30.1
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, who said:
The Messenger of God appointed Usāmah ibn Zayd as the commander of an army in whose ranks were ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and al-Zubayr, but the Prophet was taken from this world before that army could proceed. Usāmah, who did not set out until after Abū Bakr had been given the pledge of allegiance, said to Abū Bakr when he pledged his allegiance, “The Prophet ordered me to go and do what had to be done, but now I fear that the Arabs will soon apostatize.286 Still, if you wish, I will remain by your side until you see what transpires.”
“Far be it from me to cancel a command issued by the Messenger of God,” Abū Bakr replied, “but if you wish to give leave to ʿUmar to stay, then do so.”
Usāmah gave ʿUmar leave to stay and then set out, eventually arriving at the place the Messenger of God had commanded him to go. A thick fog overtook them so that each man could barely see his comrade. They found a man who lived in that land, and captured him so he would show them the path to their destination. Thus they raided the place they had been commanded to raid. When the people heard that, they began to say to one another, “You all claim that the Arabs have become disunited, but their cavalry is in such-and-such place?” But God spared the Muslims from that.
Usāmah was called “the Commander” until he died. People would say, “The Messenger of God commissioned him, and no one dismissed him until he died.”
30.2
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, who said:
When ʿUmar became caliph, he dismissed Khālid ibn al-Walīd and appointed Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ as commander. ʿUmar dispatched his edict to Abū ʿUbaydah while he was in Syria at the Battle of Yarmūk. The edict remained with Abū ʿUbaydah for two months, and he did not inform Khālid of its existence out of deference to him. Khālid then said, “Listen, man, produce your edict! We will heed you and obey. By my life, the dearest of people to us has died, and now the most malicious toward us rules!”287 Abū ʿUbaydah then placed Khālid in command of the cavalry.
30.3
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of Sālim, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar:
Maʿmar said: Ibn Ṭāwūs also related to me on the authority of ʿIkrimah ibn Khālid, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, who said:
I entered Ḥafṣah’s house, even though her hair still dangled in wet locks, and said, “The leadership of the people has been decided just as you suspected, and I now have nothing to do with the affair!”
“Go join them,” Ḥafṣah said, “for they are expecting you. I fear that conflict will arise if you remove yourself from them.” She would not leave him be until he went. Once the two arbiters disagreed, Muʿāwiyah delivered his oration, saying, “Whoever has a claim to make, let him show his face!”288
ʿAbd al-Razzāq, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī, on the authority of Ḥumayd ibn Hilāl, who said:
At the battle of al-Qādisiyyah, Qays ibn Makshūḥ al-ʿAbsī was in command of the cavalry and al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah in command of the infantry. Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ was in command of all the forces.
Qays said, “I witnessed the battles of Yarmūk, Ajnādayn, Baysān, and Faḥl, but never have I seen such numbers as today, nor such an array of iron and warcraft. I swear by God that the army stretches as far as the eye can see.”
Al-Mughīrah said, “This is merely Satan frothing at the mouth! If we attack them, then God will cause them to turn against one another. Surely I’ll never find you if I attack them with my infantry and then you attack with your cavalry from the rear. Rather, keep your cavalry at the ready, and attack whoever draws near to you.”
A man then stood and declared, “God is great! I see the earth behind them!”
“Be seated!” al-Mughīrah retorted. “Standing and talking before battle will lead to failure. If any of you wishes to flee, let him flee no farther from where his spear is planted.” Later al-Mughīrah said, “I shall wave my banner three times. When I wave it the first time, make ready for battle. When I wave it a third time, ready yourselves to attack”—or he said, “Attack!”—“for I will attack.”
Al-Mughīrah waved his banner the third time and then attacked, and he was wearing two coats of mail. We didn’t reach him until he had twice inflicted piercing attacks into their ranks and his eye had been gouged out. Then the victory came. God caused them to fall upon one another until they formed a great heap, such that whoever wanted to seize one or two of them to kill could easily do so.