Bab Al-'Asamah (The Chapter of Divine Protection): The Protection Granted by Allah to His Messenger in the Matter of Ghawrath Ibn Al-Harith's Killing and the Manner of His Prayer Amid Fear

Informed us Abu 'Abdullah Al-Hafiz, who said: Informed us Abu 'Abdullah Al-Husayn ibn Al-Hasan ibn Ayyub, who said: Narrated to us Abu Hatim Al-Razi, who said: Narrated to us Abu Al-Yaman Al-Hakam ibn Nafi', who said: Informed us Shu'ayb from Az-Zuhri, who said: Narrated to us Sinan ibn Abi Sinan Ad-Du'ali, and Abu Salamah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman, that Jabir ibn 'Abdullah Al-Ansari, who was one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, informed them that he accompanied the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on a military expedition towards Najd. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, halted, he halted alongside him. They were overtaken by the night at a valley thick with thorny trees. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, descended and the people dispersed amidst the thorns seeking shelter under the trees. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sought shade under a samurah tree and hung his sword on it. Jabir said, "We fell asleep and suddenly the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, called us, and we responded. There was a bedouin sitting beside him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'This man took my sword while I was asleep.' I got up and it was in his hand along with a salat. He asked, 'Who will protect you from me?' I replied, 'Allah.' He repeated the question, and I replied the same. He then dropped the sword and sat down. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not punish him, even though he had done what he did."

Hadith Narration

Reported by al-Bukhari in Sahih, from Abu Al-Yaman. Also reported by Muslim from al-San'ani, and from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah. Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Yahya ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Sukkari in Baghdad informed us: Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Sahfari told us that Ahmad ibn Mansur ar-Ramadi informed us, who was informed by Abd al-Razzaq, who narrated from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Jabir, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) descended in a place, people spread out in the shade of trees, and suspended his weapons on a tree. A Bedouin approached, took the sword, and advanced towards the Prophet. The Prophet asked: "Who can intervene between you and me?" The Bedouin said: "Allah (who can defeat you?)" He repeated it thrice and the Prophet kept saying "Allah." The Bedouin then sheathed his sword, approached, and sat with the Prophet without any reprimand. Qatadah mentioned a similar incident where a group of Arabs wanted to harm the Prophet, so they sent this Bedouin to remember Allah's favor when people planned against him (Quran, 5:11).

Source

Recorded by al-Bukhari in Sahih from Mahmud. Also reported by Muslim from Abd ibn Humayd, both narrated from Abd al-Razzaq, excluding Qatadah's account. This narration can be found in the Book of Expeditions, Chapter of the Ghazwah of Dhat ar-Riqa', in Fath al-Bari (7:426).

Transmission Chain of the Hadith

Al-Bukhari said: Aban said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir informed us and mentioned the hadith that Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us about. He said: Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Ka'bi narrated to us, Isma'il ibn Qutaybah said: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, he said: Affan told us, he said: Aban told us, he said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir narrated to us from Abu Salamah from Jabir who said: "We proceeded with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until when we reached a shaded tree, we left it for the Messenger of Allah. Then a man from the polytheists came and the sword of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was hanging on a tree. He took the sword of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, drew it and said to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, 'Do you fear me?' The Prophet replied, 'No.' The man said, 'Who will protect you from me?' The Prophet said, 'Allah will protect me from you.' So the companions of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم threatened him, and he sheathed the sword and put it back. Then they were called for prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed two rak'ahs with one group then delayed, and he prayed two rak'ahs with the other group. So, the Messenger of Allah prayed four rak'ahs and the people prayed two."

Another Incident Narrated in the Chain

Al-Bukhari said: Musaddad narrated from Abu Awanah from Abu Bishr: The name of the man was Gawrath ibn al-Harith and he fought valiantly in that battle.

The Prophet's Encounter with Ghawrath ibn al-Harith

One day, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was ambushed near a cluster of palm trees by a group of Muslims who mistook them for enemies. Among them was a man named Ghawrath ibn al-Harith. Ghawrath approached the Prophet with a sword drawn, demanding, "Who will protect you from me?" The Prophet calmly responded, "Allah." At this declaration, the sword fell from Ghawrath's hand. The Prophet then picked up the sword and asked once again, "Who will protect you from me?" Ghawrath replied, "Be the best among those who take revenge." The Prophet then asked Ghawrath if he testified that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, to which Ghawrath answered negatively. However, he pledged not to fight the Prophet or support those who fought against him. With that, Ghawrath was allowed to leave.

The Prophet's Prayer of Fear

Following this incident, the Prophet joined his companions and informed them that he had come from the best of people, reminiscent of the pledge Ghawrath made. The Prophet also mentioned the practice of the prayer of fear (salat al-khawf), where he prayed four rak'ahs in total for two groups - two rak'ahs each. The narration mentions that some prayed facing the enemy while others prayed with the Prophet.

Salat al-Khauf as Narrated by Muslim and Bukhari

Regarding those who prayed with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, on the day of Dhat ar-Riqa', the prayer of fear: A group formed ranks with him, while another portion faced the enemy. He prayed with those who were with him one rak'ah, then stood while they completed their own prayer, then they turned and faced the enemy. The other group then came to him, and he prayed one more rak'ah with them from his remaining prayer, then he sat down and they completed their prayer, and he gave the salaam. This is reported by Muslim in Sahih, from Yahya ibn Yahya.

