Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
ahmad:18565 – Wakīʿ > Isrāʾīl > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

[Machine] I heard Al-Bara' saying: "A man in mask made of iron came to the Prophet ﷺ from Ansar and asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I embrace Islam or fight?' He replied: 'Rather, embrace Islam and then fight.' So, he embraced Islam and then fought, and he was killed. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'He did little work, but he will be greatly rewarded.'"  

أحمد:١٨٥٦٥ – حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ الْبَرَاءَ يَقُولُ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ مُقَنَّعٌ فِي الْحَدِيدِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أُسْلِمُ أَوْ أُقَاتِلُ؟ قَالَ لَا بَلْ أَسْلِمْ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ فَقُتِلَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ هَذَا عَمِلَ قَلِيلًا وَأُجِرَ كَثِيرًا  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī
bukhari:2808 – Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥīm > Shabābah b. Sawwār al-Fazārī > Isrāʾīl > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

A man whose face was covered with an iron mask (i.e. clad in armor) came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Shall I fight or embrace Islam first? "The Prophet ﷺ said, "Embrace Islam first and then fight." So he embraced Islam, and was martyred. Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, A Little work, but a great reward. "(He did very little (after embracing Islam), but he will be rewarded in abundance).  

البخاري:٢٨٠٨ – حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ بْنُ سَوَّارٍ الْفَزَارِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ الْبَرَاءَ ؓ يَقُولُ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَجُلٌ مُقَنَّعٌ بِالْحَدِيدِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أُقَاتِلُ وَأُسْلِمُ قَالَ أَسْلِمْ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ فَقُتِلَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَمِلَ قَلِيلاً وَأُجِرَ كَثِيرًا  

ahmad:18592 – Yaḥyá b. Ādam And ʾAbū Aḥmad > Isrāʾīl > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

[Machine] "A man came to the Prophet ﷺ wearing a mask made of iron, and he asked, 'Should I fight or should I become a Muslim?' The Prophet ﷺ replied, 'Rather, become a Muslim and then fight.' So, he embraced Islam and then fought. But he was killed in battle. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'He did a little, but he will be rewarded greatly.'"  

أحمد:١٨٥٩٢ – حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ وَأَبُو أَحْمَدَ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ قَالَ

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مُقَنَّعًا فِي الْحَدِيدِ قَالَ أُقَاتِلُ أَوْ أُسْلِمُ؟ قَالَ بَلْ أَسْلِمْ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ فَقُتِلَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَمِلَ هَذَا قَلِيلًا وَأُجِرَ كَثِيرًا  

ذِكْرُ الْبَيَانِ بِأَنَّ الْجِهَادَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْحَوْبَاتِ قَبْلَ الْإِسْلَامِ

ibnhibban:4601 – al-Naḍr b. Muḥammad b. al-Mubārak > Muḥammad b. ʿUthmān al-ʿIjlī > ʿUbaydullāh b. Mūsá > Isrāʾīl > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ came across a man wearing a mask made of iron. The man asked, "O Messenger of Allah, should I fight or should I embrace Islam?" The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Embrace Islam first, then fight." The man embraced Islam and later engaged in battle and was killed. The Prophet ﷺ said, "This person did little but will receive a great reward."  

ابن حبّان:٤٦٠١ – أَخْبَرَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ الْعِجْلِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ قَالَ

أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَجُلٌ مُقَنَّعٌ فِي الْحَدِيدِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أُقَاتِلُ أَوْ أُسْلِمُ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «أَسْلِمْ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ» فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ فَقُتِلَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ «هَذَا عَمِلَ قَلِيلًا وَأُجِرَ كَثِيرًا»  

bayhaqi:18542 – Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ And ʾAbū Saʿīd b. Abū ʿAmr > Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb > Ismāʿīl b. Isḥāq > ʿAbdullāh b. Rajāʾ > Isrāʾīl > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came across a man wearing a mask made of iron and said, "O Messenger of Allah, should I fight or should I embrace Islam?" He replied, "No, rather embrace Islam and then fight." So, the man embraced Islam and then engaged in battle, where he was eventually killed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "This man did very little and yet will be greatly rewarded."  

البيهقي:١٨٥٤٢ – أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ وَأَبُو سَعِيدِ بْنُ أَبِي عَمْرٍو قَالَا ثنا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ ثنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ رَجَاءٍ أنبأ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ ؓ قَالَ

أَتَى رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ رَجُلٌ مُقَنَّعٌ بِالْحَدِيدِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أُقَاتِلُ أَوْ أُسْلِمُ؟ قَالَ لَا بَلْ أَسْلِمْ ثُمَّ قَاتِلْ فَأَسْلَمَ فَقَاتَلَ فَقُتِلَ فَقَالَ هَذَا عَمِلَ قَلِيلًا وَأُجِرَ كَثِيرًا  

رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِالرَّحِيمِ عَنْ شَبَابَةَ عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