[Machine] I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he invited me to Islam, so I entered it and affirmed it. He then invited me to give zakat, so I affirmed it and said, "O Messenger of Allah, let me go back to my people and invite them to Islam and the payment of zakat. Whoever responds to me, I will collect their zakat and send it to you, O Messenger of Allah, through a messenger, so that what I have collected from zakat will reach you." When Al-Harith collected the zakat from those who responded to him and reached the destination the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wanted it to be sent to, he detained the messenger. When the messenger did not return, Al-Harith thought that he had committed an offense in the sight of Allah and His Messenger. So he called for the weapons of his people and said to them, "The Messenger of Allah had appointed a time for me when he would send his messenger to collect what I had of zakat. The Prophet's successor is not to blame for this, and I do not see any reason for detaining the Messenger of Allah except for an offense. So set out and we will meet with the Messenger of Allah, and the Messenger of Allah sent Al-Walid bin 'Uqba to Al-Harith to collect what he had collected from zakat. When Al-Walid had traveled a part of the way, he turned back and came to the Messenger of Allah and said, "O Messenger of Allah, Al-Harith has withheld the zakat and wanted to kill me." So the Messenger of Allah sent a force to Al-Harith, and when they reached him, they separated from Madinah to encounter him, and when they came close to Al-Harith, they said, "This is Al-Harith." When he saw them, he said, "To whom have you been sent?" They replied, "To you." He said, "Why?" They said, "The Messenger of Allah has sent Al-Walid bin 'Uqba to you. He claimed that you withheld the zakat and wanted to kill him." He said, "No, by the One who sent Muhammad with the truth, I have not committed any offense, and he did not come to me. I only set out when the Messenger's messenger detained me. I feared that it might be an offense in the sight of Allah and His Messenger." Then the verse of the Qur'an was revealed: "O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful" [al-Hujurat: 6] until to this point: "This is but bounty from Allah and favor. And Allah is Knowing and Wise." [al-Hujurat: 8].  

قَدِمْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَدَعَانِي إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ فَدَخَلْتُ فِيهِ وَأَقْرَرْتُ بِهِ فَدَعَانِي إِلَى الزَّكَاةِ فَأَقْرَرْتُ بِهَا وَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى قَوْمِي فَأَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَدَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ فَمَنْ اسْتَجَابَ لِي جَمَعْتُ زَكَاتَهُ فَيُرْسِلُ إِلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ رَسُولًا لِإِبَّانِ كَذَا وَكَذَا لِيَأْتِيَكَ مَا جَمَعْتُ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ فَلَمَّا جَمَعَ الْحَارِثُ الزَّكَاةَ مِمَّنْ اسْتَجَابَ لَهُ وَبَلَغَ الْإِبَّانَ الَّذِي أَرَادَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ يُبْعَثَ إِلَيْهِ احْتَبَسَ عَلَيْهِ الرَّسُولُ فَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ فَظَنَّ الْحَارِثُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ حَدَثَ فِيهِ سَخْطَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ ﷻ وَرَسُولِهِ فَدَعَا بِسَرَوَاتِ قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ وَقَّتَ لِي وَقْتًا يُرْسِلُإِلَيَّ رَسُولَهُ لِيَقْبِضَ مَا كَانَ عِنْدِي مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَلَيْسَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ الْخُلْفُ وَلَا أَرَى حَبْسَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَّا مِنْ سَخْطَةٍ كَانَتْ فَانْطَلِقُوا فَنَأْتِيَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وَبَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ عُقْبَةَ إِلَى الْحَارِثِ لِيَقْبِضَ مَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ مِمَّا جَمَعَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ فَلَمَّا أَنْ سَارَ الْوَلِيدُ حَتَّى بَلَغَ بَعْضَ الطَّرِيقِ فَرِقَ فَرَجَعَ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّ الْحَارِثَ مَنَعَنِي الزَّكَاةَ وَأَرَادَ قَتْلِي فَضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْبَعْثَ إِلَى الْحَارِثِ فَأَقْبَلَ الْحَارِثُ بِأَصْحَابِهِ إِذْ اسْتَقْبَلَ الْبَعْثَ وَفَصَلَ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ لَقِيَهُمُ الْحَارِثُ فَقَالُوا هَذَا الْحَارِثُ فَلَمَّا غَشِيَهُمْ قَالَ لَهُمْ إِلَى مَنْ بُعِثْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا إِلَيْكَ قَالَ وَلِمَ؟ قَالُوا إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ بَعَثَ إِلَيْكَ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ عُقْبَةَ فَزَعَمَ أَنَّكَ مَنَعْتَهُ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَرَدْتَ قَتْلَهُ قَالَ لَا وَالَّذِي بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا بِالْحَقِّ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ بَتَّةً وَلَا أَتَانِي فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الْحَارِثُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنَعْتَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَرَدْتَ قَتْلَ رَسُولِي؟ قَالَ لَا وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ وَلَا أَتَانِي وَمَا أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَّا حِينَ احْتَبَسَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ خَشِيتُ أَنْ تَكُونَ كَانَتْ سَخْطَةً مِنَ اللهِ ﷻ وَرَسُولِهِ قَالَ فَنَزَلَتِ الْحُجُرَاتُ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَافَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ} [الحجرات 6] إِلَى هَذَا الْمَكَانِ {فَضْلًا مِنَ اللهِ وَنِعْمَةً وَاللهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ} [الحجرات 8]