even lift her veil until we reached Madinah Munawwarah. Even when night fell, I did not remove her veil. The next day, I met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the marketplace. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me, “Salamah! Give me that woman as a gift.” I replied, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! I like her, and I have not even lifted her veil yet.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained silent and left me. The next day, I again met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the marketplace, and he repeated his request and made me swear by my father. I swore and said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! I like her, and I have not even lifted her veil yet. But O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Now I give her to you.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent that girl to the people of Makkah, in whose custody there were many Muslim prisoners. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered that girl in exchange for ransom and thus freed those prisoners.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Khaybar, my brother (according to another narration, my uncle) fought fiercely in the company of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but during the battle, his sword slipped and struck himself, and he was martyred by its blade. The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) began to express doubts and whisper among themselves about him, saying that he was killed by his own weapon. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned, I said: O Messenger of Allah! (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) May I have your permission to recite rajaz poetry? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) granted permission. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Speak thoughtfully. While reciting poetry, I said: By Allah! If it were not for Allah, we would never have been guided, nor given charity, nor prayed. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: You have spoken the truth. I further said: O Allah! Send down tranquility upon us and grant us steadfastness when facing the enemy, for the polytheists have girded themselves against us in rebellion. When I completed my rajaz poetry, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked: Who composed these verses? I replied: My brother composed them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: May Allah’s mercy descend upon him. I said: O Messenger of Allah! (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Some people are hesitant to perform his funeral prayer and say that he died by his own weapon. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He was martyred as a striving mujahid. In another chain, it is also mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Those who are hesitant to perform his funeral prayer are mistaken; he was martyred as a striving mujahid and will receive a double reward. Saying this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gestured with two fingers.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) and Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we were participating in a jihad, during which a messenger from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us and said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: You may benefit from women.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we set out for jihad against Banu Hawazin with Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave me a slave girl as a reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me, “Salamah! Give that woman to me as a gift.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent that girl to the people of Makkah, in whose custody there were many Muslim prisoners. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered that girl in exchange for ransom and thus freed those prisoners.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever deliberately attributes a false statement to me, he should make his abode in the Hellfire.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a man from the tribe of Aslam on the day of ‘Ashura to announce among the people that whoever is fasting today should complete his fast, and whoever has eaten or drunk something should not eat anything further and should complete the fast until the end of its time.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for permission to live in the wilderness, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) granted him permission.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of Hudaybiyyah, I pledged allegiance to the right hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) along with other people, and then sat aside. When the people dispersed from around the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: “Ibn Akwa’! Why are you not pledging allegiance?” I said: “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I have already pledged allegiance.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do it again.” The narrator asked: “On what did you pledge allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that day?” He replied: “On death.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a funeral was brought. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led his funeral prayer. Then another funeral was brought and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the same: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “Yes! Three dinars.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured with his fingers and said: “Three marks of Hellfire.” Then a third funeral was brought and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked as before: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “Yes!” Then he asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “Yes!” Then he asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then you should offer the funeral prayer of your companion yourselves.” At this, an Ansari said: “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! His debt is upon me.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led his funeral prayer as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that (my brother) ‘Amir was a poet. When he camped at a place, he began to recite these verses of Hadi:

