It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) set out towards Syria(1). When he reached Sargh (Sargh is a village in the valley of Tabuk), he met the senior officers of the army, such as Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions(2). They said: There is an epidemic in Syria these days. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): Call the senior Muhajirun who migrated first. So he called them. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) consulted them and informed them that there was an epidemic in Syria. They differed; some said: You have set out for work (to look after the condition of the people), it is not appropriate to return. Some said: There are other people and companions with you, it is not appropriate to take them into this epidemic. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Go, and said: Call the Ansar. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I called the Ansar and they came. He consulted them, and they also said similar to what the Muhajirun had said, and likewise differed. He said: Go, then said: Call the elderly people of Quraysh who migrated after the conquest of Makkah. I called them. Not even two of them differed; rather, all said: In our view, it is appropriate that you return and do not take the people into this epidemic. When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had the people announced that in the morning I will mount my camel (and return to Madinah), then in the morning all the people mounted their camels and set off. At that time, Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah, the Glorious and Majestic? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I wish someone else had said this(3). Yes, we flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah(4). If you have camels and you enter a valley with two sides, one side is green and lush and the other is dry and barren, if you graze your camels on the green and lush side, you grazed them by the decree of Allah, and if you grazed them on the dry and barren side, you grazed them by the decree of Allah(5). Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, and he had gone somewhere for some work. He said: I have knowledge of this matter. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When you hear that there is an epidemic in a land, do not go there, and when an epidemic breaks out in a land and you are present there, do not flee from it." Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: At that time, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) praised Allah, the Glorious and Majestic, and departed(6).

Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him): What have you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the plague? He said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“The plague is a punishment that was sent upon a group from the Children of Israel,”or he said,“upon those before you. So when you hear that it has broken out in a land, do not go there, and when it breaks out in a land where you are, do not flee from it.”Abu Nasr said: Do not leave with the intention of fleeing.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amir bin Rabi'ah that Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) set out towards Syria. When he reached Sargh, he received news that there was an epidemic in Syria. So Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you hear that there is an epidemic in a land, do not go there, and when an epidemic breaks out in the land where you are, do not flee from it." Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Sargh.

It is narrated from Hazrat Salim bin Abdullah that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Sargh after hearing the hadith of Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him).

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, was informed that Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said that a house in Rukbah (Rukbah is a place between Umrah and Dhat Irq) is more beloved to me than ten houses in Sham (Syria).
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This was because there was an epidemic in Sham, and there was no illness in Rukbah; there, there was hope for a long life.