Umar's Contribution At The Battle Of Uhud 3 A.H - Sunni Sources

Tabari:

Narrated Aboo Hisham Al-Rafi from Aboo Bakr Ibn Ayyash from Hasim Ibn Kulayb from his father who said: "Umar preached on the day of Friday and recited Surah Aal-Imraan and liked it when he reached {Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met}[3:155] he said: 'In the day of Uhud when we ran away, so I ran away and climbed the mountain, and I saw myself running and jumping like a mountain goat. And the people were saying: Muhammad is killed! I said: anyone who says Muhammad is killed I will kill him! Until we gathered on the mountain and the verse {Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met} was revealed in complete.

Source: Tafsir Jami Al-Bayan. Vol. 6, Pg. # 172.

Analysis Of The Chain Of Narrators:

The status of these four narrators in the books of Rijal:

      1 -  Aboo Hisham Al-Rafi

      2 -  Aboo Bakr Ibn Ayyash

      3 -  Hasim Ibn Kulayb

      4 -  Kulayb Ibn Shahab

      1 -   Aboo Hisham Al-Rafi

Al-Dhahabi:

Al-Rafi (narrated from him Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah): Al-Imam Al-Faqeeh Al-Hafiz Al-Allama, judge of Baghdad, Aboo Hisham, Muhammad ibn Yazeed ibn Muhammad ibn Kathir ibn Rafa’a, Al-Ijlli Al-Rafai Al-Kafi Al-Moqerri. He has narrated from: Abi Al-Ahwaz Salam, Al-Motallib iZiyyad and Abi Bakr ibn Ayyash and Hafs Ibn Ghiyas and Abdullah ibn Ajlah and Yahya Ibn Yaman and their generation.

Source: Siyar Ahlam Al-Nobala. Vol. 12, Pg. # 153.

Ibn Hibban:

Muhammad ibn Yazeed ibn Rafa’a ibn Samaha, Aboo Hisham Al-Rafai, from Kufa, narrated from Abi Bakr ibn Ayyash and narrated from him people of Iraq, died in Baghdad on Wednesday, died in 248 A.H, has some mistakes and negative narrations.

Source: Al-Thuqat 'Authenticated Ones'. Vol. 9, Pg. # 109.

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Muhammad ibn Yazeed ibn Muhammad ibn Kathir ibn Rafa’a ibn Samaha, Aboo Hisham Al-Rafai Al-Kufi. Was a judge in Baghdad after Abi Hassan Al-Ziyadi’s death, and narrated from Abdullah Ibn Idrees and Hafs Ibn Ghiyas and Ibn Fodhail and Abi Bakr Ibn Ayyash and Abi Khaled Al-Ahmar and Wakih and Abi Mo’awiyya and Abdullah Ibn Nomair and Yahya Ibn Yaman and Abi Usama, he was a scholar in Ahkaam, and was a Hafiz in recitation (of Qur‘aan). Narrated from him Muhammad Ibn Ismaeel Al-Bukhari and Muslim Ibn Hajjaj. Narrated Al-Barqani from Muhammad Ibn Al-Abbas Al-Khazzaz from Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Mas’adda from Jahfar Ibn Darsawaih from Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Qasem Ibn Mohrez who said: Yahya Ibn Mo’een was asked about Abi Hisham Al-Rafai, he said: I don’t see any problem in him.
…narrated Aboo Muslim Saleh Ibn Ahmad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Saleh ibn Muslim from his father who said: Aboo Hisham Al-Rafai Kufi has no problem, he is a reciter of  Qur’aan, narrated from Hafs and Ibn Idrees and learned from Solaim, and he was judge in Al-Madahen. Al-Barqani was asked about Abi Hesham Al-Rafaee, he said: He is trustworthy, Abulhasan Al-Dar Al-Qotni ordered me to narrate his narrations in Saheeh (i.e. his narrations are authentic).

Source: Tarikh Al-Baghdad. Vol. 4, Pg. # 595 - 597.

