Book: Dalail an-Nubuwwah by Bayhaqi

The Prophet's Supplication and the Response of Allah

The chapter discusses the supplication of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, for the pagans before and after encounters, the supplication of his companions, their seeking help from their Lord, and Allah's response to them, supporting them with angels. The Prophet also informed about the battle encounters of people before they occur.

Allah says, "And [remember, O believers], when Allah promised you one of the two groups - that it would be yours - and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words and to eliminate the disbelievers. That He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it." (Quran 8:7-8)

When you asked your Lord for help, He answered you, saying, "I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another." (Quran 8:9)

The passage then mentions further signs of Prophethood such as sleepiness, rain, consolidation, reduced visibility, and other manifestations of prophecy.

It was narrated by Abu Abdullah Al-Hafith and Abu Muhammad Janah ibn Budayr ibn Janah al-Muharibi in Kufa, who reported from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Rahim, narrated from Ahmad ibn Hazim ibn Abi Garza, who reported from Ubaydullah ibn Musa and Abu Nuaim, who reported from Isra'il, from Mukhariq, from Tariq ibn Shihab, saying, "I heard Ibn Mas'ud saying..."

Passage Translated:

I witnessed a scene with Al-Miqdad that I would rather have than the possessions that are upon which justice is practiced. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came while invoking against the polytheists and said: “We will not tell you as the people of Moses told Moses: 'Go, you and your Lord, and fight.' We are here standing, but we will fight on your right, on your left, from in front, and from behind.” He said: “Then I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brighten [his face] with joy.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari in Sahih from Abu Nu'aim).

Abu Ali Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad Al-Rudhbary informed us, saying: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Bakr ibn Abd al-Razzaq Al-Tammar in Basra told us, Abu Dawud Sulaiman ibn Al-Ash'ath Al-Sijistani told us, Musa ibn Isma'il told us, Hammad told us, from Thabit, from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) incited his companions and set out towards Badr, where there were some Quraysh who included Aswad ibn Hajjaj. The Prophet's companions seized him, and they were asking him: “Where is Abu Sufyan?” He replied: “By Allah, I have no knowledge of his affairs, but Quraysh has come with Abu Jahl, Utbah, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf.” He was struck when he said that, and he requested them to leave him to inform them, and when they did, he said: “By Allah, I have no knowledge of Abu Sufyan, but Quraysh has come with Abu Jahl, Utbah, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf. They have advanced, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is praying while hearing this. When he left, he said: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, you hit him when he tells the truth, and you leave him when he lies. Quraysh has advanced to prevent Abu Sufyan.”

Anecdotes from the Prophet's Life

On Predictions: Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, pointed to certain spots on the ground, predicting the demise of particular individuals, emphasizing that none of them would die beyond the marked locations. The Prophet later ordered for them to be dragged and thrown into Badr Valley.

Consultation Prior to Battle: When Abu Sufyan's arrival was imminent, Abu Bakr and Umar offered their opinions but were dismissed. Sa'd ibn Ubadah then expressed unwavering support for the Prophet, pledging absolute obedience and readiness to carry out any command, even to the extent of submerging the enemy in the sea or crushing their livers into the gritty soil.

Preparations for Badr: The Prophet gathered his followers and set out for Badr, where the events unfolded as foretold. The mentioned incident involving the capture of the boy and the discussions about the enemy's positions have symbolic implications reminiscent of Moses's narrative.

Sources:

• Reported by Anas
• Abu Dawood in the Book of Jihad, Hadith No. 2681, p. 3:58

Historical Insight:

Scholars explained that the Prophet's choice to consult the Ansar before the battle indicated his reliance on their support to deter any individuals he sought to confront. The Ansar's agreement to participate in the conflict with Abu Sufyan's caravan displayed their unwavering commitment.

(Translator's note: The Arabic expressions have been translated to convey the intended meaning while maintaining the essence of the original text.)

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

Source: This narration was reported by Muslim in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Bakr ibn Abu Shaybah.

In this narration, Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah is mentioned, while others attribute the statement to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh.

