Sirat Ibn Hisham 1599
The expedition of ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ to Dhāt al-Salāsil
[ وَصِيَّةُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَافِعَ بْنَ رَافِعٍ ] قَالَ: وَكَانَ مِنْ الْحَدِيثِ فِي هَذِهِ الْغَزَاةِ، أَنَّ رَافِعَ بْنَ أَبِي رَافِعٍ الطَّائِيَّ، وَهُوَ رَافِعُ بْنُ عَمِيرَةَ، كَانَ يُحَدِّثُ فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ امْرَأً نَصْرَانِيًّا، وَسُمِّيتُ سَرْجِسَ، فَكُنْتُ أَدَلَّ النَّاسِ وَأَهْدَاهُمْ بِهَذَا الرَّمَلِ، كُنْتُ أَدْفِنُ الْمَاءَ فِي بَيْضِ النَّعَامِ بِنَوَاحِي الرَّمْلِ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، ثُمَّ أُغِيرُ عَلَى إبِلِ النَّاسِ، فَإِذَا أَدْخَلْتهَا الرَّمْلَ غَلَبْتُ عَلَيْهَا، فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَطْلُبُنِي فِيهِ، حَتَّى أَمُرَّ بِذَلِكَ الْمَاءِ الَّذِي خَبَّأْتُ فِي بَيْضِ النَّعَامِ فَأَسْتَخْرِجُهُ، فَأَشْرَبُ مِنْهُ؛ فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمْتُ خَرَجْتُ فِي تِلْكَ الْغَزْوَةِ الَّتِي بَعَثَ فِيهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَمْرَو بْنَ الْعَاصِ إلَى ذَاتِ السَّلَاسِلِ؛ قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ: وَاَللَّهِ لَأَخْتَارَنَّ لِنَفْسِي صَاحِبًا؛ قَالَ: فَصَحِبْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، قَالَ: فَكُنْتُ مَعَهُ فِي رَحْلِهِ، قَالَ: وَكَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ عَبَاءَةٌ لَهُ فَدَكِيَّةٌ، فَكَانَ إذَا نَزَلْنَا بَسَطَهَا وَإِذَا رَكِبْنَا لَبِسَهَا، ثُمَّ شَكَّهَا عَلَيْهِ بِخِلَالِ لَهُ، قَالَ: وَذَلِكَ الَّذِي لَهُ يَقُولُ أَهْلُ نَجْدٍ حِينَ ارْتَدُّوا كُفَّارًا: نَحْنُ نُبَايِعُ ذَا الْعَبَاءَةِ قَالَ: فَلَمَّا دَنَوْنَا مِنْ الْمَدِينَةِ قَافِلِينَ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، إنَّمَا صَحِبْتُكَ لِيَنْفَعَنِي اللَّهُ بِكَ، فَانْصَحْنِي وَعَلِّمْنِي، قَالَ: لَوْ لَمْ تَسْأَلْنِي ذَلِكَ لَفَعَلْتُ، قَالَ: آمُرُكَ أَنْ تُوَحِّدَ اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَأَنْ تُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَأَنْ تُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ، وَتَغْتَسِلَ مِنْ الْجَنَابَةِ، وَلَا تَتَأَمَّرْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَبَدًا. قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، أَمَا أَنَا وَاَللَّهِ فَإِنِّي أَرْجُو أَنْ لَا أُشْرِكَ بِاَللَّهِ أَحَدًا أَبَدًا؛ وَأَمَّا الصَّلَاةُ فَلَنْ أَتْرُكَهَا أَبَدًا إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ؛ وَأَمَّا الزَّكَاةُ فَإِنْ يَكُ لِي مَالٌ أُؤَدِّهَا إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ؛ وَأَمَّا رَمَضَانُ فَلَنْ أَتْرُكَهُ أَبَدًا إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ؛ وَأَمَّا الْحَجُّ فَإِنْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَحُجَّ إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى؛ وَأَمَّا الْجَنَابَةُ فَسَأَغْتَسِلُ مِنْهَا إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ؛ وَأَمَّا الْإِمَارَةُ فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ النَّاسَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ لَا يَشْرُفُونَ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعِنْدَ النَّاسِ إلَّا بِهَا، فَلِمَ تَنْهَانِي عَنْهَا ؟ قَالَ: إنَّكَ إنَّمَا اسْتَجْهَدْتَنِي لِأَجْهَدَ لَكَ، وَسَأُخْبِرُكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ: إنْ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ بِهَذَا الدِّينِ، فَجَاهَدَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى دَخَلَ النَّاسُ فِيهِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا، فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا فِيهِ كَانُوا عُوَاذَ اللَّهِ وَجِيرَانَهُ، وَفِي ذِمَّتِهِ، فَإِيَّاكَ لَا تُخْفِرْ اللَّهَ فِي جِيرَانِهِ، فَيُتْبِعَكَ اللَّهُ خَفْرَتَهُ، فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُخْفَرُ فِي جَارِهِ؛ فَيَظِلَّ نَاتِئًا عَضَلَهُ، غَضَبًا لِجَارِهِ أَنْ أُصِيبَتْ لَهُ شَاةٌ أَوْ بَعِيرٌ، فَاَللَّهُ أَشَدُّ غَضَبًا لِجَارِهِ. قَالَ: فَفَارَقْتُهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَأُمِّرَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ، قَالَ: قَدِمْتُ عَلَيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، أَلَمْ تَكُ نَهَيْتَنِي عَنْ أَنْ أَتَأَمَّرَ عَلَى رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، وَأَنَا الْآنَ أَنَهَاكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ؛ قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: فَمَا حَمْلُكَ عَلَى أَنْ تَلِيَ أَمْرَ النَّاسِ ؟ قَالَ: لَا أَجِدُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بُدًّا، خَشِيتُ عَلَى أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ الْفُرْقَةَ
