Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 4189
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَابِقٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ مِغْوَلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حَصِينٍ، قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو وَائِلٍ لَمَّا قَدِمَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ مِنْ صِفِّينَ أَتَيْنَاهُ نَسْتَخْبِرُهُ فَقَالَ اتَّهِمُوا الرَّأْىَ، فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَرُدَّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَمْرَهُ لَرَدَدْتُ، وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، وَمَا وَضَعْنَا أَسْيَافَنَا عَلَى عَوَاتِقِنَا لأَمْرٍ يُفْظِعُنَا إِلاَّ أَسْهَلْنَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ قَبْلَ هَذَا الأَمْرِ، مَا نَسُدُّ مِنْهَا خُصْمًا إِلاَّ انْفَجَرَ عَلَيْنَا خُصْمٌ مَا نَدْرِي كَيْفَ نَأْتِي لَهُ.
When Sahl ibn Ḥunayf returned from Ṣiffīn, we went to him seeking his account. He said, “Be wary of your own judgment. On the day of Abū Jandal, I saw myself in such a state that, had I been able, I would have reversed the Messenger of Allah’s decision. But Allah and His Messenger know best. Whenever we have shouldered our swords over a matter that distressed us, it has only led us more easily to a matter we knew before this one. We do not close one breach without another breach opening against us, and we do not know how to deal with it.”