Hadith 19141

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abd al-Hamidibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattab from Abdullah ibn Abdullahibn 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, thecommanders 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. IbnAbbas said, "Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'all the first Muhajir untome.' He assembled them and asked them for advice, informing them thatthe plague had broken out in ash Sham. They disagreed. Some said, 'Youhave set out for something, and we do not think that you should leaveit.' Others said, 'You have the companions of the Prophet, may Allahbless 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 tome.' They were summoned and he asked them for advice. They acted asthe Muhajirun had and disagreed as they had disagreed. He said, 'Leaveme.' "Then he said, 'Summon to me whoever is here of the aged men ofQuraysh from the Muhajirun of the conquest.' He summoned them and notone of them differed. They said, 'We think that you should withdrawthe people and not send them towards the plague.' Umar called out tothe 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. Weflee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. What would youthink if these camels had gone down into a valley which had twoslopes, one of them fertile, and the other barren. If you pastured inthe fertile part, wouldn't you pasture them by the decree of Allah? Ifyou pastured them in the barren part, wouldn't you pasture them by thedecree of Allah?'''Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf arrived and he hadbeen off doing something and he said, 'I have some knowledge of this.I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, 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 inflight from it." ' Umar praised Allah and then set off."