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Furak informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Ja'far al-Asbahanī narrated to us, who said: Yunus ibn Habib told us, who said: Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi narrated to us, saying: Suleiman ibn al-Mughirah reported, on the authority of Thabit, from Anas ibn Malik, who said:

"We saw the new moon and no one claimed to have seen it before me. So, I said to Umar, 'O Commander of the Believers! Do you see it?' I pointed it out to him. When he couldn't see it, he said, 'I will see it when I lie down on my bed.' Then, he started narrating to us about the day of Badr. He said, 'The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to inform us about the encounters of people of the previous day. This one will be killed tomorrow by the will of Allah, and that one will be killed tomorrow by the will of Allah.' By the One in whose hand my soul is, those were the boundaries set by God, which they transgressed and fought over. Then their corpses were thrown into a well. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came and said, 'O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, and O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, have you found what your Lord promised to be true? Verily, I have found what my Lord promised to be true.' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Are you speaking to bodies that have no souls in them?' The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'By Him in whose hand my soul is, you are no more deaf than they are. But they cannot respond to me.'

(Reported by Muslim in: Book 32, Kitab al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar, Chapter 30: Battle of Badr, Hadith 83, pg. 1403-1404)

(Additions from (ص) and (هـ))

(In Sahih Muslim: "I have the sharpest eyesight, and I saw it, and no one claims to have seen it before me, so I used to tell Umar: Can you see it?")

(In Sahih: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to show us the positions of the people of Badr, saying...")

(In Sahih Muslim: "They did not transgress the boundaries set by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.")

Hadith on the Battle of Badr

It was narrated by Muslim in Sahih from Shayban and others, from Sulaiman bin Al-Mughirah. Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Muqri' Al-Isfaraini informed us about it. He said: Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq informed us, who said: Yusuf bin Ya'qub narrated to us, saying: Muhammad bin Abi Bakr narrated to us, who said: Abdul Rahman bin Mahdi informed us, from Shu'bah, from Abu Ishaq, from Haritha, from Ali - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: "There was no horseman among us on the day of Badr except Al-Miqdad on a gray horse. I witnessed that we were all asleep except the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) under a samurah tree, praying and weeping until morning."

Another Narration Concerning the Battle of Badr

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad bin Ya'qub narrated to us, who said: Muhammad bin Sinan Al-Qazzaz informed us, who said: Abdul Allah bin Abdul Majid Abu Ali Al-Hanafi told us, saying: Ubaidullah bin Abdul Rahman bin Mauhab informed me from Ismail bin Awun, from Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi', from Abdul Allah bin Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib, from his father, from his grandfather, from Ali bin Abi Talib - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: "On the day of Badr, I fought in combat for a while, then hastened to see what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was doing. I found him prostrating, saying: O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of [all] existence! I returned to the battle, then came back to find him still in prostration, saying the same words. I did this a few times and he remained in prostration, repeating the words until Allah granted him victory."

The Dua and Behavior of Prophet Muhammad on the Day of Badr

Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Qadi informed us that Abu al-Abbas Ismail ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Mikally said that Abdullah ibn Ahmad al-Ahwazi narrated to him, who heard it from Sahl ibn Uthman al-Askari, who heard it from Yahya, from al-A`mash, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu Ubaydah, from Abdullah, who said: "I have never heard anyone pleading something more earnestly than the plea of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on the day of Badr. He used to say, 'O Allah, I beseech Your covenant and promise. O Allah, should this group be destroyed, there will be no worshipers left.' Then he turned around as if he saw the faces of the enemy soldiers in the evening light."

The Dua and Support of Abu Bakr on the Day of Badr

Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Bustami narrated to us that Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili said Hasan ibn Sufyan and Imran ibn Musa informed us, that Wahb ibn Baqiyyah narrated to us from Khalid ibn Abdullah, from Khalid, from Abdul Ala al-Narasi, from Abdul Wahhab, who narrated from Khalid, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in his tent on the day of Badr: 'O Allah, I beseech Your covenant and promise. O Allah, if You so will, none shall be worshiped after this day forever.' Abu Bakr took his hand and said: 'Enough, enough, O Messenger of Allah, you have truly implored your Lord.' He was in his armor and he came out saying, 'The coalition will be defeated, turning their backs, rather, the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour is more severe and more bitter.'

The Night of Badr

Badr took place on the seventeenth night of Friday of the month of Ramadan in the second year of the Hijrah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spent the night praying under a tree, repeatedly saying, 'O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of existence.' It is confirmed in the hadith of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) spent the night praying and weeping until morning. During the battle, the Prophet (peace be upon him) aligned his companions and encouraged them for the fight, threw pebbles at the polytheists, and prohibited killing certain individuals among them.

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

Hadith about the Battle of Badr

It was narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih from Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn Hawshab from Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi.

Chain of Narrators

Isma'il ibn Ahmad al-Jurjani told us, he said: Abu Ya'la informed us that Zuhayr ibn Harb told us that Umar ibn Yunus al-Hanafi told us that Ikrimah ibn Ammar told me that Abu Zumayl, a fisherman from the Hanafi tribe, told me that Abdullah ibn Abbas said to me that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "On the day of Badr, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) looked at the polytheists who were a thousand in number, while his companions were three hundred and nineteen men...