Translation
✧ [The testament of Abū Bakr to Rāfiʿ b. Abī Rāfiʿ] He said: And among the accounts in this expedition was that Rāfiʿ b. Abī Rāfiʿ al-Ṭāʾī, that is Rāfiʿ b. ʿUmayrah, used to relate—according to what has reached me—on his own authority, saying: I was a Christian man and was named Sarjis. I was the most knowledgeable of people and the best guided of them through this sand. In the Jāhiliyyah I used to bury water in ostrich eggs in the tracts of the sand, then I would raid the people’s camels; and when I brought them into the sand I overcame them, and no one was able to pursue me in it, until I passed by that water which I had hidden in the ostrich eggs and drew it out and drank from it. When I became Muslim I went out on that expedition in which the Messenger of God ﷺ sent ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ to Dhāt al-Salāsil. He said: I said, “By God, I shall choose a companion for myself.” He said: So I accompanied Abū Bakr. He said: I was with him in his saddle. He said: He had a Fadakī cloak of his; when we dismounted he spread it out, and when we mounted he put it on, then fastened it upon himself with a pin of his. He said: That is why the people of Najd, when they apostatized as disbelievers, used to say, “We pledge allegiance to the owner of the cloak.” He said: When we drew near Madinah on the return, he said: I said, “O Abū Bakr, I only accompanied you so that God might benefit me through you; so counsel me and teach me.” He said: “Even if you had not asked me that, I would have done it. I command you to declare God’s oneness and not associate anything with Him, to establish the prayer, to pay the zakāh, to fast Ramaḍān, to perform the pilgrimage to this House, to wash from major ritual impurity, and never to seek command over any Muslim man.” He said: I said, “O Abū Bakr, as for me, by God, I hope never to associate anyone with God; as for the prayer, I shall never abandon it, God willing; as for the zakāh, if I have wealth I shall pay it, God willing; as for Ramaḍān, I shall never abandon it, God willing; as for the ḥajj, if I am able I shall perform it, God willing; as for major ritual impurity, I shall wash from it, God willing; but as for command, I have seen, O Abū Bakr, that people gain honor with the Messenger of God ﷺ and with the people only through it, so why do you forbid me from it?” He said: “You have asked me to exert myself in counsel so that I may exert myself for you, and I shall tell you about that. God, mighty and glorious, sent Muḥammad ﷺ with this religion, and he strove for it until the people entered it willingly and unwillingly. When they entered it they became God’s refugees, His neighbors, and under His protection. Beware lest you violate God’s protection concerning His neighbors, lest God pursue you with His violated protection. One of you may be violated in the person of his neighbor, and he remains with his muscles bulging, angry for his neighbor because a sheep or a camel of his was struck; but God is more intense in anger for His neighbor.” He said: I parted from him on that. He said: When the Messenger of God ﷺ was taken and Abū Bakr was placed in command over the people, he said: I came to him and said, “O Abū Bakr, did you not forbid me from seeking command over two Muslim men?” He said: “Yes, and I still forbid you from that now.” He said: I said to him, “Then what led you to take charge of the people’s affairs?” He said: “I found no way to avoid it; I feared division for the community of Muḥammad ﷺ.”
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.