     2 -   Aboo Bakr ibn Ayyash

Al-Dhahabi:

Aboo Bakr ibn Ayyash Ibn Salem Al-Asadi, Maula of the Asad tribe, Al-Hannat, Al-Moqerri, Al-Faqeeh, Al-Muhaddith (one who remembers and narrates many Hadeeth), Sheikh Al-Islam, and the remaining of the scholars, Maula Wasel Al-Ahdab. About his name there are several opinions, the most famous of them is Shohba, was born in the year 95 A.H, reciter of Qur’aan, and has recited it three times with Tajweed before Hasim Ibn Abi Al-Najood, and narrated from Hasim, and Abi Is’haq Al-Sabiee, and Abdul Malik ibn Umair and Hisham ibn Urwa and many more. Narrated from him: Ibn Al-Mubarak, Al-Kasahi, and Wakih, and Aboo Dawood and many more. He has many students in recitation of Qur’aan, one of them is Abul Hassan Al-Kasahi who died before him. Yahya Ibn Mo'een said: He is trustworthy. And more than one said: He is truthful, and has mistakes. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: He is trustworthy, maybe has some mistakes (in some narrations),  he was owner of Qur’aan (reciter) and was owner of goodness. Died in Jamadi Al-Ulaa of the year 193 A.H at the age of 96.

Source: Tahdheeb Siyar Ahlam Al-Nobala. Vol. 1, Pg.  # 303.

      3 -     Hasim Ibn Kulayb

Al-Mizzi:

Hasim Ibn Kulayb Ibn Shahab Ibn Al-Majnoon Al-Jarmi Al-Kufi.(narrated from him Bukhari in his Tarikh, Muslim in his Saheeh, and the four: Tirmidhi, Abi Dawood, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah). Narrated Aboo Bakr Al-Athram from Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who said: There is no problem in his narrations. And Ahmad Ibn Sa’d Ibn Abi Maryam from Yahya Ibn Mo’een who said: He is trustworthy. Al-Nasa'i said the same. Aboo Hatam said: He was righteous. Abi Dawood said: 'He was devout and righteous and mentioned his merits, and said somewhere else: he was the best of people of Kufa'. Ibn Hibban mentioned him in his book 'Al-Thuqat'. Narrated from him Bukhari in his Saheeh and narrated from him in the chapter of 'Rafh Al-Yadain in Al-Salat' and in his book 'Al-Adab' and narrated others from him.

Source: Tahdheeb Al-Kamal. Vol. 13, Pg. # 537 - 539.

Hasim Ibn Kulayb 

Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d:

Hasim Ibn Kulayb Ibn Shahab Al-Jarmi. Died in the beginning of Abi Ja’far’s caliphate, He was trustworthy, his narrations are to be trusted, he has not many narrations.

Source: Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir. Vol. 8, Pg. # 460.

4 - Kulayb Ibn Shahab

Ibn Abdul Barr:

Kulayb Ibn Shahab Al-Jarami, father of Hasim Ibn Kulayb, and his father Shahab was  a Companion.

Source: Al-Istiab. Vol. 3, Pg. # 1329.

There exists a difference in opinion as to whether Kulayb ibn Shahab was a Tab'ee or a Companion.
Al-Razi:
Kulayb Ibn Shahab al-Jarami Al-Kufi father of Hasim Ibn Kulayb, he has narrated narrations from the Prophet (saw) but they are mursal 'broken' because he has not met the Prophet (saw), but people narrate it from Hasim Ibn Kulayb from his father from a man from the Ansaar. Kulayb has narrated from Umar and Alee (a.s) and Sa’d and Abi Zar and Wahil Ibn Hajar. Narrated from him his son Hasim Ibn Kulayb and Ibraheem Ibn Mohajir. I heard it from my father who taught me that Abdulrahman  said: Aboo Zar’a was asked about Kulayb Al-Jarami father of Hasim Ibn Kulayb, he said: 'He was trustworthy from Kufa'.
Source: Al-Jarh wa Ta'deel. Vol. 7, Pg. # 167.

Kulayb Ibn Shahab
Muhammad Ibn Sa’d:

Kulayb Ibn Shahab Al-Jarami from the tribe of Bani Qodha’a, he was father of Hasim Ibn Kulayb. He has narrated from Umar, Alee (a.s) and he is trustworthy, he has narrated many narrations. Ibn Sa’d said: 'I saw the (scholars) trust his narrations and take them'.

Source: Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir. Vol. 8, Pg. # 243.

