My uncle Anas bin Nadr was absent from the fighting at Badr. He said, "Messenger of Allah, I was absent from the first battle you fought against the polytheists. If Allah lets me witness a battle against the polytheists, He will surely see what I do."When the day of Uhud came and the Muslims were routed, he said, "O Allah, I apologize to You for what these have done," meaning his companions, "and I declare myself innocent before You of what these have done," meaning the polytheists.Then he advanced, and Saad bin Muaz met him. Anas bin Nadr said, "Saad bin Muaz, Paradise! By the Lord of Nadr, I can smell its fragrance from beyond Uhud."Saad later said, "Messenger of Allah, I could not do what he did."Anas said, "We found on his body more than eighty wounds, between sword strokes, spear thrusts, and arrow shots. We found him slain and mutilated by the polytheists, and no one could recognize him except his sister, who identified him by his fingertips."Anas said, "We used to think, or believe, that this verse was revealed concerning him and those like him, 'Among the believers are men who have been true to the covenant they made with Allah' [Ahzab 33:23]."
غاب عمي أنس بن النضر عن قتال بدر، فقال: يا رسول الله، غبت عن أول قتال قاتلت المشركين، لئن الله أشهدني قتال المشركين ليرين الله ما أصنع، فلما كان يوم أحد وانكشف المسلمون قال: اللهم إني أعتذر إليك مما صنع هؤلاء، يعني أصحابه، وأبرأ إليك مما صنع هؤلاء، يعني المشركين، ثم تقدم فاستقبله سعد بن معاذ، فقال: يا سعد بن معاذ، الجنة ورب النضر، إني أجد ريحها من دون أحد، قال سعد: فما أستطعت يا رسول الله ما صنع، قال أنس: فوجدنا به بضعا وثمانين ضربة بالسيف أو طعنة برمح أو رمية بسهم، ووجدناه قد قتل وقد مثل به المشركون، فما عرفه أحد إلا أخته ببنانه، قال أنس: كنا نرى- أو نظن- أن هذه الآية نزلت فيه وفي أشباهه {من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ما عهدوا الله عليه} [الأحزاب: ٢٣].
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Jihad and Expeditions (2805) via Humayd, and Muslim narrated it in the Book of Leadership (1903:48) via Thabit, both from Anas, who mentioned it.Ibn Ishaq said, Qasim bin Abdul-Rahman bin Rafi, one of the Banu Adi bin Najjar, told me, he said, Anas bin Nadr, who was the uncle of Anas bin Malik and after whom he was named Anas, came upon Umar bin Khattab and Talha bin Ubaydullah, among men from the Muhajirin and the Ansar, who had thrown down their arms in despair. He said, "What is keeping you sitting here?" They said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been killed." He said, "Then what use is life after him? Get up and die for the same cause the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died for." Then he turned to face the enemy and fought until he was killed.