33/18. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1859a — Tree Location
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
Hudaibiyah Tree Location Hadith: When the Place Was Hidden
Sahih Muslim : 1859a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1859a
وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ حَامِدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ طَارِقٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، قَالَ كَانَ أَبِي مِمَّنْ بَايَعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عِنْدَ الشَّجَرَةِ . قَالَ فَانْطَلَقْنَا فِي قَابِلٍ حَاجِّينَ فَخَفِيَ عَلَيْنَا مَكَانُهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتْ تَبَيَّنَتْ لَكُمْ فَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ . وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ، قَالَ وَقَرَأْتُهُ عَلَى نَصْرِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَامَ الشَّجَرَةِ قَالَ فَنَسُوهَا مِنَ الْعَامِ الْمُقْبِلِ.
It has been narrated on the authority of Sa'id b. Musayyab who said: My father was one of those who swore fealty to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) near the tree. When we passed that way next year intending to perform the Hajj, the place of the tree was hidden to us. If you could point out clearly, you would (certainly) be knowing better. It has also been narrated on the authority of Sa'id b. Musayyib who learnt from his father that they were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the year of the Tree (i. e. in the year of the fealty of God's pleasure sworn under the tree at Hudaibiya), but next year they forgot the spot of the tree.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1859a, bIn-book reference : Book 33, Hadith 116USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 20, Hadith 4588
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1859a
This Hadith is about memory, place, and honesty in reporting. Sa'id b. Musayyab says his father was among those who pledged to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم near the tree. When they passed that way the next year intending Hajj, the place of the tree was hidden from them. Another wording says they were with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم in the year of the Tree, but the next year they forgot the spot of the tree. For readers searching for Hudaibiyah tree location, forgotten tree Hadith, or Sahih Muslim 1859a, the lesson is clear: even people connected to a great event did not claim certainty when they no longer knew the exact place. The report values truthful memory over guesswork.
What we learn from this hadith
- Sa'id’s father was among those who pledged near the tree.
- The place of the tree was hidden from them when they returned the next year.
- The report teaches honesty about what one knows and what one does not know.
- A major event can be remembered even when the exact location is no longer clear.