Note: Bukhari had deemed Aboo Hisham Al-Rafai as being weak. But this narration has also been narrated through other chains. 
Ibn Munzir:
Narrated Muhammad ibn Ismaeel Al-Sahigh from Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid from Aboo Bakr (Ibn Ayyash) from Hasim Ibn Kulayb from his father who said: Umar gave a sermon, he was wearing a white cloth with a patch on it. It looked bright, he was preaching on the pulpit and reciting Surah Aal Imraan. He said that this Surah was revealed in Uhud. Then said: we left the Messenger of Allah (swt) in the day of Uhud and I climbed the mountain, and I heard a Jew calling: 'Muhammad is killed, I said: 'Anyone who says Muhammad is killed I will chop his head!' Then I looked and saw the Messenger of Allah (swt) in the battlefield and saw that people are returning to him. Then this verse was revealed: {Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many were the Messengers that passed away before Him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back on your heels?}[3:144].
Source: Tafsir Ibn Munzir. Vol. 1, Pg. # 402.

The two narrators in this are:

1. Muhammad Ibn Ismaeel Al-Sahigh:

Al-Dhahabi:

Al-Sahigh Al-Imam, scholar of narrations, trustworthy, Sheikh of Haram, Aboo Jahfar, Muhammad Ibn Ismaeel Ibn Salim, Al-Qorashi, Al-Abbasi, Maula Al-Mahdi, Al-Baghdadi, migrated to Makkah. He heard narrations from his father, and father of Usama, and some others. Narrated from him Aboo Dawood, and Ibn Sa’ed and others. Ibn Abi Hatam says: He is truthful. I (Dhahabi) say: 'He was around ninety. Died in Jamadi Al-Ulaa of the year 276 A.H'.
Source: Tahdheeb Siyar Ahlam Al-Nobala. Vol. 1, Pg. # 516.

2. Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid:

Al-Dhahabi:

Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid Ibn Abdulrahman Ibn Maymoon Ibn Abdulrahman, Al-HafIz, the great Imam Aboo Zakaria Ibn Al-Mohaddeth the trustworthy Abi Yahya Al-Hemmani Al-Kufi, author of the great Al-Musnad. He was born around 150 A.H, Ahmad and Alee used to accuse him. Motim said: 'I asked Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Nomair about Yahya Al-Hemmani, he said: He is trustworthy, he is older than all of them (i.e. Ahmad and Alee), so write his narrations'. It is frequent that Yahya Ibn Mo’een says: 'He is trustworthy, and the opposite is also frequent from Ahmad who accused him'. He has no narration in the six books, they intentionally have not narrated from him. He died in 228 A.H.
Source: Tahdheeb Siyar Ahlam Al-Nobala. Vol. 1, Pg. # 391.

Al-Albani:

Al-Hemmani is Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid, and he is trustworthy Hafiz, of the narrators of Muslim, the only thing is that they have accused him is of stilling narrations as in Al-Taqreeb.
Source: Silsalat Al-Hadeeth Al-Saheeh. Vol. 2, Pg. # 168.

Let us observe what other scholars have said pertaining to Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid and what he is accused of regarding stilling narrations:

