While Messenger of Allah ﷺ was distributing the booty at Al-Ja'rana, somebody said to him "Be just (in your distribution)." The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Verily I would be miserable if I did not act justly."

بَيْنَمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْسِمُ غَنِيمَةً بِالْجِعْرَانَةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ اعْدِلْ فَقَالَ لَهُ شَقِيتَ إِنْ لَمْ أَعْدِلْ

ʿAli sent a piece of gold to the Prophet ﷺ who distributed it among four persons: Al-Aqra' bin HʿAbis Al-Hanzali from the tribe of Mujashi, 'Uyaina bin Badr Al-Fazari, Zaid at-Ta'i who belonged to (the tribe of) Bani Nahban, and 'Alqama bin Ulatha Al-ʿAmir who belonged to (the tribe of) Bani Kilab. So the Quraish and the Ansar became angry and said, "He (i.e. the Prophet, ) gives the chief of Najd and does not give us." The Prophet ﷺ said, "I give them) so as to attract their hearts (to Islam)." Then a man with sunken eyes, prominent checks, a raised forehead, a thick beard and a shaven head, came (in front of the Prophet ﷺ ) and said, "Be afraid of Allah, O Muhammad!" The Prophet ﷺ ' said "Who would obey Allah if I disobeyed Him? (Is it fair that) Allah has trusted all the people of the earth to me while, you do not trust me?" Somebody who, I think was Khalid bin Al-Walid, requested the Prophet ﷺ to let him chop that man's head off, but he prevented him. When the man left, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Among the off-spring of this man will be some who will recite the Qur'an but the Qur'an will not reach beyond their throats (i.e. they will recite like parrots and will not understand it nor act on it), and they will renegade from the religion as an arrow goes through the game's body. They will kill the Muslims but will not disturb the idolaters. If I should live up to their time' I will kill them as the people of 'Ad were killed (i.e. I will kill all of them)."

بَعَثَ عَلِيٌّ ؓ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِذُهَيْبَةٍ فَقَسَمَهَا بَيْنَ الأَرْبَعَةِ الأَقْرَعِ بْنِ حَابِسٍ الْحَنْظَلِيِّ ثُمَّ الْمُجَاشِعِيِّ وَعُيَيْنَةَ بْنِ بَدْرٍ الْفَزَارِيِّ وَزَيْدٍ الطَّائِيِّ ثُمَّ أَحَدِ بَنِي نَبْهَانَ وَعَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ عُلاَثَةَ الْعَامِرِيِّ ثُمَّ أَحَدِ بَنِي كِلاَبٍ فَغَضِبَتْ قُرَيْشٌ وَالأَنْصَارُ قَالُوا يُعْطِي صَنَادِيدَ أَهْلِ نَجْدٍ وَيَدَعُنَا قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَتَأَلَّفُهُمْ فَأَقْبَلَ رَجُلٌ غَائِرُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ مُشْرِفُ الْوَجْنَتَيْنِ نَاتِئُ الْجَبِينِ كَثُّ اللِّحْيَةِ مَحْلُوقٌ فَقَالَ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقَالَ مَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ إِذَا عَصَيْتُ أَيَأْمَنُنِي اللَّهُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَلاَ تَأْمَنُونِي فَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ قَتْلَهُ أَحْسِبُهُ خَالِدَ بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ فَمَنَعَهُ فَلَمَّا وَلَّى قَالَ إِنَّ مِنْ ضِئْضِئِ هَذَا أَوْ فِي عَقِبِ هَذَا قَوْمٌ يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لاَ يُجَاوِزُ حَنَاجِرَهُمْ يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ مُرُوقَ السَّهْمِ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ يَقْتُلُونَ أَهْلَ الإِسْلاَمِ وَيَدَعُونَ أَهْلَ الأَوْثَانِ لَئِنْ أَنَا أَدْرَكْتُهُمْ لأَقْتُلَنَّهُمْ قَتْلَ عَادٍ

