Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 249
It was narrated that ʼUmar said: I heard ‘Iyad al-Ash`ari say: i was present at al-Yarmouk and we had five commanders over us: Abu `Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, Yazeed bin Abi Sufyan, Ibn Hasanah, Khalid bin al-Waleed and `Iyad – and this `Iyad was not the one who narrated reports to Simak. – `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: If fighting occurs, then your commander is Abu `Ubaidah. So we wrote to him, saying: We are facing death; and we asked him for reinforcements. He wrote to us, saying: I have received your letter asking for reinforcements and I can tell you about who has the greatest support and the most ready troops. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, ask Him for support, for Muhammad (ﷺ) was caused to prevail on the day of Badr with fewer than your numbers. When this letter of mine reaches you, fight them without referring back to me. So we fought them, and we defeated them, pursuing and killing them for four parasangs, and we acquired wealth (booly). They discussed the issue (of booty) and ‘Iyad suggested to us that we should give ten for every head. And Abu ʼUbaidah said: Who will compete with me (in a horse race)? A young man said: I will, if you don`t get angry. Then he beat him, and I saw the two braids of Abu ‘Ubaidah flying as he raced behind him on an Arabian horse.
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَاصِمٍ، أَنْبَأَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَوْ جَدِّهِ الشَّكُّ مِنْ يَزِيدَ عَنْ عُمَرَ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوَضَّأَ بَعْدَ الْحَدَثِ وَمَسَحَ عَلَى خُفَّيْهِ وَصَلَّى.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 249
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad represents one of the largest and most significant early collections of prophetic traditions. This massive compilation is uniquely arranged by the names of the companions (Sahabah), devoting individual chapters to each one to consolidate all the narrations they are known to have transmitted. This approach offers profound insights into the teachings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad from the perspective of those who knew him best. The collection is universally esteemed for its authenticity and historical value, serving as a critical resource for scholars. However, because it aims for breadth, it encompasses a wide range of narrations, including some that experts have identified as having less reliable chains of narration alongside its many strong ones.
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For more Hadith in Book 2: Musnad `Umar b. al-Khattab (ra)