I heard ‘Ali ؓ say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me, az-Zubair and al-Miqdad, and he said: “Go to the garden of Khakh, where you will find a woman riding a camel with whom there is a letter, and take it from her.” We set out with our horses galloping, until we reached that garden, and there we found the woman. We said: Give us the letter. She said: I do not have any letter. We said: Either you give us the letter or we will remove your clothes. So she brought it out from her braided hair, and we took it and brought it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and in it (was written): From Hatib bin Abi Baltaʿah to some of the mushrikeen of Makkah, telling them about some of the plans of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ʿO Hatib, what is this?ʿ He said: Do not be hasty in judging me, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I am a man who was attached to Quraish but I was one of them. The Muhajireen who are with you have relatives who will protect their families in Makkah, and I wanted, as i have no blood ties among them, to do them a favour so that they would protect my family. I did not do it out of kufr or because I apostatized from my religion, or because I approved of Kufr after becoming Muslim. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ʿHe has told you the truth.ʿ ʿUmar ؓ said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, let me strike the neck of this hypocrite. He said: “He was present at Badr, and you do not know, perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: ʿDo what you wish, for I have forgiven you.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 600)   

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَنَا وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَالْمِقْدَادَ فَقَالَ انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً مَعَهَا كِتَابٌ فَخَرَجْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِظَعِينَةٍ فَقُلْنَا أَخْرِجِي الْكِتَابَ فَقَالَتْ مَا مَعِي كِتَابٌ فَقُلْنَا لَهَا لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الْكِتَابَ أَوْ لَتُلْقِينَّ الثِّيَابَ فَأَخْرَجَتْهُ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى أُنَاسٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِمَّنْ بِمَكَّةَ يُخْبِرُ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا يَا حَاطِبُ ؟ قَالَ لَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيَّ إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ وَلَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا وَكَانَ مَنْ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَاتِهِمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي بِمَكَّةَ قَرَابَةٌ فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَهُمْ يَدًا وَاللهِ مَا فَعَلْتُهُ شَكًّا فِي دِينِي وَلَا رِضًا بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّهُ قَدْ صَدَقَ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ؓ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ دَعْنِي أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا الْمُنَافِقِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ وَنَزَلَتْ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ} [الممتحنة 1]  

[Machine] Abu Abdurrahman, I heard him saying that Ali said: Hattab ibn Abi Balta'ah wrote to Mecca, saying: "Indeed, Muhammad intends to attack you with his companions, so be cautious." He sent his letter to a woman known as Sara, who placed it in her garment or in one of its folds, and then she set off. Allah informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that. Ali said: "So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me with Zubair ibn Al-Awam and Abu Marthad Al-Ghanawi, and all of us were horsemen. He said: Set out, as you will meet her in Rawdah, such and such, so search her, as she carries a letter to the people of Mecca from Hattab." So we set out and met her. We said: Hand over the letter you have to the people of Mecca. She replied: I don't have any letter with me. I said: By Allah, neither did I lie nor forge it. Either she would produce it or I would strip her. When she knew that I was serious, she brought out the letter. So we took it and set off with it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , who opened it and read it. It contained the letter of Hattab to the people of Mecca saying: "After this, Muhammad intends to attack you, so be cautious and prepared." When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished reading the letter, he sent for Hattab and asked him: "Did you write this letter?" He replied: "Yes." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked: "What prompted you to do so?" He said: "By Allah, I have never disbelieved since I embraced Islam. I believe in Allah and His Messenger. I only did this because there is no one among your companions in Mecca who protects his family and property, while I have no one there who protects my family and property, so I wanted to have someone to rely on among the people. Indeed, I know that Allah will support His Messenger." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ believed him and accepted his statement. Umar ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) got up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Let me kill him, for he has betrayed Allah and the believers." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: "O Umar! He is from the people of Badr, and who knows, perhaps Allah has looked at them and said: 'Do as you like, for I have forgiven you."  

أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ سَمِعْتُهُ يُحَدِّثُ يَعْنِي عَلِيًّا ؓ قَالَ كَتَبَ حَاطِبُ بْنُ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَغْزُوَكُمْ بِأَصْحَابِهِ فَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ وَدَفَعَ كِتَابَهُ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا سَارَّةُ فَجَعَلَتْهُ فِي إِزَارِهَا أَوْ فِي ذُؤَابَةٍ مِنْ ذَوَائِبِهَا فَانْطَلَقَتْ فَأَطْلَعَ اللهُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَبَعَثَنِي وَمَعِيَ الزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ الْعَوَّامِ وَأَبُو مَرْثَدٍ الْغَنَوِيُّ وَكُلُّنَا فَارِسٌ قَالَ انْطَلِقُوا فَإِنَّكُمْ سَتَلْقَوْنَهَا بِرَوْضَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَفَتِّشُوهَا فَإِنَّ مَعَهَا كِتَابًا إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ مِنْ حَاطِبٍ فَانْطَلَقْنَا فَوَافَقْنَاهَا فَقُلْنَا هَاتِي الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي مَعَكِ إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ فَقَالَتْ مَا مَعِي كِتَابٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا كَذَبْتُ وَلَا كُذِبْتُ لَتُخْرِجِنَّهُ أَوْ لَأُجَرِّدَنَّكِ فَلَمَّا عَرَفَتْ أَنِّي فَاعِلٌ أَخْرَجَتِ الْكِتَابَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُ فَانْطَلَقْنَا بِهِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَفَتَحَهُ فَقَرَأَهُ فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبٍ إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا يُرِيدُكُمْ فَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ وَتَأَهَّبُوا أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ الْكِتَابَ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى حَاطِبٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَكَتَبْتَ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَمَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَمَا وَاللهِ مَا كَفَرْتُ مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْتُ وَإِنِّي لِمُؤْمِنٌ بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَا حَمَلَنِي عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتُ مِنْ كِتَابِي إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِكَ إِلَّا وَلَهُ هُنَاكَ بِمَكَّةَ مَنْ يَدْفَعُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي هُنَاكَ أَحَدٌ يَدْفَعُ عَنْ أَهْلِي وَمَالِي فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَ الْقَوْمِ يَدًا وَإِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللهَ سَيُظْهِرُ رَسُولَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالَ فَصَدَّقَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَبِلَ قَوْلَهُ قَالَ فَقَامَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ دَعْنِي فَأَضْرِبَ عُنُقَهُ؛ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ خَانَ اللهَ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَا عُمَرُ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