ʿAli bin Abi Talib sent a piece of gold not yet taken out of its ore, in a tanned leather container to Messenger of Allah ﷺ . Messenger of Allah ﷺ distributed that amongst four Persons: 'Uyaina bin Badr, Aqra bin HʿAbis, Zaid Al-Khail and the fourth was either Alqama or Amir bin at-Tufail. On that, one of his companions said, "We are more deserving of this (gold) than these (persons)." When that news reached the Prophet ﷺ , he said, "Don't you trust me though I am the truth worthy man of the One in the Heavens, and I receive the news of Heaven (i.e. Divine Inspiration) both in the morning and in the evening?" There got up a man with sunken eyes, raised cheek bones, raised forehead, a thick beard, a shaven head and a waist sheet that was tucked up and he said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Be afraid of Allah." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Woe to you! Am I not of all the people of the earth the most entitled to fear Allah?" Then that man went away. Khalid bin Al-Wahd said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Shall I chop his neck off?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "No, for he may offer prayers." Khalid said, "Numerous are those who offer prayers and say by their tongues (i.e. mouths) what is not in their hearts." Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I have not been ordered (by Allah) to search the hearts of the people or cut open their bellies." Then the Prophet looked at him (i.e. that man) while the latter was going away and said, "From the offspring of this (man there will come out (people) who will recite the Qur'an continuously and elegantly but it will not exceed their throats. (They will neither understand it nor act upon it). They would go out of the religion (i.e. Islam) as an arrow goes through a game's body." I think he also said, "If I should be present at their time I would kill them as the nations a Thamud were killed."

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ يَقُولُ بَعَثَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ؓ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ بِذُهَيْبَةٍ فِي أَدِيمٍ مَقْرُوظٍ لَمْ تُحَصَّلْ مِنْ تُرَابِهَا قَالَ فَقَسَمَهَا بَيْنَ أَرْبَعَةِ نَفَرٍ بَيْنَ عُيَيْنَةَ بْنِ بَدْرٍ وَأَقْرَعَ بْنِ حَابِسٍ وَزَيْدِ الْخَيْلِ وَالرَّابِعُ إِمَّا عَلْقَمَةُ وَإِمَّا عَامِرُ بْنُ الطُّفَيْلِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ كُنَّا نَحْنُ أَحَقَّ بِهَذَا مِنْ هَؤُلاَءِ قَالَ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَلاَ تَأْمَنُونِي وَأَنَا أَمِينُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ يَأْتِينِي خَبَرُ السَّمَاءِ صَبَاحًا وَمَسَاءً قَالَ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ غَائِرُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ مُشْرِفُ الْوَجْنَتَيْنِ نَاشِزُ الْجَبْهَةِ كَثُّ اللِّحْيَةِ مَحْلُوقُ الرَّأْسِ مُشَمَّرُ الإِزَارِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ قَالَ وَيْلَكَ أَوَلَسْتُ أَحَقَّ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ أَنْ يَتَّقِيَ اللَّهَ قَالَ ثُمَّ وَلَّى الرَّجُلُ قَالَ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلاَ أَضْرِبُ عُنُقَهُ قَالَ لاَ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ يُصَلِّي فَقَالَ خَالِدٌ وَكَمْ مِنْ مُصَلٍّ يَقُولُ بِلِسَانِهِ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قَلْبِهِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنِّي لَمْ أُومَرْ أَنْ أَنْقُبَ قُلُوبَ النَّاسِ وَلاَ أَشُقَّ بُطُونَهُمْ قَالَ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ وَهْوَ مُقَفٍّ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ ضِئْضِئِ هَذَا قَوْمٌ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ رَطْبًا لاَ يُجَاوِزُ حَنَاجِرَهُمْ يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ وَأَظُنُّهُ قَالَ لَئِنْ أَدْرَكْتُهُمْ لأَقْتُلَنَّهُمْ قَتْلَ ثَمُودَ

I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "There will appear some people among you whose prayer will make you look down upon yours, and whose fasting will make you look down upon yours, but they will recite the Qur'an which will not exceed their throats (they will not act on it) and they will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out through the game whereupon the archer would examine the arrowhead but see nothing, and look at the unfeathered arrow but see nothing, and look at the arrow feathers but see nothing, and finally he suspects to find something in the lower part of the arrow."