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:
Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid Ibn Abdulrahman Ibn Maymoon Ibn Abdulrahman, and Maymoon’s title is Shameen, his title is Aba Zakariyya, Al-Hemmani Al-Kufi.
Aba Hatam Al-Razi said: 'I asked Yahya Ibn Mo’een about Al-Hemmani, he talked good about him', 'How should he be? His Musnad contains more than 4000 sections, but Shareek’s Musnad contains 3000 sections as an example (of his knowledge). Aboo Hatim mentioned ten thousand and then said he was one of Muhaddith (specialist who is profoundly known and narrates Hadeeth)'.
Aba Sa’eed Uthman ibn Sa’eed Al-Darami said: 'I heard Yahya Ibn Mo’een saying: 'Ibn Al-Hemmani is a famous truthful person, there is nobody in Kufa like him, and whatever is said against him is because of jealousy.
Ahmad ibn Zaheer said: 'I heard Yahya Ibn Mo’een saying: Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid Al-Hemmani is trustworthy, and there was no one in Kufa in his time more knowledgeable than him in narrations, therefore they envy him.
Aboo Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Uthman ibn Abi Shayba said: 'I asked Yahya Ibn Mo’een about Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid, he said: 'He is trustworthy, and his father was Abdulhamid Ibn Abdulrahman also trustworthy'.
Abbas ibn Muhammad said: 'I heard Yahya saying: 'Aboo Yahya Al-Hemmani and his son are trustworthy.' And Abbas said: 'He said that more than one time'.
Abbas Al-Doori said: 'I heard Yahya Ibn Mo’een saying: 'Aboo Yahya Al-Hemmani is trustworthy, and Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid is trustworthy.' Abbas said: 'Yahya did not stop saying this untill he died'.
Saleh Ibn Muhammad said: 'I heard Yahya Ibn Mo’een when he was asked about Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid Al-Hemmani, He said: 'He is owner of narrations and truthful'.
Abdulkhaliq Ibn Mansoor said: 'Yahya Ibn Mo’een was asked about Yahya Ibn Al-Hemmani, he said: 'He is truthful, trustworthy'.
Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Manih said: 'While we were near the door of Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid Al-Hemmani that Yahya Ibn Mo’een came riding his mule and narrators asked him to narrate them narrations, he denied and said: "I came here to meet Abi Zakariyya", and entered the house and when he came out he said: "He is trustworthy son of trustworthy".
Alee Ibn AbdulAziz said: I heard Yahya Al-Hemmani talking to a group of strangers in his session: 'Where are you from?' They said their hometown, then He said: 'Have you heard anyone in your land talking against me? Saying that I am weak in narrations?' Do not listen to what people of Kufa say against me, because they envy me, because I was the first one who collected a Musnad and I achieved other things also prior to them'.
Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Al-Sulmi said: 'I heard Alee Ibn Al-Madini saying: "I meet three people who narrate narrations that have not heard: Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid, Abdul Aala Al-Sami and Al-Mo’tamer Ibn Sulaiman"'.
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sulaiman Al-Hadhrami said: 'I asked Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Nomair about Yahya Al-Hemmani, He said: 'He is trustworthy, he is older than these all of them (i.e. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and Alee Ibn Al-Madini), so write his narrations'. And I asked Ahmad Ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal about Yahya Al-Hemmani and said: 'Do you know him? Have you knowledge about him?' He said: 'How can I not know him?' So I said to him: 'Was he trustworthy?' Ahmad said: 'You know your Sheikhs better than us.' And I asked Yahya Ibn Mo’een about Yahya Al-Hemmani and he said: 'He is trustworthy'.
Muhammad Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Sami said: 'Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was asked about Yahya Al-Hemmani, so he remained silent about him and did not say anything.'
Hanbal Ibn Ishaq said: 'I said to Abi Abdullah When I came from Kufa, and Yahya Al-Hemmani had narrated to us from Abi Abdullah (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal) narration of Ishaq Al-Azraq, from Bayan a hadeeth that says "Cool yourself with Salat." So I asked Abi Abdullah that Ibn Al-Hemmani has narrated to us this hadeeth from you'. Abi Abdullah said: "I do not know if I have narrated this to him, and I do not know, maybe he has not memorized it well. And denied to have narrated this narration to him".
Abdullah Ibn Ahmad said: 'I heard my father when the name of Ibn Al-Hemmani was mentioned he said: 'He was writing narrations and was learning narrations, but what He has heard of narrations is less.'
Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: 'I said to my father that the two sons of Abi Shaybah have mentioned that they are coming to Baghdad what do you think about it?'' He said: 'Ibn Al-Hemmani came here and people gathered around him and he used to lie publicly, Ibn Abi Shayba’s case is okay'.
I said to my father that Ibn Al-Hemmani has narrated a hadeeth from you from Ishaq from Shareek from Bayan from Qais from Al-Mughira Ibn Sho’ba from the Prophet (saw) who said: "Cool yourself with Salat." He said: 'He has lied, I have not narrated it to him.' I said: 'They say from him that said: 'I heard it in a discussion on the door of Isma’eel Ibn Olayya.' He said, 'He has lied, I heard that narration from Ishaq after that occasion, I did not know in those days that this narration is Ghareeb 'rare', until these youngsters or these narrators asked me about it'. My father said: 'When we met on the door of Ibn Olayya we discussed about Al-Fiqh and other things. My father said: 'We got the book of Ishaq and I chose this narration from it'. I said to my father: 'A man has narrated to me who heard Ibn Al-Hemmani narrating from Shareek from Mansoor from Ibraheem: {and when harmed they become victorious}[42:39] He said: 'They did not like to get belittled'. That man said: 'This hadeeth exists in the books of Ibn Al-Mubarak from Shareek from Al-Hakam Al-Basri from Mansoor, and Ibn Al-Hemmani has said that Shareek has narrated it to us from Al-Hakam Al-Basri from Mansoor, my father then said: 'How bold was He, this is an intense boldness,' and said: 'I did not know that he used to still narrations and narrate it by himself.' Abdullah Ibn Ahmad said: 'And I heard my father saying in another occasion when Ibn Al-Hemmani’s name was mentioned' He said: 'He used to learn hadeeth and has heard hadeeth, if  only he sufficed with what he had heard it was sufficient for him, and this is the best thing that I heard my father said about him.'
And Al-Rumadi said: he (i.e. Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid) is more trustworthy for me than Abi Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah, and whatever is said against him is nothing but jealousy.
Source: Tarikh Al-Baghdad. Vol. 16, Pg. # 251 - 261.

