Musnad Ahmad Hadith 16538

It is narrated from Salamah bin Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Khaybar, my uncle challenged Marhab the Jew to a duel. Marhab said, “Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, armed with weapons, brave, and experienced, when the fire of battle blazes.” My uncle ‘Amir also recited these poetic verses: “Khaybar knows that I am ‘Amir, armed with weapons and fearless, plunging into battle.” Salamah says that ‘Amir and Marhab began to strike at each other in different ways. Marhab’s sword struck ‘Amir’s shield, and ‘Amir struck Marhab with his sword from below, but ‘Amir’s own sword recoiled and struck himself, cutting his jugular vein, and as a result, he was martyred. Salamah says, “I came out and saw some of the noble Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), and they were saying, ‘The deed of ‘Amir has been wasted; he has killed himself.’” Salamah says, “When I heard this, I came to the service of the Prophet (ﷺ) weeping and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Has ‘Amir’s deed been wasted?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘Who said this?’ I replied, ‘Some people among your Companions have said so.’ He said, ‘Whoever said it, said wrong; rather, for ‘Amir there is double reward.’” When ‘Amir set out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) towards Khaybar, he began to recite poetic verses: “By Allah! If Allah had not helped us, we would not have been guided, nor would we have given charity, nor would we have prayed. These people intend to rebel against us, but whenever they intend any mischief, we refuse to be part of it. And (O Allah) we are not independent of Your bounty, and keep us steadfast when we meet the enemy, and (O Allah) send down tranquility upon us.” When these poetic verses were heard, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Who is this?” They replied, “O Messenger of Allah! It is ‘Amir.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “May your Lord forgive you.” The narrator says that whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) specifically prayed for forgiveness for someone, that person would surely attain the rank of martyrdom. Salamah says that ‘Umar bin Khattab was on his camel, and when he heard this, he called out in a loud voice, “O Prophet of Allah (ﷺ)! Why did you not let us benefit from ‘Amir?” Then ‘Amir advanced and was martyred. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) sent me to ‘Ali. He said, “I will give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him.” Salamah says, “I brought ‘Ali (supporting him) to the Prophet (ﷺ) because ‘Ali’s eyes were sore. The Prophet (ﷺ) applied his saliva to ‘Ali’s eyes, and they were cured at that very moment. He gave him the flag, and Marhab came out saying, ‘Khaybar knows that I am Marhab, armed with weapons, brave, and experienced, when the fire of battle blazes.’” Then ‘Ali replied, “I am the one whose mother named me Haidar, like the lion that is terrifying in the forests. I give people a measure greater than a sa’ in exchange.” Salamah says, “Then ‘Ali struck Marhab on the head, and he was killed, and Khaybar was conquered at the hands of ‘Ali.”