The below is extracted from Jamaal al-Din Zarabo’s sharh of Imam Nawai’s forty hadith.
Al-Baraa (رضي الله عنه) was describing the Battle of Hunain in which many Muslims fled but the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not flee. At one point in the hadith, he said,
كنا والله إذا احمر البأس نتقي به ، وإن الشجاع مـنـّا للذي يحاذي به ، يعني النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم
“By Allah, if the fighting became hot, we would seek a barrier or protection (nattaqi) in the Prophet(صلى الله عليه و سلم). And the brave one amoung us was the one who was next to him”
Saheeh Muslim
That is, next to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) between themselves and the enemy in order to protect themselves from the enemy, due to the Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه و سلم) courage and bravery.
Mohammad Awan 
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