Al-Mizzi:

Aboo Bakr Al-Athram said: I said to Abi Abdullah: 'What do you say about Ibn Al-Hemmani?' He said: 'He is not the only one, or the second, or the third, or the fourth that they narrate narrations from him.' And then said: 'His case is bigger than this, and attacked him intensely in the knowledge of Hadeeth.'

Muhammad Ibn Abi Haroon Al-Hamdani said: I asked Yahya Ibn Mo’een about Al-Hemmani he said: 'He is trustworthy,' I said: 'They talk against him,' he said: 'Because they envy him, by Allah who there is no other God beside him he is trustworthy.'

Source: Tadheeb Al-Kamal. Vol. 31, Pg. # 426 - 432.

Note: The allegation made by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal regarding Yahya Al-Hemmani for having stilling narrations is based on nothing but spite. The son of Ahmad ibn Hanbal would narrate from unknown people and Ahmad ibn Hanbal would turn a blind eye to this. The remarks of of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal regarding Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid shows that Ahmad clearly had envy for him and this is a well established fact by Yahya Ibn Mo’een, Al-Rumadi and Yahya Ibn Abdulhamid himself.

Ibn Hajar:
Muhammad ibn Ibraheem Al-Bushanji was asked about Al-Hemmani he said: 'He is trustworthy, and Yahya Ibn Mo’een and Ibn Numair have said that he is trustworthy, and Aboo Al-Khaithma used to teach us his Musnad.'
Source: Tahdheeb Al-Tahdheeb. Vol. 11, Pg. # 249.

Al-Salehi Al-Shammi:

Narrated Ibn Al-Munzir Kulayb Ibn Shahab who said: Umar preached on the day of Friday and recited Surah Aal-Imraan and said: It was revealed in Uhud, when he reached {Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met}[3:155] he said: On the day of Uhud we ran away, so I ran away and climbed the mountain, and I saw myself running and jumping like a mountain goat. And I heard a jew saying: 'Muhammad is killed, I said: 'Anyone who says Muhammad is killed I will chop his head! Then I looked and saw the Messenger of Allah (swt) in the battlefield and saw that people are returning to him.'

Source: Sobul Al-Hoda wa Al-Rashad. Vol. 4, Pg. # 305.

Abi Hayyan:

{Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met (i.e. the battle of Uhud), it was Shaytan (Satan) who caused them to backslide (run away from the battlefield) because of some (sins) they had earned}[2:155], Umar preached on the day of Friday and recited Surah Aal-Imraan and liked it to recite, when he reached this verse he said: 'On the day of Uhud we ran away, so I ran away and climbed the mountain, and I saw myself running and jumping like a mountain goat'. And I heard people saying: 'Muhammad is killed!' I said: 'Anyone who says Muhammad is killed I will kill him! When we all gathered on the mountain, all of this verse revealed'.

Source: Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Mohit of Abi. Vol. 3, Pg. # 97.

Fakhr Al-Razi:

The summary of narrations is that a group of them ran away and went far away, some of them entered Madina, some of them ran to other districts, but most of them went to the mountain and gathered there. Among those who escaped was Umar, but he was not among the first ones who escaped and he did not run far away, but he remained on the mountain and waited there until the Messenger of Allah (swt) climbed the mountain! Among those who escaped was Uthman who escaped with two other men of Ansaar, their names were Sa’d and Uqba, they ran away until they reached a far place and came back after three days! Then Prophet (saw) said to them: 'You ran a far distance!'

Source: Tafsir Al-Razi Mafatih Al-Ghayb. Vol. 9, Pg. # 52.

A year had passed since Badr, and one would at least give Umar the benefit of the doubt as to his words and advice to the Prophet (saw) not to draw his troops forward against the disbelievers. It is abundantly clear that the Sheikhayn's actions had been based on nothing but cowardice. This is why he fled like a mountain goat despite the cries of the Holy Prophet (saw) for him to return back. 

Categories: Arabic - العربية , English