Abu Bakr's Assurance

Abu Bakr came to him, picked up his garment, put it on his shoulders, supported him from behind, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, this is how you should beseech your Lord, for surely He will fulfil His promise to you." Allah then revealed the verse: "When you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you, 'I will reinforce you with a thousand of the angels, following one another.'"

Additional Notes

The narrator Ibn Abbas mentioned that a Muslim man, on that day... (continuing in the text).

Encounter with the Enemy

It was said that once a man from the polytheists stood in front of him as he heard a whip being cracked above him and the voice of the Persian saying: "I am Hayzum coming forward." When he looked at the polytheist in front of him, he fell backward, prostrate. We looked at him and found that his nose was crushed and his face split, resembling the crack of the whip, all turning pale. The Ansari approached and narrated this to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who confirmed, saying: "You said the truth, by the assistance of the third heaven on that day seventy were killed, and seventy taken captive." [Narrated by Muslim in Sahih from Zuhayr bin Harb.]

The Battle of Badr

It is narrated that a man from the Banu Ghifar tribe said: "My cousin and I were present at Badr, still polytheists. We were on a mountain awaiting the fate of whoever would be vanquished. A cloud appeared, and as it neared the mountain, we heard the stir of horses and a Persian voice saying: 'I am Hayzum coming forward.' As for my companion, the mask covering his heart was unveiled and he died on the spot, while I felt as if I would perish, but then I recovered afterward." [Narrated by Abdullah bin Abi Bakr bin Hisham.]

Abu Usaid Al-Sa'idi on the Battle of Badr

Abu Usaid al-Sa'idi narrated: "I heard Abu Usaid Malik ibn Rabi'ah, after losing his sight, saying: 'If I were with you at Badr now and had my sight, I would inform you about the group from which the angels emerged. I do not doubt or hesitate.'"

The Arrival of Angels at Badr

When the angels descended, Iblis saw them and Allah revealed to them: 'I am with you, so strengthen the believers. The angels will appear to a man in the form of a man he knows, saying: "Rejoice, for they are nothing, and Allah is with you. Attack them!" When Iblis saw the angels, he turned away in retreat, saying: 'I dissociate myself from you,' while appearing as Suraaqah."

Incident with Abu Jahl and Suraaqah

Abu Jahl attempted to rally his troops, warning them not to fear Suraaqah's deception, as he had a prior appointment with Muhammad and his companions. He stated: 'By al-Lat and al-'Uzza, we will not retreat until we engage Muhammad and his companions in the battle, so do not kill them, but capture them alive.'"

Abu Usaid Al-Sa'idi's Regret

Abu Usaid Al-Sa'idi, after losing his sight, expressed to his friend: "By Allah, if I were with you at Badr now and Allah granted me my sight, I would surely show you the group from which the angels emerged without any doubt or hesitation."

Translation of Hadith Narration

Narrated by Ibn Abbas: Ikrimah reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that Musa ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim at-Taymi reported from his father that A'idh ibn Yahya reported from Abu Hurairah, from Umamah ibn Uqaymah al-Laythi, from Hakim ibn Hizam, they said: "When the battle drew near and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) uplifted his hands supplicating to Allah for victory and that which he was promised, he said: 'O Allah, should this group be defeated, You will not be worshipped again.' And Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, Allah will surely aid you or brighten your face!' So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, sent a thousand angels, reinforcing them at the enemy's flanks. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Rejoice, O Abu Bakr! This is Gabriel, holding the reins of his horse, between the heavens and the earth, with a yellow turban. When he descended to the earth, he disappeared from my sight for a moment, then appeared covered in dust, saying: 'Allah's aid has come to you as you called for it.'"

Additional Narration

It was narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said on the day of Badr: 'This is Gabriel holding the reins of his horse, equipped for battle.' This narration is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by Ibrahim ibn Musa.

Sources

Some parts of this narration are found in Ibn Kathir's Al-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah (vol. 3, p. 276) and As-Salhi's As-Sirah ash-Shamiyyah (vol. 4, p. 60).

This hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Military Expeditions (Book 64), Chapter on the Witnesses of Angels at Badr, Hadith no. 3995, and also mentioned in Fath al-Bari (vol. 7, p. 312).

