JIHAD SECTION · 98 – The Undesirability of Wishing to Encounter the Enemy
Salim, the freed slave and scribe of 'Umar ibn Ubaydullah, reported:
He said that when 'Umar ibn Ubaydullah marched against the Haruriyyin, Abdullah ibn Abu Aufa wrote to him a letter mentioning that the Messenger of Allah, on some days when he encountered the enemy, said, "O people, do not wish for meeting the enemy. Seek well-being from Allah and be patient when you encounter them. Know that paradise is under the shade of swords." Then he supplicated, “O Allah, You who have sent down the scriptures, drive back the clouds [of enemies], and defeat the adversaries, defeat our enemies and grant us victory against them.”