There is a tradition of Wâqidi that A’mru B. Ala’ass said: ‘When I became ennobled by professing the Faith I said: “O apostle of God, I have for some time tried to demolish the castle of Islâm; but now I should like to leave some traces of my profession of the Faith.”’ That prince replied: ‘I shall send thee to a locality, if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.’ It is related that while A’mru was waiting to be appointed to a command the information reached the exalted audition of the best of men that a number of the Bani Qadzaa’h had agreed to attack a certain region belonging to the professors of Islâm. The prophet accordingly despatched A’mru B. Ala’ass with three hundred men to extirpate the opponents, appointing him to command those troops, to march to Wâdy-l-qara, and to halt in a serai called Silâsil. When A’mru had departed from Madinah and marched against the idolaters, he heard that another detachment of the Bettâraqah had made common cause with the Bani Qadzaa’h, and being disquieted by this news, he sent a courier to his lordship with the information and a request for aid. The apostle of God thereon despatched a company, in which also Ssiddyq and Fârûq were enrolled, to reinforce A’mru, appointing Abu O’baydah to be the commander thereof, and at the time of parting his holy and prophetic lordship ordered the latter not to disagree with his companions in arms. When this second detachment joined A’mru B. Ala’ass, he said to O’baydah: ‘As thou hast come to assist me, thou must hold prayers in my rear [I being the leader].’ O’baydah, however, replied: ‘Thou art the commander of the troops which arrived first, and I of those which arrived now.’ A’mru objected also to this arrangement; but as O’baydah kept in mind the injunction of the apostle of God, he abstained from quarrelling, and held his prayers in the rear of A’mru.
After A’mru had thus been reinforced by Abu O’baydah, he began to plunder the country of the opponents, and captured much cattle, whereon the army returned satisfied to Madinah, and was admitted to the felicity of kissing the feet of his lordship the refuge of termination—u. w. b.
It is related that when A’mru waited on the prince of existences—to whom be the most excellent greetings—his lordship asked how the warriors of Islâm had obeyed and agreed with each other, whereon A’mru expressed his entire satisfaction with them. The prophet then likewise asked the troops how A’mru had behaved towards them in that expedition, and they all remembered him with gratitude, but, nevertheless, conveyed to the exalted audition of his lordship the information that he had one morning held prayers in a state of pollution [which made them invalid]. When the apostle desired to know the particulars of this affair, A’mru replied: ‘That day was very cold; I was in fear for my life, and therefore failed to perform the religious ablution; and the Lord God Almighty has said: “Do not commit suicide.”’ The apostle of God smiled at these words, and said: ‘Look out how you may procure deliverance for yourselves [from sin].’
It is related that A’mru, having been the commander of the troops in the above expedition, among whom were both Ssiddyq and Fârûq, he imagined that his holy and prophetic lordship loved him more than those two blessed individuals. Hoping to obtain certainty on this point, he once asked: ‘O apostle of God, what person lovest thou most?’ He replied: ‘A’ayshah.’ A’mru continued: ‘I ask about men.’ He answered: ‘My father’ [Abu Bakr]. He further asked: ‘Who comes after him?’ He said: ‘O’mar.’ Thus A’mru continued to ask until the apostle of God had mentioned with his wonderfully eloquent tongue the names of all his friends, so that A’mru learnt that command, or authority over the army, implies an honour, but not a greater degree of the love of his lordship the prophet.