We were at Mirbad. A man with dishevelled hair and holding a piece of red skin in his hand came. We said: You appear to be a bedouin. He said: Yes. We said: Give us this piece of skin in your hand. He then gave it to us and we read it. It contained the text: "From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah ﷺ, to Banu Zuhayr ibn Uqaysh. If you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, offer prayer, pay zakat, pay the fifth from the booty, and the portion of the Prophet ﷺ and his special portion (safi), you will be under by the protection of Allah and His Apostle." We then asked: Who wrote this document for you? He replied: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ.  

كُنَّا بِالْمِرْبَدِ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ أَشْعَثُ الرَّأْسِ بِيَدِهِ قِطْعَةُ أَدِيمٍ أَحْمَرَ فَقُلْنَا كَأَنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ فَقَالَ أَجَلْ قُلْنَا نَاوِلْنَا هَذِهِ الْقِطْعَةَ الأَدِيمَ الَّتِي فِي يَدِكَ فَنَاوَلَنَاهَا فَقَرَأْنَاهَا فَإِذَا فِيهَا مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ إِلَى بَنِي زُهَيْرِ بْنِ أُقَيْشٍ إِنَّكُمْ إِنْ شَهِدْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَأَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَيْتُمُ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَدَّيْتُمُ الْخُمُسَ مِنَ الْمَغْنَمِ وَسَهْمَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَسَهْمَ الصَّفِيِّ أَنْتُمْ آمِنُونَ بِأَمَانِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَقُلْنَا مَنْ كَتَبَ لَكَ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

"While I was with Mutarrif in Al-Mirbad, a man came in carrying a piece of leather and said: 'This was written to me by the Messenger of Allah. Is there anyone among you who can read?' I said: 'I can read.' And it was (a letter) from Muhammad the Prophet to Banu Zuhair bin Uqaish, who had testified to Lailah illallah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and had left the idolaters, and had agreed to give the Khumus from their spoils of the Prophet, and wheatever he chose for himself, so they became safe and secure by the covenant of Allah and His Messenger." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4146)  

بَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَ مُطَرِّفٍ بِالْمِرْبَدِ إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مَعَهُ قِطْعَةُ أَدِيمٍ فَقَالَ كَتَبَ لِي هَذِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَهَلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ يَقْرَأُ؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَنَا أَقْرَأُ فَإِذَا فِيهَا «مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لِبَنِي زُهَيْرِ بْنِ أَقْيَشٍ أَنَّهُمْ إِنْ شَهِدُوا أَنَّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ وَفَارَقُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَأَقَرُّوا بالْخُمُسَ فِي غَنَائِمِهِمْ وَسَهْمَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَصَفِيِّهِ فَإِنَّهُمْ آمِنُونَ بِأَمَانِ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ»  

[Machine] While we were in Murbad, a Bedouin came to us, his hair disheveled, carrying a piece of cloth or a piece of a bag. We said, "It seems that he is not from the people of this land." He said, "No, this is a book that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote for me." The people then said, "Bring it to us." So I took it and read it, and it began with "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is a book from Muhammad, the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, to the Bani Zuhair ibn Uqaysh." Abu Al-Ala' said, "They are a noble tribe from the 'Ukl tribe. Indeed, if you testify that there is no god but Allah, establish prayer, pay Zakat, separate from the polytheists, and give one-fifth of the spoils and the Prophet's share, as well as the share of Safiyah, then you are guaranteed the security of Allah and the security of His Messenger."  

بَيْنَا نَحْنُ بِالْمِرْبَدِ إِذْ أَتَى عَلَيْنَا أَعْرَابِيٌّ شَعِثُ الرَّأْسِ مَعَهُ قِطْعَةُ أَدِيمٍ أَوْ قِطْعَةُ جِرَابٍ فَقُلْنَا كَأَنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَلَدِ فَقَالَ أَجَلْ لَا هَذَا كِتَابٌ كَتَبَهُ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ الْقَوْمُ هَاتِ فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَقَرَأْتُهُ فَإِذَا فِيهِ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ هَذَا كِتَابٌ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ رَسُولِ اللهِ لِبَنِي زُهَيْرِ بْنِ أُقَيْشٍ قَالَ أَبُو الْعَلَاءِ وَهُمْ حِيُّ مِنْ عُكْلٍ إِنَّكُمْ إِنْ شَهِدْتُمْ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَيْتُمُ الزَّكَاةَ وَفَارَقْتُمُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَأَعْطَيْتُمْ مِنَ الْغَنَائِمِ الْخُمُسَ وَسَهْمَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَالصَّفِيَّ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ وَصَفِيَّهُ فَأَنْتُمْ آمِنُونَ بِأَمَانِ اللهِ وَأَمَانِ رَسُولِهِ  

We were at Mirbad. A man with dishevelled hair and holding a piece of red skin in his hand came. We said: You appear to be a bedouin. He said: Yes. We said: Give us this piece of skin in your hand. He then gave it to us and we read it. It contained the text: "From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah ﷺ, to Banu Zuhayr ibn Uqaysh. If you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, offer prayer, pay zakat, pay the fifth from the booty, and the portion of the Prophet ﷺ and his special portion (safi), you will be under by the protection of Allah and His Apostle." We then asked: Who wrote this document for you? He replied: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2999)   

كُنَّا بِالْمِرْبَدِ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ أَشْعَثُ الرَّأْسِ بِيَدِهِ قِطْعَةُ أَدِيمٍ أَحْمَرَ فَقُلْنَا كَأَنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ قَالَ أَجَلْ قُلْنَا نَاوِلْنَا هَذِهِ الْقِطْعَةَ الْأَدِيمَ فَنَاوَلَنَاهَا فَقَرَأْنَا مَا فِيهَا فَإِذَا فِيهَا مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللهِ إِلَى بَنِي زُهَيْرِ بْنِ أُقَيْشٍ إِنَّكُمْ إِنْ شَهِدْتُمْ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ وَأَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَيْتُمُ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَدَّيْتُمُ الْخُمُسَ مِنَ الْمَغْنَمِ وَسَهْمَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَسَهْمَ الصَّفِيِّ أَنْتُمْ آمِنُونَ بِأَمَانِ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ قُلْنَا مَنْ كَتَبَ هَذَا لَكَ؟ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