33/18. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1859b — Forgotten Tree
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
Forgotten Tree Hadith: Honest Memory After Hudaibiyah
Sahih Muslim : 1859b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1859b
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 1859b
This Hadith repeats the report about Sa'id b. Musayyab and his father. His father had been among those who pledged to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم near the tree. Yet when they passed that way the next year for Hajj, the location of the tree was hidden from them. Another wording says that they forgot the spot in the following year. For readers searching for forgotten tree Hadith, Bay'ah under the tree location, or Sahih Muslim 1859b, this narration is a lesson in careful speech. The people in the report did not pretend to know the exact place when it was no longer clear to them. It keeps the event important while admitting uncertainty about the spot.
What we learn from this hadith
- The father of Sa'id was among those who pledged near the tree.
- The next year, the spot was not clear to them.
- The report models honest speech when a place cannot be identified with certainty.
- The event remains remembered even though the exact tree location was forgotten.
