Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2798
sahih

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

The Prophet (ﷺ) delivered a sermon and said, "Zaid took the flag and was martyred, and then Ja`far took the flag and was martyred, and then `Abdullah bin Rawaha took the flag and was martyred too, and then Khalid bin Al-Walid took the flag though he was not appointed as a commander and Allah made him victorious." The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, "It would not please us to have them with us." Aiyub, a sub-narrator, added, "Or the Prophet, shedding tears, said, 'It would not please them to be with us.'"

حَدَّثَنَا يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الصَّفَّارُ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلاَلٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ خَطَبَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَخَذَ الرَّايَةَ زَيْدٌ فَأُصِيبَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَهَا جَعْفَرٌ فَأُصِيبَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَهَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فَأُصِيبَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَهَا خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ عَنْ غَيْرِ إِمْرَةٍ فَفُتِحَ لَهُ ـ وَقَالَ ـ مَا يَسُرُّنَا أَنَّهُمْ عِنْدَنَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَيُّوبُ أَوْ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا يَسُرُّهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ عِنْدَنَا ‏"‏‏.‏ وَعَيْنَاهُ تَذْرِفَانِ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 56, Hadith 16
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 55 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah prepared for martyrs the highest ranks in Paradise and a great reward that is beyond imagination.This superior status made the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) so keen on having this honour and dying in the cause of Allah, and many of them attained this honour and died in the way of Allah on battlefields. In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that while the Prophetﷺwas delivering a sermon, Allah revealed to him that the three commanders of the Muslim army had beenmartyred. This was in the battle of Mu'tah, which is situated in al-Balqaa' in the south of Jordan and occurred in the 8th year of Hijrah. The battle was between the Muslims and the Romans. Upon receiving the revelation, the Prophet ﷺ shared from his noble pulpit the news with his Companions in al-Madeenah. The first one who was martyred was Zayd in Haarithah (may Allah be pleased with him), the commander and flag bearer of the army. After his martyrdom, Ja'far ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him), the paternal cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, took the flag and was martyred, and then `Abdullah ibn Rawaahah(may Allah be pleased with him) took the flag and was martyred too. The Prophet ﷺ delivered the news ashis eyes shed tears out of his grief over them. Then, he ﷺ remarked: "It would not please us to have them with us" i.e., the great honour and high ranks those martyrs receive is much better for them than being with us in this life. According to the other version of the hadeeth, it reads: "It would not please them to be with us" i.e., after seeing all the honour and rewards preparedfor them, they no longer desire this worldly life except for the purpose of fighting again in the way of Allah to attain the honour of martyrdom repeatedly. The three martyred Companions mentioned in the hadeeth were appointed by the Prophet ﷺ as general commanders of the Muslim army. After they all died in the battle, Khaalid ibn Al-Waleed(may Allah be pleased with him)took the flag, though he was not appointed by the Prophet ﷺ as a commander, and Allah made him victorious. He took the initiative after seeing that taking the leadership would serve the best interest of the Muslims. The victory mentioned in the hadeeth refers to the success of his military tactics when he ordered the army to leave their positions and retreat to save the strength and supplies of the Muslims. This was because the number of the Romans and their allies who fought was two hundred thousand; 100,000 from the Romans and 100,000 from the Christians of the Levant, while the number of the Muslims was only three thousand. In response to the tactic of Khaalid (may Allah be pleased with him), the Romans retreated too despite their large number and advantage of arms and troops.But they had no choice because of the fierceness of the battle and the large number of casualties in their army. It is reported on the authority of Khaalid (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Nine swords were broken in my hand on the Day of Mu'tah, and nothing was left in my hand except a Yemenite sword." [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree]. The Prophet ﷺ considered this a victory for the Muslims. From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning that being compassionate and merciful is a praiseworthy quality, and that one should take the initiative to help, support, and benefit the Muslims, whenever he is able to and sees that it will serve their best interests. This hadeeth highlights the virtue and merit of Khaalid ibn al-Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him),and it shows that it is permissible to shedtears for the deceased. It also offers one of the miracles of the Prophet ﷺ..
Related hadiths3
Compare isnād across 3 related chains →