English translation
7555. Narrated Zahdam: There were good relations and brotherhood between this tribe of Jarm and (the tribe of) Ash'ariyūn. Once, while we were sitting with Abū Mūsā Al-Ash'ari, there was brought to him a meal which contained chicken meat, and there was sitting beside him, a man from the tribe of Banī Taimillāh who looked like one of the Mawālī. Abū Mūsā invited the man to eat but the man said, "I have seen chicken eating some dirty things, and I have taken an oath not to eat chicken." Abū Mūsā said to him, "Come along, let me tell you something in this regard. Once I went to the Prophet ﷺ in the company of a group of Al-Ash'ariyūn and asked him to provide us with some mounts. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'By Allāh, I will not mount you on anything; besides I do not have anything to mount you on.' Then a few camels were brought to the Prophet ﷺ and he asked about us, saying, 'Where are the group of Ash'ariyūn?' So he ordered for five fat camels to be given to us and then we set out. We said, 'What have we done? Allāh's Messenger ﷺ took an oath that he would not give us anything to ride and that he had nothing for us to ride, yet he provided us with mounts. We made Allāh's Messenger ﷺ forget his oath! By Allāh, we will never be successful.' So we returned to him and reminded him of his oath. He said, 'I have (1) (Ch.56) See Iqāmat-as-Ṣalāt in the glossary. not provided you with the mount, but Allāh has done so. By Allāh, I may take an oath to do something but on finding something else which is better, I do that which is better and make the expiation for my oath.’ ” (See H.3133, Vol. 4)