“حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبى شيبة حدثنا عفان حدثنا حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن أنس أن رسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم شاور حین بلغه إقبال أبوسفیان. قال: فتكلم أبوبكر فأعرض عنه ثم تكلم عمر فأعرض عنه ثم تکلم عمر فأعرض عنه فقام سعد بن عبادة فقال: إيانا ترید یا رسول الله؟ والذي نفسي بيده لو أمرتنا أن نخوض البحر لأخضناها ولو أمرتنا أن نضرب أکبادها إلی برک الغماد لفعلنا قال فندب رسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم الناس فانطلقوا حتى نزلوا بدرا ووردت عليهم روايا قريش وفيهم غلام أسود لبنى الأحجاج فأخذه فكان أصحاب رسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم يسألونه عن أبی سفیان وأصحابه فیقول: ما لی علم بأبی سفیان ولكن هذا أبوجهل وعتبة وشيبة وأمية بن خلف. فاذا قال ذلك ضربوه فقال: نعم أنا أخبركم هذا أبوسفيان، فاذا ترکوه. فسألوه. فقال: ما لی بأبی سفيان علم ولكن هذا أبوجهل وعتبة وشيبة وأمية بن خلف في الناس. فاذا قال هذا أيضا ضربوه ورسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم قائم یصلی. فلما رأی ذلك انصرف. قال: والذی نفسي بيده لتضربوه إذا صدقكم وتتركوه إذا كذبكم؟! قال: فقال رسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم: هذا مصرع فلان ویضع یده على الأرض هاهنا هاهنا. قال: فما ماطه أحدهم عن موضع يد رسول الله صلىاللهعليهوسلم.”
Translation: “It is narrated from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) consulted his Sahaba when the news of Abu Sufyan’s arrival reached him. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke first, but the Prophet turned away. Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but the Prophet turned away again. Finally, Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said, ‘Is it us you are referring to, O Messenger of Allah? By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, if you command us to dive into the sea, we would dive in, and if you command us to ride our horses to the lands of Barka al-Ghamad, we would do so.’ After hearing this from Sa’d bin Ubadah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded the people to move forward, and they camped at Badr, ready for battle…”
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “In it, there is a consultation with the Sahaba, those who have opinions, and those who are knowledgeable and experienced.”
Consultation Regarding the Prisoners of Badr:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) consulted his Sahaba regarding the prisoners of Badr, saying: “What do you think about the prisoners? Are you happy for them to be ransomed?” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) suggested that ransom be taken from them, while Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) suggested they be killed because they were leaders of the disbelievers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) agreed with the opinion of Abu Bakr and took the ransom, releasing the prisoners.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates this hadith from Musnad Ahmad in detail, stating: “Some of them were released upon Abu Bakr’s approval, while others were executed upon Umar’s approval.”
It is important to note that later, Umar’s opinion was confirmed by revelation.
The Council and the Battle of Uhud
The opinion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding the Battle of Uhud was that a fort should be built inside the city to defend it from within. Some of the elders of the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) supported this opinion, but the younger Sahaba suggested that they leave the city and confront the enemy elsewhere. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) valued the opinion of the young and preferred their viewpoint, ordering that the battle front be established on the slopes of Mount Uhud.
The Council and the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq)
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) convened a council during the Battle of the Trench to consult on whether the battle front should be established inside or outside the city of Medina. Hazrat Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) proposed digging a trench, and the Muslims approved his suggestion. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then gave the order to dig the trench.