Abdullah bin Amir narrates: Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) set out to go to Syria. When he reached near Syria, he received news that a plague had spread there. Then Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith to him: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, this affliction is a punishment with which the people before you were punished. When it occurs in a land where you are not present, do not go there, and when it occurs in a land where you are present, do not flee from it." So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) returned with the people that year. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) informing about the Prophets and previous nations is of three types. The first type is: He praised certain specific things, and the purpose is that this Ummah should act upon those things. The second type is: He mentioned the condemnation of certain things, and his intention is that this Ummah should avoid committing such acts. And the third type is: He described a characteristic, and his intention is that this Ummah should take a lesson from that characteristic.