عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رضي اللّه عَنْهُمَا أنَّ عُمَر بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رضي اللّه عَنْهُ خَرَجَ إلَى الشَّامِ حَتَّى إذَا كَانَ بِسَرْغَ لَقِيَهُ أُمَراءُ الأجْنَادِ أبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الجَرَّاحِ وَأصْحَابُهُ فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أنَّ الْوبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بالشَّامِ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: فَقَالَ لي عُمَرُ: ادْعُ لي المُهاجرِين الأوَّلِينَ فَدَعَوتُهم، فَاسْتَشَارهم، وَأَخْبرَهُم أنَّ الْوَبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بِالشَّامِ، فَاخْتلَفوا، فَقَالَ بَعْصُهُمْ: خَرَجْتَ لأَمْرٍ، ولا نَرَى أنْ تَرْجِعَ عَنْهُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَعَكَ بَقِيَّة النَّاسِ وَأصْحَابُ رسُولِ اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم، وَلا نَرَى أنْ تُقْدِمَهُم عَلَى هذا الْوَبَاءِ، فَقَالَ: ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِّي، ثُـمَّ قَالَ: ادْعُ لي الأَنْصَارَ، فَدعَوتُهُم، فَاسْتَشَارهمْ، فَسَلَكُوا سَبِيلَ المُهاجرِين، وَاختَلَفوا كَاخْتلافهم، فَقَال: ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِي، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ادْعُ لي مَنْ كَانَ هَا هُنَا مِنْ مَشْيَخَةِ قُرَيْشٍ مِنْ مُهَاجِرةِ الْفَتْحِ، فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ عليه مِنْهُمْ رَجُلانِ، فَقَالُوا: نَرَى أنْ تَرْجِعَ بِالنَّاسِ وَلاَ تُقْدِمَهُم عَلَى هَذَا الْوَبَاءِ، فَنَادى عُمَرُ رضي اللّه عَنْهُ في النَّاسِ: إنِّي مُصْبِحٌ عَلَى ظَهْرٍ، فَأَصْبِحُوا عَلَيْهِ: فَقَال أبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الجَرَّاحِ رضي اللّهُ عَنْهُ: أَفِرَارًا مِنْ قَدَرِ اللَّه؟ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ رضي اللّه عَنْهُ: لَوْ غَيْرُكَ قَالَهَا يَا أبَا عُبيْدَةَ، وكَانَ عُمَرُ يَكْرَهُ خِلافَهُ، نَعَمْ نَفِرُّ منْ قَدَرِ اللّه إلى قَدَرِ اللّه، أرأَيْتَ لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ إبِلٌ، فَهَبَطَتْ وَادِيًا لهُ عُدْوَتَانِ، إحْدَاهُمَا خَصْبةٌ، والأخْرَى جَدْبَةٌ، ألَيْسَ إنْ رَعَيْتَ الخَصْبَةَ رعَيْتَهَا بقَدَرِ اللّه، وإنْ رَعَيْتَ الجَدْبَةَ رعَيْتَهَا بِقَدَر اللّه، قَالَ: فجَاءَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ رضي اللّه عَنْهُ، وَكَانَ مُتَغَيّبًا في بَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ، فَقَال: إنَّ عِنْدِي مِنْ هَذَا عِلْمًا، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم يَقُولُ: «إذَا سَمِعْتُمْ بِهِ بِأرْضٍ، فلاَ تَقْدمُوا عَلَيْهِ، وإذَا وَقَعَ بِأَرْضٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِهَا، فَلا تخْرُجُوا فِرَارًا مِنْهُ» فَحَمِدَ اللّه تَعَالى عُمَرُ رضي اللّه عَنْهُ وَانْصَرَفَ، متفقٌ عليه.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) set out for Syria (al-Sham), and when he reached Sargh, the commanders of the army — Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah and his companions — met him and informed him that the plague had broken out in Syria. Ibn Abbas said: Umar said to me: Summon for me the early Muhajirun. So I summoned them, and he consulted them and informed them that the plague had broken out in Syria. They differed. Some of them said: You have set out for a purpose, and we do not think you should turn back from it. Others said: You have with you the rest of the people and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and we do not think you should expose them to this plague. He said: Depart from me. Then he said: Summon for me the Ansar. So I summoned them, and he consulted them, and they followed the same course as the Muhajirun and differed as they had differed. He said: Depart from me. Then he said: Summon for me those of the elders of Quraysh present here from the emigrants of the Conquest. So I summoned them, and not two men among them differed. They said: We think you should turn back with the people and not expose them to this plague. So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called out among the people: I shall set out upon my mount in the morning, so set out likewise. Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Is it a flight from the decree of Allah? Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Would that someone other than you had said it, O Abu Ubaydah! — for Umar disliked to differ with him — Yes, we flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. Do you not see that if you had camels that descended into a valley having two slopes, one fertile and the other barren, would you not — if you grazed them on the fertile one — graze them by the decree of Allah, and if you grazed them on the barren one, graze them [also] by the decree of Allah? Then Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) came, having been absent on some need of his, and said: I have knowledge of this. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "If you hear of it [the plague] in a land, do not go into it; and if it breaks out in a land while you are in it, do not leave, fleeing from it." So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) praised Allah, the Exalted, and departed. Agreed upon (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
الشرح · explanation
سرغ: منزل من منازل حجاج الشام، وهي قرية بتبوك قريب من الشام. الأجناد: هي مدن أهل الشام الخمس: فلسطين، والأردن، ودمشق، وحمص، وقنسرين. الوباء: هو الطاعون، وهو مرض معد مميت. المهاجرين الأولين: هم من صلوا إلى القبلتين. لأمر: هو قتال العدو. سلكوا سبيل المهاجرين: أي طريقهم في اختلاف الرأي. مهاجرة الفتح: قيل هم الذين أسلموا قبل فتح مكة، وقيل هم مسلمو الفتح الذين هاجروا بعده. مصبح على ظهر: أي مسافر وراجع. عُدْوَتَان: الْعُدْوَة: جانِبُ الْوادِي. خصبة: ذات كلأ ومرعى. جدبة: أي لا مرعى فيها.
"Sargh": one of the stopping-places of the pilgrims of Syria; it is a village near Tabuk, close to Syria. "Al-ajnad (the military districts)": the five provinces of the people of Syria — Palestine, Jordan, Damascus, Homs, and Qinnasrin. "Al-waba' (the epidemic)": it is the plague (ta'un), a contagious, deadly disease. "The early Muhajirun": they are those who prayed toward the two qiblahs. "For a purpose": it is fighting the enemy. "They followed the course of the Muhajirun": that is, their path in differing of opinion. "The emigrants of the Conquest (muhajirat al-fath)": it is said they are those who accepted Islam before the conquest of Mecca; and it is said they are the Muslims of the Conquest who emigrated after it. "Setting out upon a mount in the morning (musbih 'ala zahr)": that is, traveling and returning. "Two slopes ('udwatan)": the 'udwah is the side of a valley. "Fertile (khasbah)": having herbage and pasture. "Barren (jadbah)": that is, having no pasture in it.
الدروس · lessons
خُروجُ الإمامِ بِنفْسِهِ لِمُشاهَدةِ أحْوالِ رَعِيَّتِه. أنَّ مِنْ هَدْيِ الصَّحابةِ رَضِيَ اللّه عنهم تَلَقِّيَ الأُمَراءِ والمُشاوَرةَ مَعهمْ، والاجْتِماعَ بالعُلَماءِ، وتَنْزيلَ النَّاسِ مَنازِلَهم. الاجْتِهادُ فِي الحُروبِ، وقَبُولُ خَبَرِ الوَاحِدِ، وَصِحَّةُ القِياسِ، واجْتِنابُ أسْبابِ الهَلاكِ. أنَّ مِنْ هَدْيِهِ صلَّى اللّهُ عليه وسلَّم عدَمَ القدومِ على أرضِ الوَباءِ إذا سُمِعَ بهِ فيها، وألَّا يُخرَجَ منها خَوفًا منه.
The leader (imam) going out himself to observe the conditions of his subjects. That among the guidance of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) was receiving the commanders and consulting with them, meeting with the scholars, and giving people their due ranks. Exercising ijtihad in [matters of] war, accepting the report of a single narrator, the validity of analogy (qiyas), and avoiding the causes of destruction. That among his guidance (peace and blessings be upon him) is not entering a land afflicted by the epidemic when one hears of it there, and not leaving it out of fear of it.