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Text and translation
English translation
1704. Al-Barā' narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sent two armies, placing 'Ali bin Abī Ṭālib as the commander of one of them, and Khālid bin Al-Walīd over the other. He said: 'When there is fighting, then 'Ali (is in command).'"[1] He said: "So 'Ali conquered a fortress and took a slave girl. Khālid [bin Al-Walīd] wrote a letter and sent me with it to the Prophet ﷺ, to speak against him for it. So I arrived to the Prophet ﷺ to read the letter. The color of his face changed, then he said: 'What do you think about a man who loves Allāh and His Messenger, and Allāh and His Messenger love him?'" He said: "I said: 'I seek refuge from angering Allāh and angering His Messenger, I am only the messenger.' So he was silent." (Da'if)
[Abū 'Eisā said:] There is something about this from Ibn 'Umar. This Hadīth is Ḥasan Gharīb, we do not know of it except from the narration of Al-Aḥwaṣ bin Jawwāb. And his saying: "To speak against him for that" refers to An-Namūmah.
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Footnotes
1
[1] That is, if fighting occurs while the two armies are still together. See Tuhfat Al-Aḥwadhi.
Commentary
The Hadīth contains the golden rule that the army command must be placed in the hands of a pious and God-fearing individual who loves Allāh and His Messenger, and would be loved by Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ for the virtuous traits of his character, which quality also endears him to the people. War, moreover, must be fought under one commander, although in the transitory phase more than one unit commander may be appointed for facility of administration.
