Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ قَالَ قَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ اتَّهِمُوا رَأْيَكُمْ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا يَوْمَ أَبِي جَنْدَلٍ وَلَوْ نَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ نَرُدَّ أَمْرَهُ لَرَدَدْنَاهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا وَضَعْنَا سُيُوفَنَا عَنْ عَوَاتِقِنَا مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْنَا لِأَمْرٍ يُفْظِعُنَا إِلَّا أَسْهَلَ بِنَا إِلَى أَمْرٍ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلَّا هَذَا الْأَمْرَ مَا سَدَدْنَا خَصْمًا إِلَّا انْفَتَحَ لَنَا خَصْمٌ آخَرُ.
English Translation
Sufyan b. Uyaynah narrated to us: al-A'mash narrated to us, from Abu Wa'il, who said: Sahl b. Hunayf said: Doubt your own judgment. I recall the day of Abu Jandal — had we been able to reverse that decision, we would have reversed it. By Allah, we have never, since we embraced Islam, laid down our swords from our shoulders over a matter that distressed us, but that Allah eased us toward a matter we recognized as right — except in this matter. We never closed off one point of contention but that another opened up for us.