Muwatta Imam Malik (Riwayat Ibn al-Qasim)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) set out for jihad towards Syria. When he reached Sargh (a place near the valley of Tabuk), the commanders of his army (who were appointed over Jordan, Homs, Damascus, Palestine, and Qinnasrin), Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions, came to him and informed him that an epidemic (plague) had spread in Syria. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Call the earliest Muhajirun to me. He called them and consulted them, and informed them that an epidemic had spread in Syria. There was a difference of opinion among them. Some said: You have set out from your home for a purpose, and in our opinion, you should not turn back leaving it. Some said: With you are the remaining senior companions and other companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and we think you should not take them into the area of the epidemic. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You may leave from me. Then he said: Call the Ansar to me. He consulted them, and they too, following the footsteps of the Muhajirun, differed among themselves. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them as well: You may leave from me. Then he said: Bring to me the elderly Quraysh among the Muhajirun who accepted Islam at the conquest of Makkah. They were called, and none of them differed. They said: We think you should return with the people and not take them into the area of the epidemic. Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) announced among the people: In the morning, I will be mounted for return, so you too mount your rides. Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah? Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: O Abu Ubaidah! If anyone other than you had said this... Yes! We are fleeing from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. What do you think? If you have camels and you come to two valleys, one lush and green and the other dry and barren, where would you graze them? If you graze them in the lush and green valley, you do so by the decree of Allah, and if you graze them in the dry and barren valley, you do so by the decree of Allah. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Then Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), who was absent from the army due to some work, arrived. After learning of the companions’ disagreement, he said: I have knowledge about this. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: When you hear of an epidemic in a land, do not go there, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not flee from it. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) praised and thanked Allah and returned.