“O Allah! If it were not for You, we would not have been guided,
We would not have given charity nor performed prayer.
We sacrifice for You; now that we have come, forgive us,
And grant us steadfastness when we face the enemy,
And send down tranquility upon us.
When we are called, we respond,
And people trust and rely on us just by calling out to us.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Who is the reciter of this Hadi?” The people replied, “It is Ibn Akwa’.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “May Allah have mercy on him.” Upon hearing this, a man said, “It has become obligatory, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Why did you not let us benefit from him?” The narrator says that in that very expedition, ‘Amir was martyred. He had advanced to kill a Jew, but the edge of his sword recoiled and struck his own knee, and thus he was martyred.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a man from the tribe of Aslam on the day of ‘Ashura to announce among the people that whoever is fasting today should complete his fast, and whoever has eaten or drunk something should not eat or drink anything further and should complete the fast until the end of its time.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that when we were returning from Khaybar, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw some fires burning at various places. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “For what purpose have these fires been lit?” The people replied, “To cook the meat of domesticated donkeys.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Turn over the pots and spill out whatever is in them.” One of the people asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Should we spill out what is in them and also wash the pots?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Then what else?”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I set out from Madinah Munawwarah to go to “Ghabah.” When I reached its summit, I met a slave of Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked him: “Hey, what’s the matter? (Why are you so anxious?)” He said: “The she-camels of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have been snatched.” I asked: “Who has taken them?” He replied: “Abu Ghatfan and Banu Fazarah.” Upon this, I shouted “Ya Sabahah!” three times so loudly that my voice reached both ends of Madinah Munawwarah. Then I set off after them until I caught up with them. Indeed, they had seized the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) she-camels. I began showering arrows upon them and reciting this verse: “I am the son of Akwa’, today is the day to strike fear into the enemies.” Eventually, I recovered those she-camels from them, while they had not yet even drunk water. Then I drove them back and set off for home. On the way, I met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I said: “O Messenger of Allah! (peace and blessings be upon him) Those people were still thirsty when I caught up with them before they could drink water, so you should set out after them.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O son of Akwa’! You have overpowered them (and recovered your property), now deal gently with them. Now, your people will be hosting those people as guests.”

Yazid bin Abu Ubaid says that once I saw a scar from a wound on the shin of Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’. I asked him, “O Abu Muslim! What is this scar?” He replied, “I received this wound during the Battle of Khaybar. When I was struck, people said, ‘Salamah is finished.’ But then I was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ), and the Prophet (ﷺ) blew on it three times, and since then I have never felt any pain from it again.”

Ibrahim ibn Mahdi narrated to us, he said: Hatim—meaning ibn Isma'il—narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Abi Ubaid, he said: I heard Salama ibn al-Akwa' say: I went out, and he mentioned something similar to the hadith of Makki, except that he said: "And today is the day of the suckling children," and he added in it: "And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, mounted me behind him on his riding animal."

Yazid bin Abu Ubaid (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I used to come to the mosque with Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him), and he would pray near the pillar that was close to the Mushaf. I asked him: O Abu Muslim! I see you giving special attention to this pillar; what is the reason for this? He replied: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praying with special attention near this pillar.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: May Allah keep the tribe of Aslam safe, and may Allah forgive the tribe of Ghifar. By Allah! I do not say this; this is what Allah says.

Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we came with the Messenger of Allah to the place of Hudaybiyyah, and we were fourteen hundred in number, and we had fifty goats with us, which were not getting enough water. The narrator says that the Messenger of Allah sat at the edge of the well, and either he supplicated or he put his saliva into it. The narrator says that then the water in the well began to gush forth. Then we watered our animals and ourselves as well. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called us to pledge allegiance under the root of a tree. The narrator says that among the people, I was the first to pledge allegiance, then others did so, until when half the people had pledged, he said: “Salamah, pledge allegiance.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! I have already pledged allegiance first of all.” He said: “Then do it again.” And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that I had no weapon or anything with me, so he gave me a shield. (After that) the process of pledging allegiance started again. When all the people had pledged, he said: “O Salamah! Did you not pledge allegiance?” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! I was the first among the people to pledge, and I also pledged among the people.” He said: “Then do it again.” Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I pledged allegiance for the third time. Then he said to me: “O Salamah! Where is the shield I gave you?” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! My uncle ‘Amir had no weapon, so I gave him that shield.” Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled and said: “You are like the man who was the first to supplicate, ‘O Allah! Grant me a friend who is dearer to me than my own soul.’” Then the polytheists sent us a message for reconciliation, until people from each side began to go to the other, and we made peace. Sayyiduna Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I was in the service of Sayyiduna Talhah bin ‘Ubaydullah, and I used to water his horse, graze it, serve him, and eat with him, because I had migrated to Allah and His Messenger, leaving my family and my wealth behind. Then, when peace was established between us and the people of Makkah, and people began to mix with each other, I came to a tree, cleared the thorns from under 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. I became very angry at these polytheists, so I moved to another tree, and they hung their weapons and lay down. While they were in this state, suddenly a caller from the valley below shouted: “O Muhajirun! Ibn Zunaim has been martyred!” As soon as I heard this, I drew my sword and attacked those four while they were sleeping, took their weapons, bundled them together in my hand, and said: “By the One Who honored the noble face of Muhammad, none of you should raise his head, otherwise I will strike you in the part between your two eyes.” The narrator says: Then I dragged them to the Messenger of Allah, and my uncle ‘Amir also brought seventy men from the polytheists with Ibn Makraz to the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at them and then said: “Let them go, for the beginning of the dispute was from their side, and the repetition was also from their side.” In short, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forgave them, and Allah the Exalted revealed this blessed Ayah: “And He it is Who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah after He had given you victory over them.” Then we set out towards Madinah. On the way, we stopped at a place where a mountain stood between us and the polytheists of Banu Lihyan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for forgiveness for the man who would climb the mountain and keep watch for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions. Sayyiduna Salamah says: I climbed that mountain two or three times. Then we reached Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent his camels with Rabah, who was the slave of the Messenger of Allah. I also set out with those camels, riding on the horse of Sayyiduna Abu Talhah. When morning came, ‘Abdur Rahman Fazari...

