33/18. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1858a — Pledge Not to Flee
It is recommended for the army to swear allegiance to the ruler when intending to fight, and an account of Bay'at Ar-Ridwan beneath the tree
Day of the Tree Hadith: Pledge Not to Flee
Sahih Muslim : 1858a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1858a
وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، بْنِ الأَعْرَجِ عَنْ مَعْقِلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، قَالَ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ الشَّجَرَةِ وَالنَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُبَايِعُ النَّاسَ وَأَنَا رَافِعٌ غُصْنًا مِنْ أَغْصَانِهَا عَنْ رَأْسِهِ وَنَحْنُ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ مِائَةً قَالَ لَمْ نُبَايِعْهُ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ وَلَكِنْ بَايَعْنَاهُ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ نَفِرَّ .
It has been narrated on the authority of Ma'qil b. Yasar who aaid: I remember being present on the Day of the Tree, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was taking the oath of the people and I was holding a twig of the tree over his head. We were fourteen hundred (in number). We did not take oath to the death, but to the effect that we would not run away from the battlefield.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1858aIn-book reference : Book 33, Hadith 114USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 20, Hadith 4586
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1858a
This Hadith gives an eyewitness memory from Ma'qil b. Yasar about the Day of the Tree. He says he saw himself there while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was taking the oath from the people. Ma'qil was holding a branch of the tree over the Prophet’s head. The group was fourteen hundred. He then clarifies the nature of the pledge: they did not pledge to death, but pledged not to flee. For readers searching for Day of the Tree Hadith, pledge not to flee, or Sahih Muslim 1858a, this report is rich in direct details. It gives a scene, a number, and the pledge wording. The key teaching is firmness without changing the exact words of the report.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ma'qil gives a personal memory of being present at the Day of the Tree.
- The report describes the pledge as a promise not to flee.
- The number is given as fourteen hundred in this wording.
- Eyewitness details can preserve both the scene and the meaning of an event.
