Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ أَيَّامَ حُنَيْنٍ يُحَرِّكُ شَفَتَيْهِ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَرَاهُ يَفْعَلُهُ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا نَرَاكَ تَفْعَلُ شَيْئًا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَفْعَلُهُ فَمَا هَذَا الَّذِي تُحَرِّكُ شَفَتَيْكَ قَالَ إِنَّ نَبِيًّا فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَعْجَبَتْهُ كَثْرَةُ أُمَّتِهِ فَقَالَ لَنْ يَرُومَ هَؤُلَاءِ شَيْءٌ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ خَيِّرْ أُمَّتَكَ بَيْنَ إِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ إِمَّا أَنْ نُسَلِّطَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَدُوًّا مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ فَيَسْتَبِيحَهُمْ أَوْ الْجُوعَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ أُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْمَوْتَ فَشَاوَرَهُمْ فَقَالُوا أَمَّا الْعَدُوُّ فَلَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِمْ وَأَمَّا الْجُوعُ فَلَا صَبْرَ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلَكِنْ الْمَوْتُ فَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْمَوْتَ فَمَاتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَنَا أَقُولُ الْآنَ حَيْثُ رَأَى كَثْرَتَهُمْ اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أُحَاوِلُ وَبِكَ أُصَاوِلُ وَبِكَ أُقَاتِلُ.
English Translation
Affan narrated to us, he said: Hammad — that is Ibn Salamah — narrated to us, he said: Thabit narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Suhayb, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, during the days of Hunayn, used to move his lips after the dawn prayer with something we had not seen him do before. So we said, "O Messenger of Allah, we see you doing something you did not used to do — what is this that you move your lips with?" He said: "There was a prophet among those before you who was pleased by the great number of his nation, and he said, 'Nothing will ever be able to overcome these people.' So Allah revealed to him that he should give his nation the choice among one of three things: either We let loose upon them an enemy from other than themselves who would overrun them, or hunger, or We send death upon them. So he consulted them, and they said, 'As for the enemy, we have no strength against them; as for hunger, we have no patience for it; but as for death, let it be.' So death was sent upon them, and seventy thousand of them died within three days." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "So now I say, when I saw their great number: 'O Allah, by You I strive, and by You I contend, and by You I fight.'"