Behind the Mountain

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In al-Furqan bayna Awliya’ ar-Rahman wa Awliya’ ash-Shaythan, Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah (r.a.) wrote about the incident when Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq (r.a.), helped the Muslim army in Iraq.  When Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) sent out an army, he appointed Sayyidina Sariyah ibn Zunaym al-Jabal (r.a.) as their commander.  While Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) was delivering the khuthbah in Madina, he started shouting, “O Sariyah, the mountain!” thrice.

A month later, a messenger from the army came, and Sayyidina ‘Umar (r.a.) questioned him concerning the campaign.  He said, “O Commander of the Faithful!  We met with the enemy and they had almost defeated us.  Then a voice warned us, ‘O Sariyah, the mountain!’  So, we put our backs against the mountain and Allah (s.w.t.) Vanquished them.”  This story is well known, and there are versions with greater detail.