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bukhari:4189al-Ḥasan b. Isḥāq > Muḥammad b. Sābiq > Mālik b. Mighwal > Abū Ḥaṣīn

When Sahl bin Hunaif returned from (the battle of) Siffin, we went to ask him (as to why he had come back). He replied, "(You should not consider me a coward) but blame your opinions. I saw myself on the day of Abu Jandal (inclined to fight), and if I had the power of refusing the order of Allah's Apostle then, I would have refused it (and fought the infidels bravely). Allah and His Apostle know (what is convenient) better. Whenever we put our swords on our shoulders for any matter that terrified us, our swords led us to an easy agreeable solution before the present situation (of disagreement and dispute between the Muslims). When we mend the breach in one side, it opened in another, and we do not know what to do about it."  

البخاري:٤١٨٩حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَابِقٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ مِغْوَلٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حَصِينٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو وَائِلٍ لَمَّا قَدِمَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ مِنْ صِفِّينَ أَتَيْنَاهُ نَسْتَخْبِرُهُ فَقَالَ

اتَّهِمُوا الرَّأْىَ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَرُدَّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَمْرَهُ لَرَدَدْتُ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ وَمَا وَضَعْنَا أَسْيَافَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا لأَمْرٍ يُفْظِعُنَا إِلاَّ أَسْهَلْنَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ قَبْلَ هَذَا الأَمْرِ مَا نَسُدُّ مِنْهَا خُصْمًا إِلاَّ انْفَجَرَ عَلَيْنَا خُصْمٌ مَا نَدْرِي كَيْفَ نَأْتِي لَهُ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
ahmad:15974Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah > al-Aʿmash > Abū Wāʾil > Sahl b. Ḥunayf Āttahimūā Raʾyakum Falaqad Raʾaytunā Yawm Abū Jandal And Law Nastaṭīʿ > Narud Amrah Laradadnāh Wa-al-Lh Mā Waḍaʿnā Suyūfanā

[Machine] "To return his matter we will respond to him, I swear to God, we have never removed our swords from our shoulders since we surrendered to a command that intimidates us, except for what is easier for us to a matter that we know, and the only matter we have not defeated an opponent, except that another opponent opens to us."  

أحمد:١٥٩٧٤حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ قَالَ قَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ اتَّهِمُوا رَأْيَكُمْ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ نَسْتَطِيعُ

أَنْ نَرُدَّ أَمْرَهُ لَرَدَدْنَاهُ وَاللهِ مَا وَضَعْنَا سُيُوفَنَا عَنْ عَوَاتِقِنَا مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْنَا لِأَمْرٍ يُفْظِعُنَا إِلَّا أَسْهَلَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلَّا هَذَا الْأَمْرَ مَا سَدَدْنَا خَصْمًا إِلَّا انْفَتَحَ لَنَا خَصْمٌ آخَرُ  

suyuti:362-4bShafīq Abiá Wāʾil > Sahl b. Ḥunayf > Biṣiffayn
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السيوطي:٣٦٢-٤b

"عَنْ شَفِيقٍ أَبِى وَائِلٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ يَقُولُ بِصِفَّينَ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّهِمُوا رَأيَكُمْ، فَوَالله لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِى يَوْمَ أَبِى جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَرُدَّ أَمْرَ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ لَرَدَدْتُهُ، وَالله مَا وَضَعْنَا سُيُوفَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ لأَمْرٍ يُقْطِعُنَا قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَسْهَلَ بِنَا إِلاَّ (*) أَمْر نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ أَمْركُمْ هَذَا".  

[ش] ابن أبى شيبة ونعيم بن حماد في الفتن