Accounts of Witnesses at the Battle of Badr

In a narration passed down by Muhammad ibn Jubair, it is recounted that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, once addressed the people saying, "While I was searching for remnants from the Battle of Badr, a fierce wind came that I had never witnessed before. It subsided, only to be followed by an even more powerful wind, unmatched except by the first. I believe he mentioned: Then a third strong wind came. The first wind was Gabriel, peace be upon him, who descended with a thousand angels accompanying the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. The second wind was Michael, who descended with a thousand angels on the right side of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, with Abu Bakr on his right. The third wind was Israfil, who descended with a thousand angels on the left side of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, with me as his companion. When Allah granted him victory over his enemies, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, mounted his horse, I fell off and invoked Allah for help, and it stopped. When I regained composure, I took this hand and striking the people with it until it bled. And he indicated to his armpit."

Witness Testimonies

In another account, it is reported that during the Battle of Badr, someone said to Ali and Abu Bakr, "With you is Gabriel," while to the other, "With you is Michael and Israfil, a mighty angel who witnesses the battle but does not fight, standing in your ranks."

Transmission of Narrations About the Battle of Badr

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafith Emllaa informed us that Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Muhammad Al-'Ambari narrated to us that Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al-'Abdi informed us that Yahya ibn Abdullah ibn Bukayr narrated to us that Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Zakariya Al-Humaidi informed us that Al-Ala' ibn Kathir told us that Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Al-Miswar ibn Makhrimah narrated to us that Abu Umamah ibn Sahl said: My father told me: "O my son, I saw us on the day of Badr, and one of us would point his sword towards the head of a polytheist, and his head would fall before he reached him."

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafith informed us that Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us that Ahmad ibn Abd al-Jabbar informed us that Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated from Ibn Ishaq, who said that his father Ishaq ibn Yasar related from men of Bani Mazin, from Abu Waqid Al-Laythi, who said: "On the day of Badr, I followed a polytheist to strike him, and his head fell before my sword reached him, so I knew that someone else had killed him."

Abu Abdullah and Abu Saeed ibn Abi Amr informed us that Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub said that Ahmad ibn Abd al-Jabbar informed us that Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated from Isa ibn Abdullah Al-Tamimi from Al-Rabi' ibn Anas, who said: "On the day of Badr, people recognized the slain angels among those slain by identifying marks on their necks and ribs, resembling the burns of fire."

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafith said: Al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn informed me about the beginning and end (3:380-381) from the author as well as from Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Na'im.

Sourced from Ibn Hisham's biography (2:274).

Witnesses to the Angelic Presence at the Battle of Badr

Testimonies From Companions Witnessing the Angelic Presence

Discussion With Archangel Gabriel Regarding the Angelic Participants at Badr

Memory of Severed Hands and Piercing Blows at Badr

Narration of the Battle of Badr

It was narrated that Abi Burdah bin Niyar said, "I came to the Prophet on the Day of Badr with three heads, which I placed before the Prophet. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I killed these two heads, while the third one, I saw a tall white man fighting and when I took his head, the Prophet said, 'That was so-and-so from the angels.'"

Explanation by Ibn Abbas

Ibn Abbas said, "The angels only fought on the Day of Badr."

Reference: Ibn Kathir (3:281), from Al-Waqidi and Al-Musannaf. Al-Haithami mentioned it in Al-Zawaid (6:83) and said it was narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Kabir and Al-Awsat, with Abdul Aziz bin Amran in the chain, who is weak.

For further details, see the biography of Ibn Hisham (2:274).

Discussion on the Battle of Badr

Shiekh al-Islam Abu al-Hasan al-Sabki was asked about the wisdom behind angels fighting alongside the Prophet in Badr, although Jibreel could repel the disbelievers with a feather from his wing. He replied, "This was by the will for the act to be done by the Prophet and his companions, and the angels served as support, following the customary support of armies to maintain order in the universe, according to the laws and customs established by Allah. Verily, Allah is the doer of all things."

In Al-Kashshaf, regarding the interpretation of Surah Yasin, it was mentioned that when asked about sending troops from the sky after the Battle of Badr and the Trench, the reply was, "So we sent upon them a wind and soldiers you did not see." It was said there were a thousand angels reinforcing them with five thousand others coming down, to which it was remarked that even one angel had been enough to destroy entire peoples like the people of Lot, the Thamud, and the people of Salih. Yet, Allah favored Muhammad in every aspect over the greatest of prophets and the resolute among messengers. This favor extended even to his wooden vessel. From the means of his honor, unique to him, was the descent of troops from the sky. It seemed as though the verse was alluding to this, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of this event, something only befitting someone like him, which we do not do for anyone else.

