The Book on Government

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا يَوْمَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ أَلْفًا وَأَرْبَعَمِائَةٍ فَبَايَعْنَاهُ وَعُمَرُ آخِذٌ بِيَدِهِ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ وَهِيَ سَمُرَةٌ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ بَايَعْنَاهُ عَلَى أَلاَ نَفِرَّ ‏.‏ وَلَمْ نُبَايِعْهُ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ.

We were one thousand and four hundred on the Day of Hudaibiya. We swore fealty to hiin (the Holy Prophet) and 'Umar was holding the latter's hand (when he was sitting) under the tree (called) Samura (to administer the oath to the Companions). The narrator added: We took oath to the effect that we would not flee (from the battlefield if there was an encounter with the Meccans), but we did not take oath to fight to death.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ لَمْ نُبَايِعْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى الْمَوْتِ إِنَّمَا بَايَعْنَاهُ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ نَفِرَّ ‏.‏

While swearing fealty to the Prophet (ﷺ) we did not take the oath to death but that we would not run away (from the battlefield).

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، سَمِعَ جَابِرًا، يُسْأَلُ كَمْ كَانُوا يَوْمَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ قَالَ كُنَّا أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ مِائَةً فَبَايَعْنَاهُ وَعُمَرُ آخِذٌ بِيَدِهِ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ وَهِيَ سَمُرَةٌ فَبَايَعْنَاهُ غَيْرَ جَدِّ ابْنِ قَيْسٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ اخْتَبَأَ تَحْتَ بَطْنِ بَعِيرِهِ.

We were fourteen hundred. We swore fealty to him, and Umar was holding his hand while he was sitting under the tree (to administer the oath). The tree was a samura (a wild tree found in deserts). All of as took the oath of fealty at his hands except Jadd b. Qais al-Ansari who hid himself under the belly of his camel.

وَحَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ دِينَارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الأَعْوَرُ، مَوْلَى سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ مُجَالِدٍ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرًا، يُسْأَلُ هَلْ بَايَعَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ فَقَالَ لاَ وَلَكِنْ صَلَّى بِهَا وَلَمْ يُبَايِعْ عِنْدَ شَجَرَةٍ إِلاَّ الشَّجَرَةَ الَّتِي بِالْحُدَيْبِيَةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ دَعَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى بِئْرِ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ ‏.‏

No! But he offered his prayers at that place, and he administered the oath of fealty nowhere except near the tree in (the plain oo Hudaibiya. Ibn Juraij said that he was informed by Abu Zabair who heard Jabir b. Abdullah say: The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed over the well at Hudaibiya (as a result of which its scanty water rose up and increased so as to be sufficient for the 1400 or 1500 men who had encamped at the place).

"‏ أَنْتُمُ الْيَوْمَ خَيْرُ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ ‏"

We were one thousand and four hundred on the Day of Hudaibiya when the Prophet (ﷺ) said to us: Today you are the best people on the earth. And Jabir said: If I had the eyesight, I could show you the place of the tree.

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَصْحَابِ، الشَّجَرَةِ فَقَالَ لَوْ كُنَّا مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ لَكَفَانَا كُنَّا أَلْفًا وَخَمْسَمِائَةٍ ‏.‏

I asked Jabir b. 'Abdullah about the number of the Companions (of the Prophet who took the oath of fealty under) the tree. He said: If we were a hundred thousand, it (i. e. the water in the well at Hudaibiya) would have sufficed us, but actually we were one thousand and five hundred.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا رِفَاعَةُ بْنُ الْهَيْثَمِ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ، - يَعْنِي الطَّحَّانَ - كِلاَهُمَا يَقُولُ عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ لَوْ كُنَّا مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ لَكَفَانَا كُنَّا خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ مِائَةً ‏.‏

If we had been a hundred thousand in number, it (the water) would have sufficed us, but actually we were fifteen hundred.

وَحَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ، عُثْمَانُ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، حَدَّثَنِي سَالِمُ بْنُ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِجَابِرٍ كَمْ كُنْتُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَالَ أَلْفًا وَأَرْبَعَمِائَةٍ ‏.‏

I asked Jabir: How many were you on the Day of Hudaibiya? He said: One thousand and four hundred.

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُرَّةَ - حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أَوْفَى، قَالَ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الشَّجَرَةِ أَلْفًا وَثَلاَثَمِائَةٍ وَكَانَتْ أَسْلَمُ ثُمُنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ ‏.‏

The Companions of the Tree (i e. those who swore fealty under the tree) were one thousand and three hundred, and the people of Aslam tribe were one-eighth of the Muhajirs.

وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ شُمَيْلٍ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ مِثْلَهُ ‏.‏

The same tradition has been handed down through a different chain of transmitters.