44. Merits of the Companions
٤٤۔ كتاب فضائل الصحابة ؓ
I heard 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) as saying: Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me and Zubair and Miqdad saying: Go to the garden of, Khakh [it is a place between Medina and Mecca at a distance of twelve miles from Medina] and there you will find a woman riding a camel. She would be in possession of a letter, which you must get from her. So we rushed on horses and when we met that woman, we asked her to deliver that letter to us. She said: There is no letter with me. We said: Either bring out that letter or we would take off your clothes. She brought out that letter from (the plaited hair of) her head. We delivered that letter to Messenger of Allah ﷺ in which Hatib b. Abu Balta'a had informed some people amongst the polytheists of Mecca about the affairs of Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Hatib, what is this? He said: Messenger of Allah, do not be hasty in judging my intention. I was a person attached to the Quraish. Sufyan said: He was their ally but had no relationship with them. (Hatib further said): Those who are with you amongst the emigrants have blood-relationship with them (the Quraish) and thus they would protect their families. I wished that when I had no blood-relationship with them I should find some supporters from (amongst them) who would help my family. I have not done this because of any unbelief or apostasy and I have no liking for the unbelief after I have (accepted) Islam. Thereupon Allah's Apostle ﷺ said: You have told the truth. 'Umar said: Messenger of Allah, permit me to strike the neck of this hypocrite. But he (the Holy Prophet) said: He was a participant in Badr and you little know that Allah revealed about the people of Badr: Do what you like for there is forgiveness for you. And Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:" O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends" (lx. 1). And there is no mention of this verse in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr and Zubair and Ishaq has in his narration made a mention of the recitation of this verse by Sufyan.
سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا ؓ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَا وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَالْمِقْدَادَ فَقَالَ ائْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً مَعَهَا كِتَابٌ فَخُذُوهُ مِنْهَا فَانْطَلَقْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالْمَرْأَةِ فَقُلْنَا أَخْرِجِي الْكِتَابَ فَقَالَتْ مَا مَعِي كِتَابٌ فَقُلْنَا لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الْكِتَابَ أَوْ لَتُلْقِيَنَّ الثِّيَابَ فَأَخْرَجَتْهُ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى نَاسٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا حَاطِبُ مَا هَذَا قَالَ لاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَىَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ كَانَ حَلِيفًا لَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ كَانَ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ يَحْمُونَ بِهَا أَهْلِيهِمْ فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّسَبِ فِيهِمْ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ يَدًا يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَتِي وَلَمْ أَفْعَلْهُ كُفْرًا وَلاَ ارْتِدَادًا عَنْ دِينِي وَلاَ رِضًا بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الإِسْلاَمِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ صَدَقَ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ دَعْنِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا الْمُنَافِقِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ} وَلَيْسَ فِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَزُهَيْرٍ ذِكْرُ الآيَةِ وَجَعَلَهَا إِسْحَاقُ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ مِنْ تِلاَوَةِ سُفْيَانَ
Ride on until you reach the garden of Khakh for there is a woman amongst the polytheists and there is a letter with her sent by Hatib to the polytheists; the rest of the hadith is the same.
بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَبَا مَرْثَدٍ الْغَنَوِيَّ وَالزُّبَيْرَ بْنَ الْعَوَّامِ وَكُلُّنَا فَارِسٌ فَقَالَ انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ فَإِنَّ بِهَا امْرَأَةً مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَعَهَا كِتَابٌ مِنْ حَاطِبٍ إِلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَذَكَرَ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي رَافِعٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ
Hatib will definitely go to Hell. (But) Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: You tell a lie; he would not get into that for he had taken part in Badr and in (the expedition of) Hudaibiya.
أَنَّ عَبْدًا لِحَاطِبٍ جَاءَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَشْكُو حَاطِبًا فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَيَدْخُلَنَّ حَاطِبٌ النَّارَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَذَبْتَ لاَ يَدْخُلُهَا فَإِنَّهُ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا وَالْحُدَيْبِيَةَ