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ؓ أَنَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ يَخْرُجُ فِيكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَحْقِرُونَ صَلاَتَكُمْ مَعَ صَلاَتِهِمْ وَصِيَامَكُمْ مَعَ صِيَامِهِمْ وَعَمَلَكُمْ مَعَ عَمَلِهِمْ وَيَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لاَ يُجَاوِزُ حَنَاجِرَهُمْ يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينَ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ يَنْظُرُ فِي النَّصْلِ فَلاَ يَرَى شَيْئًا وَيَنْظُرُ فِي الْقِدْحِ فَلاَ يَرَى شَيْئًا وَيَنْظُرُ فِي الرِّيشِ فَلاَ يَرَى شَيْئًا وَيَتَمَارَى فِي الْفُوقِ

While we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as he was distributing some allotment, Dhu al-Khuwaysirah, a man from Banu Tamim, came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, be just!” He said: “Woe to you! Who would be just if I were not just? You would have failed and lost if I were not just.” Umar said, “O Messenger of Allah, permit me concerning him so that I may strike his neck.”

He said: “Leave him, for he has ˹such˺ companions that one of you will consider his prayer insignificant compared to their prayer, and his fasting insignificant compared to their fasting. They recite the Quran but it does not go beyond their throats. They will pass out of the religion as an arrow passes through the game: one looks at its arrowhead and finds nothing on it, then looks at its shaft and finds nothing on it, then looks at its nadiyy —its wooden part— and finds nothing on it, then looks at its feathers and finds nothing on it; it has outstripped the dung and blood. Their sign is a black man, one of whose upper arms is like a woman’s breast, or like a piece of flesh hanging down and quivering. They will emerge at a time of division among the people.”

Abu Saʿid said: I bear witness that I heard this hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I bear witness that Ali b. Abu Talib fought them and I was with him. He ordered that man to be sought, and he was brought until I looked at him matching the description the Prophet ﷺ had given of him.

بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ يَقْسِمُ قَسْمًا، أَتَاهُ ذُو الْخُوَيْصِرَةِ، وَهُوَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، اعْدِلْ. فَقَالَ: «وَيْلَكَ، وَمَنْ يَعْدِلُ إِذَا لَمْ أَعْدِلْ؟ قَدْ خِبْتَ وَخَسِرْتَ إِنْ لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْدِلُ». فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، ائْذَنْ لِي فِيهِ فَأَضْرِبَ عُنُقَهُ.

فَقَالَ: «دَعْهُ، فَإِنَّ لَهُ أَصْحَابًا، يَحْقِرُ أَحَدُكُمْ صَلَاتَهُ مَعَ صَلَاتِهِمْ، وَصِيَامَهُ مَعَ صِيَامِهِمْ، يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ، يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ، يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَصْلِهِ فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى رِصَافِهِ فَمَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَضِيِّهِ، وَهُوَ قِدْحُهُ، فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى قُذَذِهِ فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، قَدْ سَبَقَ الْفَرْثَ وَالدَّمَ، آيَتُهُمْ رَجُلٌ أَسْوَدُ، إِحْدَى عَضُدَيْهِ مِثْلُ ثَدْيِ الْمَرْأَةِ، أَوْ مِثْلُ الْبَضْعَةِ تَدَرْدَرُ، وَيَخْرُجُونَ عَلَى حِينِ فُرْقَةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ».

قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ: فَأَشْهَدُ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَاتَلَهُمْ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ، فَأَمَرَ بِذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ فَالْتُمِسَ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ حَتَّى نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ عَلَى نَعْتِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ الَّذِي نَعَتَهُ.