History of Khulafah Rashideen by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti - translated by Abdassamad Clarke

Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nucaym narrated, both of them in [books that 9 An ayah whose judgement remains valid although it is not in the mushaf and is not recited.

they each called] Dala’ilan-Nubuwwah, and al-Lalka’i in Sharh asm Sunnah, ad-Dayrcaquli in his Fawa’id, Ibn al-Acrabi in his Karamai\ al-Awliya and al-Khateeb in Ruwat Malik can Naff can Ibn cUmar"\ that Ibn cUmar said: cUmar sent an army and he put at the head of them a man called Sariyah. While cUmar was delivering the khutbah he began to cry out, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ three times. Then later the messenger of the army came and he told cUmar, Amir al- Mu’minin, we were being defeated and in that situation we heard a voice crying out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” three times. We put the mountain to our rear, and then Allah defeated them.’ Someone said to cUmar, ‘You cried out with those words.’ That mountain, where Sariyah was, is close to Nahawand in the land of the non-Arabs (Persian Iraq). Ibn Hajar said in al-Isabah: Its isnad is good.

Ibn Mardawayh narrated byway of Maymun ibn Mihran that Ibn cUmar said: cUmar was delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumucah and then he turned aside during his khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain! He who asks the wolf to be a shepherd will be wronged.’ People looked about, one to another. Then cAli said to them, ‘Let him explain what he meant.’ When he had finished they asked him and he said, ‘It occurred to me in my mind that the idolaters were defeating our brothers who were passing by a mountain, and that if they were to turn towards it, they would fight on one front only, but if they passed by it they would be destroyed. So there came out of me that which you claim you heard.’ He said: The messenger came a month later and mentioned that they had heard the voice of cUmar on that day, and he said, ‘We turned towards the mountain, and Allah gave us victory.’ Abu Nucaym said in ad-Dala’il that cAmr ibn al-Harith said:

While cUmar (ibn al-Khattab) was upon the minbar delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumucah suddenly he left off the khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ two or three times. Some of those present said, ‘He has gone mad, he is insane.’ cAbd ar-Rahman ibn cAwf went in to see him - and he had confidence in him - and he said, ‘You give them room to talk against you. While you were giving t he khutbah, suddenly you cried out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” What sort of thing is this?’ He said, ‘By Allah, I could not control it. I saw them fighting near a mountain and they were being attacked from in front of them and from behind them. I could not stop myself from saying, “Sariyah, the mountain!” so that they would reach the mountain.’ Then they waited some time until Sariyah’s messenger came with his letter, ‘The people met us (in battle) on the day of Jumucah, and we fought them until, when it was time for Jumucah, we heard someone cry out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” twice, so we reached the mountain. We continued victorious over our enemy until Allah defeated them and killed them.’ Then those people who had accused him said, ‘Leave this man alone, because he is in collusion with him.’ Abu’l-Qasim ibn Bishran narrated in his Fawa’id by way of Musa ibn cUqbah from Nafic that Ibn cUmar said: TJmar ibn al- Khattab said to a man, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jamrah (a live coal).’ He asked, ‘Whose son?’ He said, ‘The son of Shihab (flame).’ He asked, ‘From what tribe?’ He said, ‘From al-Hurqah (a state of burning).’ He asked, ‘Where is your dwelling?’ He said, ‘At al-Harrah (“the volcanic tract” from al-harr the heat).’ He asked, ‘In which of them?’ He said, ‘Dhat Ladha (the blazing one).’ cUmar said, ‘Go to your family for they have been burnt.’ The man returned to his family and found that they had been burnt. Malik narrated the like of it in the Muwatta from Yahya ibn Sacid, Ibn Durayd in al-Akhbar al-Manthurah, Ibn al-Kalbi in al-Jamic and others narrated it.

Abu’sh-Shaykh narrated in Kitab al-Adhamah: Abu’t-Tib narrated to us: cAli ibn Dawud narrated to us: cAbd al-Fattah ibn Salih narrated to us: cAbdullah ibn Salih narrated to us: Ibn Lahicah narrated to us from Qais ibn al-Hajjaj, from someone he related from, said: When Egypt was conquered, its people came to cAmr ibn al-cAs, when the first day of one of their months arrived, and they said to him, ‘Amir, this Nile of ours has a custom (sunnah)

without which it does not flow.’ He asked, ‘And what is that?’ They said, ‘When eleven nights have elapsed of this month we seek a young virgin from her parents, we obtain the consent of the parents, then we dress her in the best possible clothing and ornaments, and then we throw her in this Nile.’ So cAmr said to them, ‘This will never be in Islam. Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ They left, and neither did the Nile flow a little nor a lot, so much so that they intended to emigrate. When cAmr saw that, he wrote to cUmar ibn al-Khattab about it. He wrote back to him, ‘You were right in what you said. Truly, Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ He sent a slip of paper inside his letter and wrote to cAmr, ‘I have sent you a slip of paper inside my letter, so throw it in the Nile.’ When cUmar’s letter reached cAmr ibn al-cAs, he took the slip and opened it, and there was in it, ‘From the slave of Allah cUmar ibn al-Khattab Amir al-Mu’minin to the Nile of Egypt. Now, if you used to flow before, then don’t flow! If it was Allah who made you flow, then I ask the Overwhelming One to make you flow.’ He threw the slip into the Nile a day before (the Festival of) the Cross. They woke up in the morning, and Allah, Exalted is He, had made it flow (and it rose)

sixteen cubits in one night. Allah cut off this sunnah (custom) of the people of Egypt right up to this day.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: A man was in conversation with cUmar ibn al-Khattab and told him a lie, and he would say, ‘Withhold this.’ Then later he told him something else and he said, ‘Withhold this.’ He said to him, ‘Everything I told you was true except for what you told me to withhold.’ He narrated that al-Hasan said: If there was anyone who recognised a lie when he was told it, it was cUmar ibn al-Khattab.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dalail that Abu Hudbah al-Himsi said:

cUmar was told that the people of Iraq had pelted their amir with pebbles and he went out angry. He performed the prayer but was forgetful in his prayer. When he had completed the prayer, he said, ‘O Allah, they have made me confused, so make them confused, and hasten with the youth of (the tribe of) Thaqif who will pass judgement among them with the judgement of Jahiliyyah, who will not accept from their good-doers and he will not pass over their wrongdoers with pardon.’ I say that this indicates al-Hajjaj. Ibn Lahicah said, Al-Hajjaj was not yet born at that time.’