Interpretations on Sending Angels

There are varying interpretations by scholars regarding the verse that mentions sending three thousand angels as reinforcements.

The primary condition was patience, piety, and divine support granted instantly when the enemy would advance upon them.

Interpretation of a Quranic Verse

Quranic Analysis: In this passage, the scholars discuss the promise of reinforcement with thousands of marked angels on the Day of Badr or the Day of Uhud.

Key Scholars:

• Ibn Abbas
• Al-Hasan
• Qatadah
• Amr al-Sha'bi
• Al-Rabi' bin Anas

Authority of the Narratives:

Imam Al-Bukhari incorporated this narrative into his Sahih collection, emphasizing Ibn Jarir's selection. Al-Hafiz endorsed it as the predominant view.

Contextual Analysis:

The narration about the arrival of angels in Badr is linked to Allah’s support during the battle. The gradual reinforcement was contingent upon the believers' patience, piety, and facing the adversary.

When the believers sought help and complied with the conditions, Allah progressively sent them reinforcements, starting with one thousand and reaching a full five thousand angels as they persisted and feared Him.

Comparative Study:

The scholars reconciled the Quranic verses related to the Battle of Badr and Uhud by indicating the specificity of angelic reinforcement for each battle and the associated conditions of patience and piety.

Conclusion:

The scholars, notably Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn Abi, reaffirmed the consensus regarding the specific angelic reinforcements linked to distinct battles, exemplifying the divine intervention and support granted in response to the believers' steadfastness.

Transmission of Hadith

On the authority of Ibn Abbas: The angels used to take the form of people known to others, who they would confirm. They would say, "If only they had brought us any burdens, we would have been able to confirm them." They are nothing.

This reflects the saying of Allah: "When your Lord inspired to the angels, 'I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed' [The Quran 8:49]"

The Story of Sa'ib ibn Abi Hubaysh

Sa’ib ibn Abi Hubaysh recounted during Umar ibn Al-Khattab's time, "By Allah, no one has ever hidden me among the people." When asked who did, he replied, "When Quraysh were defeated, I was defeated with them. A tall, white man on a white horse between the sky and earth bound me with a rope. Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf found me tied. As he called out to the army who had captured me, none claimed responsibility for it until I was taken to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He asked, 'O son of Abu Hubaysh, who captured you?' I said, 'I do not know.' I disliked informing him of what I saw. The Messenger of Allah then said, 'An angel from the angels has captured you.' Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf then took his captive. Hatim reported with a sound chain through Ash-Sha'bi that the Muslims were informed at Badr that Kurz ibn Jabir Al-Muharibi thwarted the disbelievers from reaching out to the Muslims. It was a struggle for the Muslims, and so Allah revealed, 'Is it not enough for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels?' [The Quran 3:124] Kurz suffered a defeat and neither extended the disbelievers nor the Muslims."

In another context, it was stated, "This - referring to the first saying - is the relied-upon one."

Translation

Al-Sa'ib: I am still keeping this statement, and my Islam was delayed until it occurred, that which was from my affair.

Wahb bin Jareer narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me: I saw on the day of Badr, the rain falling in the valley of Khals with Jad from the sky, and the horizon was covered, and the valley was flowing with ants, so I thought to myself that this is something from the sky to support Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. All that happened was the defeat, and they were the angels.

And Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami informed me that Abu al-Hasan bin Subayh reported to him that Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Shirawayh said: Ishaq al-Hanzali narrated to us, saying: Wahb bin Jareer bin Hazim narrated to me, saying: My father said: I heard Muhammad bin Ishaq say: My father narrated to me from Jubayr bin Mut'im, saying: "I saw before the defeat of the people and they were fighting like black ants, something like black ants coming from the sky, and I had no doubt that they were angels, and it was nothing but the defeat of the people."

[51] Al-Waqidi reported it (1/79) and Ibn Kathir mentioned it in Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya (3/281), and al-Suyuti in al-Khasais al-Kubra (1: 202) from al-Waqidi and al-Bayhaqi, and al-Salhi in al-Sira al-Shamiyya (4:64) from the compiler.

[52] Al-Bijad means the covering, and here it refers to the angels.

[53] Al-Waqidi reported it in Al-Maghazi (1: 80), and transmitted by Ibn Kathir (3: 281).

[54] In (S): Abu Abd Allah, which is a distortion.

[55] Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya (3: 282), and al-Suyuti in al-Khasais al-Kubra (1: 202) from Ishaq bin Rahawayh, al-Bayhaqi, and Abu Nuaim.