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) camped at a certain place. A spy from the polytheists came to gather information. At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was having breakfast with his companions. He invited the man (posing as a guest) to eat as well. When the man finished eating, he mounted his ride and set off to warn his companions. I pursued him, made his mount sit down, and struck his neck. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me his equipment as a reward.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sometimes I am engaged in hunting, can I pray in my shirt only? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Fasten it, even if only with a thorn.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When the ‘Isha prayer and the night meal are combined, then eat the food first.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sometimes I am engaged in hunting, can I pray in my shirt only? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Fasten it with a button, even if you only find a thorn.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the jihad against Hawazin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) camped at a certain place. A spy from the polytheists came to gather information. At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was having breakfast with his companions. They treated him as a guest and invited him to eat. When the man finished eating, he mounted his ride and set off to warn his companions. A man from the tribe of Aslam, who was riding a fine ash-colored she-camel, went after him, and I also ran out and caught him. The head of the she-camel was at the rump of the camel, and I was at the rump of the she-camel. I moved a little ahead and got close to the rump of the camel, then got a little closer and grabbed the reins of his camel. I made his mount sit down, and when it sat, I struck his neck and killed him. I took his mount and his equipment and drove them towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). On the way, I met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Who killed this man? The people said: Ibn Akwa’ did. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: His equipment also belongs to him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever deliberately attributes a false statement to me, he should make his abode in the Hellfire.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that we set out towards Khaybar with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One of the people said, “O ‘Amir! Recite for us some verses of Huda (camel-driving poetry).” He dismounted and began to recite poetry, and he recited this verse: “By Allah, if Allah had not been (with us), we would not have been guided.” He also recited other verses which I do not remember. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, “Who is the reciter of this Huda?” The people replied, “‘Amir bin Akwa’.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “May Allah have mercy on him.” Then a man said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Why did you not let us benefit from him?” Anyway, when the people lined up for battle, during the fighting, ‘Amir was struck by the edge of his own sword and died from it. When night fell, the people lit many fires. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, “What is this fire and for what has it been lit?” The people replied, “For the domesticated donkeys.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Throw away whatever is in them and break the pots.” A man asked, “Can we not pour out what is in the pots and then wash them?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “And what else?”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a man from the tribe of Aslam on the day of ‘Ashura to announce among the people that whoever is fasting today should complete his fast, and whoever has eaten or drunk something should not eat or drink anything further and should complete the rest of the day as a fast until the time of breaking the fast.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a funeral was brought. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led his funeral prayer. Then another funeral was brought and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the same: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “Yes, three dinars.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed towards his fingers and said: “Three marks of Hell.” Then a third funeral was brought and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked as before: “Did he leave behind any debt?” The people replied, “Yes!” Then he asked: “Did he leave any inheritance?” The people replied, “No!” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then you should offer the funeral prayer of your companion yourselves.” At this, an Ansari companion whose name was Abu Qatadah said: “O Messenger of Allah! His debt is upon me.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led his funeral prayer as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a group from the tribe of Aslam who were practicing archery in the market. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Banu Isma’il! Keep practicing archery, for your forefather (Sayyiduna Isma’il, peace be upon him) was an archer. Practice archery, and I will join such-and-such group." Upon this, the other party withdrew their hands. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shoot your arrows." They said, "O Messenger of Allah! How can we shoot when you are with them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shoot your arrows, for I am with all of you."