Additional Narrations:

• Reported by Bukhari, from Qutaibah, from Malik.
• Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz informed us: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya, Muhammad ibn Nasr, Ahmad ibn an-Nadr ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Kathir ibn Sufyan, and Imran ibn Musa, who told us that Ubaydullah ibn Mu'adh ibn Mu'adh al-Anbari narrated to them from his father, from Shu'bah, from Abdul Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from his father, from Salih ibn Khawwat, from Sahl ibn Abi Hathmah, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed with his companions in a state of fear, positioning two rows behind him. He prayed one rak'ah with those who were immediately behind him, then stood without sitting until he prayed one rak'ah with those behind them, then the ones ahead moved forward while the ones behind stayed back. The Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed one more rak'ah with the latter group, then sat until they completed their prayer and he gave the salaam. This is narrated by Muslim in Sahih, from Ubaydullah ibn Mu'adh. Bukhari also includes it in a shortened version from the hadith of Yahya al-Qattan, and is further mentioned that Layth ibn Sa'd narrated from Hisham, from Zaid ibn Aslam, that Qasim ibn Muhammad informed him that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed in the expedition of Bani Anmar.

Translation of Islamic Arabic Text

Key Points:

• The prayer of fear was performed during a battle.
• The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) led the prayer facing both his companions and the enemy.
• The prayer was adapted to the circumstances, with some praying behind the Prophet and others facing the enemy.
• An incident involving a woman during the battle is described.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

They have gathered a multitude for you. It is possible that this prayer is also prayed in this battle. However, there is a difference between it and what we have heard from Jabir bin Abdullah concerning two prayers due to differences in the situations. God knows best.
Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Hafiz told us that Abu Abdullah Al-Asbahani informed us, saying that Al-Hasan bin Al-Jahm narrated to us, who heard it from Al-Husayn bin Al-Faraj, who in turn heard it from Al-Waqidi, who said that Abdullah bin Umar narrated from his brother Ubaydullah bin Umar, from Al-Qasim bin Muhammad, from Salih bin Khawwat, from his father who said: "I performed the prayer of fear with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Prophet faced the Qibla with a group behind him and another group facing the enemy. The Prophet led the group behind him in one unit of prayer, then stood still while they prayed a unit behind him and then made the Salam. The second group then came, and he prayed one unit with them. The first group was facing the enemy. After leading them in prayer, he sat, waiting until they completed a unit and bowing and then made the Salam.

During that time, the Messenger of Allah was accompanied by some captive women. Among them was a woman who was beloved to her husband. When the Messenger of Allah returned to Madinah, her husband swore that he would either find Muhammad or not return to his people until he either harmed Muhammad, shed blood, or freed his wife. While the Messenger of Allah was on his way, one evening he came to a valley where two men, Ammar bin Yasir and Abbād bin Bishr, volunteered to keep watch. The wind did not cease, and the two men sat at the edge of the valley, and one asked the other which part of the night he preferred to sleep first or last. The man chose to sleep first, so Ammar slept while Abbād prayed. The enemy of God approached seeking an opportunity. When the wind calmed down, and they saw the adversary coming closer, one of the men realized that this was the ambush of the enemy and shot an arrow at him. The man pulled it out, and they continued this process two more times. On the third arrow, they hit their target, and when...

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

He was overwhelmed by tears in prayer, then prostrated, and said to his companion: “Sit down, for I have been informed.” Ammar ibn Yasir sat. When the Bedouin saw that Ammar had stood, he realized they had made a vow concerning him, so he fled. Ammar said, “O my brother, what stopped you from warning me when you first shot an arrow at me?” He replied, “I was reciting a chapter - Al-Kahf - and I disliked cutting it off until I completed it. If it weren't for fearing that I might miss a verse, the Messenger of Allah instructed me to preserve it, and had it not come upon me, I wouldn’t have departed." Said to be Ansaari: Umarah bin Hazm. Waqidi confirmed it with us as Abbad bin Bishr. Jabir said: “We were with the Prophet (peace be upon him) when a man from among his companions brought a fledgling bird. The Messenger of Allah looked at it, then one of the parents moved towards the person holding the fledgling, so he placed himself in the hands of the one who took the fledgling. I saw the people amazed by this, and the Messenger of Allah said: “Are you astonished by this bird? You took its fledgling and it placed itself mercifully for its offspring. By Allah, your Lord is more merciful to you than this bird is to its fledgling." Narrated by Muhammad ibn Ishaq: The story of this man is mentioned by Sadaqah ibn Yasir, from Aqil ibn Jabir, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, saying: “We went with the Messenger of Allah on the expedition of Dhat ar-Riqa‘, and he hit a polytheist’s wife. Upon his return, he went to lie down. He mentioned this without naming the two men who had stood guard. This is mentioned in the Book of Sunan. Abu Sa‘id Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Fadl reported: Abu Muhammad Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Muzanni reported to us, Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa reported to us, Abu al-Yaman reported to us, Shu‘ayb reported to me from az-Zuhri, who reported to me from Salim ibn Abdullah, who reported from Abdullah ibn 'Umar, saying: We fought with the Messenger of Allah in a battle toward Najd. We confronted the enemy and defeated them, then the Messenger of Allah prayed and stood up to lead us. Some of us joined him, and others turned away.”

Prayer During an Enemy Attack

Upon encountering the enemy, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed a two-unit prayer with those accompanying him. They then departed, placing themselves where the group who did not pray normally stood. The group who had not prayed arrived, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed a two-unit prayer with them, followed by two prostrations. He then saluted and each Muslim present performed a two-unit prayer and two prostrations for themselves.

Narrated by Al-Bukhari in Al-Fath (7:422) from Abu Al-Yaman and reported by Ma'mar from Az-Zuhri (7:422). The Hadith is also found in Sahih Muslim under the chapter of Fear Prayer, Hadith (305), page (574).