فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص إِنَّا لَمَّا قَرُبْنَا مِنَ...
فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص إِنَّا لَمَّا قَرُبْنَا مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ بَعَثْنَا عَيْناً لَنَا لِنَعْرِفَ أَخْبَارَهُمْ وَ عُدَدَهُمْ لَنَا فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْنَا يُخْبِرُنَا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْرُ أَلْفِ رَجُلٍ وَ كُنَّا أَلْفَيْ رَجُلٍ وَ إِذَا الْقَوْمُ قَدْ خَرَجُوا إِلَى ظَاهِرِ بَلَدِهِمْ فِي أَلْفِ رَجُلٍ وَ تَرَكُوا فِي الْبَلَدِ ثَلَاثَةَ آلَافٍ يُوهِمُونَنَا أَنَّهُمْ أَلْفٌ They said, ‘O Rasool-Allah -saww !
When we were close to the enemy, we sent a spy of ours to familiarise with their news and count (their number) for us. He returned to us informing us that they were approximately a thousand men, and we were two thousand men. And it was so that that the people had gone out to the back of their city among a thousand men, and they had left three thousand in the city which we were assuming that they were a thousand.
وَ أَخْبَرَنَا صَاحِبُنَا أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ فِي مَا بَيْنَهُمْ نَحْنُ أَلْفٌ وَ هُمْ أَلْفَانِ وَ لَسْنَا نُطِيقُ مُكَافَحَتَهُمْ وَ لَيْسَ لَنَا إِلَّا التَّحَاصُنُ فِي الْبَلَدِ حَتَّى تَضِيقَ صُدُورُهُمْ مِنْ مُنَازَلَتِنَا فَيَنْصَرِفُوا عَنَّا And our companion informed us that they were saying in between them, ‘We are a thousand, and they are two thousand, and we would not be endure countering them, and there isn’t (a way) for us except that we fortify ourselves inside the city, until their chests are constricted from our houses, so they would disperse from us’.
فَتَجَرَّأْنَا بِذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ زَحَفْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فَدَخَلُوا بَلَدَهُمْ وَ أَغْلَقُوا دُونَنَا بَابَهُ فَقَعَدْنَا نُنَازِلُهُمْ We were encouraged by that against them, and we advanced towards them and entered their city, and we closed its gates behind us, and we sat awaiting them (for duel).
فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْنَا اللَّيْلُ وَ صِرْنَا إِلَى نِصْفِهِ فَتَحُوا بَابَ بَلَدِهِمْ وَ نَحْنُ غَارُّونَ نَائِمُونَ مَا كَانَ فِينَا مُنْتَبِهٌ إِلَّا أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ زَيْدُ بْنُ حَارِثَةَ فِي جَانِبٍ مِنْ جَوَانِبِ عَسْكَرِنَا يُصَلِّي وَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فِي جَانِبٍ آخَرَ يُصَلِّي وَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَ قَتَادَةُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ فِي جَانِبٍ آخَرَ يُصَلِّي وَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ When the night shielded upon us and went we came to its half (midnight), they opened the gate of their city, while we were heedless, sleeping.
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