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.
muslim:1785bAbū Kurayb Muḥammad b. al-ʿAlāʾ And Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh b. Numayr > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Shaqīq > Sahl b. Ḥunayf

I heard Sahl b. Hunaif say at Siffin: O ye people, find fault with your (own) discretion. By Allah, on the Day of Abu Jandal (i. e. the day of Hudaibiya), I thought to myself that, if I could, I would reverse the order of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (the terms of the truce being unpalatable). By Allah, we have never hung our swords on our shoulders in any situation whatsoever except when they made easy for us to realise the goal envisaged by us, but this battle of yours (seems to be an exception). Ibn Numair (in his version) did not mention the words:" In any situation whatsoever"  

مسلم:١٧٨٥bوَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ شَقِيقٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ يَقُولُ بِصِفِّينَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّهِمُوا رَأْيَكُمْ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَنِّي أَسْتَطِيعُ

أَنْ أَرُدَّ أَمْرَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَرَدَدْتُهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا وَضَعْنَا سُيُوفَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَسْهَلْنَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ أَمْرَكُمْ هَذَا لَمْ يَذْكُرِ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ إِلَى أَمْرٍ قَطُّ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Ṭabarānī, Suyūṭī
bukhari:3181ʿAbdān > Abū Ḥamzah > al-Aʿmash > Saʾalt Abū Wāʾil Shahidt Ṣiffīn > Naʿam > Sahl b. Ḥunayf > Āttahimūā Raʾyakum Raʾaytunī Yawm Abū Jandal And Law Astaṭīʿ

I asked Abu Wail, "Did you take part in the battle of Siffin?" He said, 'Yes, and I heard Sahl bin Hunaif (when he was blamed for lack of zeal for fighting) saying, "You'd better blame your wrong opinions. I wish you had seen me on the day of Abu Jandal. If I had the courage to disobey the Prophet's orders, I would have done so. We had kept out swords on our necks and shoulders, for a thing which frightened us. And we did so, we found it easier for us, except in the case of the above battle (of ours).' "  

البخاري:٣١٨١حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو حَمْزَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الأَعْمَشَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا وَائِلٍ شَهِدْتَ صِفِّينَ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَسَمِعْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ يَقُولُ اتَّهِمُوا رَأْيَكُمْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَسْتَطِيعُ

أَنْ أَرُدَّ أَمْرَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لَرَدَدْتُهُ وَمَا وَضَعْنَا أَسْيَافَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا لأَمْرٍ يُفْظِعُنَا إِلاَّ أَسْهَلْنَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ غَيْرِ أَمْرِنَا هَذَا  

tabarani:5601ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Shaqīq > Sahl b. Ḥunayf Biṣiffīn

I heard Sahl b. Hunaif say at Siffin: O ye people, find fault with your (own) discretion. By Allah, on the Day of Abu Jandal (i. e. the day of Hudaibiya), I thought to myself that, if I could, I would reverse the order of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (the terms of the truce being unpalatable). By Allah, we have never hung our swords on our shoulders in any situation whatsoever except when they made easy for us to realise the goal envisaged by us, but this battle of yours (seems to be an exception). Ibn Numair (in his version) did not mention the words:" In any situation whatsoever" (Using translation from Muslim 1785b)   

الطبراني:٥٦٠١حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثنا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ شَقِيقٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ بِصِفِّينَ يَقُولُ «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ §اتَّهِمُوا رَأْيَكُمْ وَاللهِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَسْتَطِيعُ

أَنْ أَرُدَّ أَمْرَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ لَرَدَدْتُهُ وَاللهِ مَا وَضَعْنَا سُيُوفَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا أَسْهَلَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلَّا أَمْرَكُمْ هَذَا»  

suyuti:362-4bShafīq Abiá Wāʾil > Sahl b. Ḥunayf > Biṣiffayn
Request/Fix translation

  

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