Sahih Muslim Book - 39, Hadith - 5784

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى التَّمِيمِيُّ ، قَالَ : قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ نَوْفَلٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ ، خَرَجَ إِلَى الشَّامِ ، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ بِسَرْغَ لَقِيَهُ أَهْلُ الأَجْنَادِ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ وَأَصْحَابُهُ ، فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّ الْوَبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بِالشَّامِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ : ادْعُ لِي الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الأَوَّلِينَ فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ ، فَاسْتَشَارَهُمْ ، وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ أَنَّ الْوَبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بِالشَّامِ ، فَاخْتَلَفُوا فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : قَدْ خَرَجْتَ لأَمْرٍ وَلاَ نَرَى أَنْ تَرْجِعَ عَنْهُ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ مَعَكَ بَقِيَّةُ النَّاسِ وَأَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلاَ نَرَى أَنْ تُقْدِمَهُمْ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَبَاءِ فَقَالَ : ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِّي ، ثُمَّ قَالَ ادْعُ لِي الأَنْصَارِ فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ لَهُ ، فَاسْتَشَارَهُمْ ، فَسَلَكُوا سَبِيلَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا كَاخْتِلاَفِهِمْ ، فَقَالَ : ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِّي ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ادْعُ لِي مَنْ كَانَ هَاهُنَا مِنْ مَشْيَخَةِ قُرَيْشٍ مِنْ مُهَاجِرَةِ الْفَتْحِ ، فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ فَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلاَنِ ، فَقَالُوا : نَرَى أَنْ تَرْجِعَ بِالنَّاسِ وَلاَ تُقْدِمَهُمْ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَبَاءِ ، فَنَادَى عُمَرُ فِي النَّاسِ : إِنِّي مُصْبِحٌ عَلَى ظَهْرٍ ، فَأَصْبِحُوا عَلَيْهِ ، فَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ : أَفِرَارًا مِنْ قَدَرِ اللهِ ؟ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ : لَوْ غَيْرُكَ قَالَهَا يَا أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ ، وَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَكْرَهُ خِلاَفَهُ ، نَعَمْ نَفِرُّ مِنْ قَدَرِ اللهِ إِلَى قَدَرِ اللهِ ، أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ كَانَتْ لَكَ إِبِلٌ فَهَبَطَتْ وَادِيًا لَهُ عُدْوَتَانِ ، إِحْدَاهُمَا خَصْبَةٌ وَالأُخْرَى جَدْبَةٌ أَلَيْسَ إِنْ رَعَيْتَ الْخَصْبَةَ رَعَيْتَهَا بِقَدَرِ اللهِ ، وَإِنْ رَعَيْتَ الْجَدْبَةَ رَعَيْتَهَا بِقَدَرِ اللهِ ، قَالَ : فَجَاءَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ ، وَكَانَ مُتَغَيِّبًا فِي بَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّ عِنْدِي مِنْ هَذَا عِلْمًا ، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ بِهِ بِأَرْضٍ ، فَلاَ تَقْدَمُوا عَلَيْهِ ، وَإِذَا وَقَعَ بِأَرْضٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِهَا ، فَلاَ تَخْرُجُوا فِرَارًا مِنْهُ. قَالَ : فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas that ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab set out for Ash-Sham, and when he was in Sargh he was met by the commanders of the troops, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah and his companions, who told him that pestilence had broken out in Ash-Sham. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Umar said: ‘Call the first Muhajirin for me.’ So I called them, and he consulted them and told them that pestilence had broken out in Ash-Sham. They had a difference of opinion. Some of them said: ‘You have come out for a purpose and we do not think that you should go back.’ Some said: ‘You have the remainder of the people and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) with you; we do not think that you should continue with them to where this pestilence is.’ Then he said: ‘Call the Ansar for me,’ so I called them for him. And he consulted them, and they did not same as the Muhajirin had done, and had the same difference of opinion, He said: ‘You may go.’ Then he said: ‘Call for me those who are here of the elders of the Quraish who migrated after the conquest of Makkah. I called them and no two men among them differed. They said: ‘We think that you should go back with the people and not take them to where this pestilence is.’ ‘Umar called out to the people: ‘In the morning I will be mounted, so get on your mount in the morning.’ Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah said: ‘Are you fleeing from the Decree of Allah?’ ‘Umar said: ‘Would that someone other than you had said that, O Abu ‘Ubaidah’ – because ‘Umar did not like to disagree with him –‘Yes, we are fleeing from the Decree of Allah to the Decree of Allah. Do you think that if you had camels and they came down into a valley that had two sides, one that was green and verdant and one that was barren, and you took them to graze in the verdant side, would that not be by the Decree of Allah? And if you took them to graze on the barren side, would that not also be by the Decree of Allah?’ Then ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf came, who had been absent on some errand, and said: ‘I have some knowledge about that. I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) say: ‘If you hear that it (the plague) is in a land, do not go there, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.” ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab praised Allah, then he went back.