Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، كَانَ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ مِنْ سَرَايَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ فَحَاصَ النَّاسُ حَيْصَةً فَكُنْتُ فِيمَنْ حَاصَ - قَالَ - فَلَمَّا بَرَزْنَا قُلْنَا كَيْفَ نَصْنَعُ وَقَدْ فَرَرْنَا مِنَ الزَّحْفِ وَبُؤْنَا بِالْغَضَبِ فَقُلْنَا نَدْخُلُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَنَتَثَبَّتُ فِيهَا وَنَذْهَبُ وَلاَ يَرَانَا أَحَدٌ - قَالَ - فَدَخَلْنَا فَقُلْنَا لَوْ عَرَضْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَنَا تَوْبَةٌ أَقَمْنَا وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ ذَهَبْنَا - قَالَ - فَجَلَسْنَا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قُمْنَا إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْنَا نَحْنُ الْفَرَّارُونَ فَأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَالَ " لاَ بَلْ أَنْتُمُ الْعَكَّارُونَ " . قَالَ فَدَنَوْنَا فَقَبَّلْنَا يَدَهُ فَقَالَ " أَنَا فِئَةُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ " .
Ibn Umar was sent with a detachment of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The people wheeled round in flight. He said: I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped, we said (i.e. thought): How should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah's wrath. Then we said (thought): Let us enter Medina, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered (Medina) and thought: If we present ourselves before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting) for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood up to him and said: We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said: No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said; I am the main body of the Muslims.