al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi) 13054

Translation

Machine translation, not reviewed

It has reached us that Ḥabīb b. Maslamah raided the Romans, and they seized a man and suspected him. He told them that he was a spy, and he said: "This is the king of the Romans, with the people, behind this mountain." So he said to his companions: "Advise me." Some of them said: "We think you should stay until the people catch up with you," for they had been cut off. And some of them said: "We think you should return to your troop and not advance on these people, for we have no strength to face them." He said: "As for me, I give God a covenant that I will not break: I will engage them." When the day had risen, there they were, having filled the land. So he charged, and his companions charged, and the enemy was routed, and they took much booty. Then the people who had not been present at the fighting caught up, and said: "We are your partners in the booty." Those who had witnessed the fighting said: "You have no share; you did not attend the fighting." ʿAbdullāh b. al-Zubayr, who was among those who had been present with Ḥabīb, said: "You have no share." So he wrote about that to Muʿāwiyah, who wrote back: "Divide it among all of them." He said: I think Muʿāwiyah had written about that to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb ؓ, and ʿUmar ؓ wrote accordingly. And the poet said: "Indeed Ḥabīb, how wretched is his consolation, and Ibn al-Zubayr, whose [unclear] has gone; they are neither brave men nor shrewd ones, nor gentle in the affairs of the people."

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