Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Abd ar-
Rahman ibn al-Qasim that Aslam, the mawla of Umar ibn al-Khattab
informed him that he had visited Abdullah ibn Ayyash al-Makhzumi. He
saw that he had some nabidh with him and he was at that moment on the
way to Makka. Aslam said to him, ''Umar ibn al-Khattab loves this
drink." Abdullah ibn Ayyash therefore carried a great drinking bowl
and brought it to Umar ibn al-Khattab and placed it before him. Umar
brought it near to him and then raised his head. Umar said, "This
drink is good," so he drank some of it and then passed it to a man on
his right. When Abdullah turned to go, Umar ibn al-Khattab called him
and asked, "Are you the person who says that Makka is better than
Madina?" Abdullah said, "I said that it was the Haram of Allah, and
His place of security, and His House was in it." Umar said, "I am not
saying anything about the House of Allah or His Haram." Then Umar
repeated "Are you the person who says that Makka is better than
Madina?" He replied, "I said that it was the Haram of Allah and His
place of security, and His House was in it." Umar said, "I am not
saying anything about the House of Allah and His Haram." Then Abdullah
left.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abd al-Hamid
ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattab from Abdullah ibn Abdullah
ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal from Abdullah ibn Abbas that Umar ibn al-
Khattab set out for ash Sham and when he was at Sargh, near Tabuk, the
commanders of the army, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah and his companions,
met him and told him that the plague had broken out in ash-Sham. Ibn
Abbas said, "Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'all the first Muhajir unto
me.' He assembled them and asked them for advice, informing them that
the plague had broken out in ash Sham. They disagreed. Some said, 'You
have set out for something, and we do not think that you should leave
it.' Others said, 'You have the companions of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, and the rest of the people with you,
and we do not think that you should send them towards this plague.'
Umar said, 'Leave me.'
Then he said, 'Summon the Ansar to
me.' They were summoned and he asked them for advice. They acted as
the Muhajirun had and disagreed as they had disagreed. He said, 'Leave
me.' "Then he said, 'Summon to me whoever is here of the aged men of
Quraysh from the Muhajirun of the conquest.' He summoned them and not
one of them differed. They said, 'We think that you should withdraw
the people and not send them towards the plague.' Umar called out to
the people, 'I am leaving by camel in the morning,' so they set out.
Abu Ubayda said, 'Is it flight from the decree of Allah?' Umar said,
'Better that someone other than you had said it, Abu Ubayda. Yes. We
flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. What would you
think if these camels had gone down into a valley which had two
slopes, one of them fertile, and the other barren. If you pastured in
the fertile part, wouldn't you pasture them by the decree of Allah? If
you pastured them in the barren part, wouldn't you pasture them by the
decree of Allah?'
''Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf arrived and he had
been off doing something and he said, 'I have some knowledge of this.
I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, say, "If you hear about it in a land, do not go forward to it.
If it comes upon a land and you are in it, then do not depart in
flight from it." ' Umar praised Allah and then set off."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir and
from Salim ibn Abi'n-Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah that Amir
ibn Sad ibn Abi Waqqas heard his father ask Usama ibn Zayd, "Have you
heard anything from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, about the plague?" Usama said, "The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The plague is a
punishment that was sent down on a party of the Banu Israil or whoever
was before them. When you hear of it in a land, do not enter it. If it
comes upon a land and you are in it, do not depart in flight from it.'
"
Malik said that Abu'n-Nadr said, "That is, do not depart
with no other intention but flight."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abdullah ibn
Amir ibn Rabia that Umar ibn al-Khattab went out to ash-Sham. When he
came to Sargh, near Tabuk, he heard that the plague had broken out in
ash-Sham. Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf told him that the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If you hear that a
land has a plague in it, do not go forward to it. If it comes upon a
land which you are in, do not depart in flight from it." Umar ibn al-
Khattab came back from Sargh.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn
Abdullah that Umar ibn al-Khattab turned people back at Sargh
according to the hadith of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf.
Yahya related to me that Malik said, "I heard that Umar ibn al-
Khattab said, 'A night in Rukba (a valley near Taif,) is more
preferable to me than ten nights in ash-Sham.' "
Malik said,
"He meant to lengthen and preserve their lives because of the severity
of the plague in ash-Sham ."