Muwatta 2611

Malik transmits from Ibn Shihab, from Abd al-Hamid ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) (may God be pleased with him), from Abdallah ibn Abdallah ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal (may God be pleased with him), from Ibn Abbas, that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) set out for Syria, and when he reached Sargh the military commanders, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him) and his companions, met him and told him that the plague had broken out in Syria. Umar consulted the first emigrants, who disagreed; then the Ansar, who disagreed; then the elders of Quraysh among the emigrants of the conquest, who agreed to return. Umar called out to people: I am setting off in the morning on the back of my mount, so set off in the morning. Abu Ubayda said: are you fleeing from the decree of God? Umar said: we flee from one decree of God to another. Then Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (may God be pleased with him) came and said: I have knowledge of this; I heard the Messenger of God ﷺ say: if you hear of it in a land, do not enter it; if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave it to flee from it. Umar praised God and went away. ¹

Belongs to the Muwatta, Book of Comprehensive Matters (al-Jami). Source: the Muwatta. Mentions Malik ibn Anas, Abd al-Hamid ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattab, Abdallah ibn Abdallah ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal, Abdallah ibn Abbas, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Sargh. Built on in the chapters on taun.