English translation
4417. Narrated Šafwān bin Ya'lā bin Umaiyya that his father said, "I participated in Al-'Usrah expedition (i.e., the Ghazwa of Tabūk) along with the Prophet ﷺ." Ya'lā added, "(My participation in) that Ghazwā was the best of my deeds to me." Ya'lā said, "I had a labourer who quarrelled with somebody, and one of the two bit the hand of the other ('Aṭā', the subnarrator, said, "Šafwān told me who bit whom, but I forgot it"), and the one who was bitten, pulled his hand out of the mouth of the biter, so one of the incisors of the biter was broken. So we came to the Prophet ﷺ and he considered the biter's for Allāh's Forgiveness for them, and left the secrets of their hearts for Allāh to judge. Then I came to him, and when I greeted him, he smiled a smile of an angry person and then said, 'Come on.' So I came walking till I sat before him. He said to me, 'What stopped you from joining us? Had you not purchased an animal for carrying you?' I answered, 'Yes, O Allāh's Messenger! But by Allāh, if I were sitting before any person from among the people of the world other than you, I would have avoided his anger with an excuse. By Allāh, I have been bestowed with the power of speaking fluently and eloquently, but by Allāh, I knew well that if today I tell you a lie to seek your favour, Allāh would surely make you angry with me in the near future, but if I tell you the truth, though you will get angry because of it, I hope for Allāh's Forgiveness. Really, by Allāh, there was no excuse for me. By Allāh, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind you.' Then Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said, 'As regards this man, he has surely told the truth. So get up till Allāh decides your case.' I got up, and many men of Banū Salama followed me and said to me, 'By Allāh, we never witnessed you doing any sin before this. Surely, you failed to offer excuse to Allāh's Messenger ﷺ as the others who did not join him, have offered. The supplication of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ to Allāh to forgive you would have been sufficient for you.' By Allāh, they continued blaming me so much that I intended to return (to the Prophet ﷺ) and accuse myself of having told a lie, but I said to them, 'Is there anybody else who has met the same fate as I have?' They replied, 'Yes, there are two men who have said the same thing as you have, and to both of them was given the same order as given to you.' I said, 'Who are they?' They replied, 'Murāra bin Ar-Rabī' Al-'Amrī and Hilāl bin Umaiyya Al-Wāqifī.' By that they mentioned to me two pious men who had attended the Ghazwā (battle) of Badr, and in whom there was an example for me. So I did not change my mind when they mentioned them to me. Allāh's Messenger ﷺ forbade all the Muslims to talk to us, the three aforesaid persons out of all those who had remained behind in that Ghazwā. So, we kept away from the people and they changed their attitude towards us till the very land (where I lived) appeared strange to me as if I did not know it. We remained in that condition for fifty nights. As regards my two other fellows, they remained shut in their houses and kept on weeping, but I was the youngest of them and the firmest of them, so I used to go out and offer the Salāt (prayers) along with the Muslims and roam about in the markets, but none would talk to me, and I would come to Allāh's Messenger ﷺ and greet him while he was sitting in his gathering after the Salāt (prayer), and I would wonder whether the Prophet ﷺ did move his lips in return to my greetings or not. Then I would offer my Salāt (prayer) near to him and look at him stealthily. When I was busy with my Salāt, he would turn his face towards me, but when I turned my face to him, he would turn his face away from me. When this harsh attitude of the people lasted long, I walked till I scaled the wall of the garden of Abū Qatāda who was my cousin and dearest person to me, and I offered my greetings to him. By Allāh, he did not return my greetings. I said, 'O Abū Qatāda! I beseech you by Allāh! Do you know that I love Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ?' He kept quiet. I asked him again, beseeching him by Allāh, but he remained silent. Then I asked him again in the Name of Allāh. He said, 'Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ claim as invalid (i.e. the biter did not get a recompense for his broken incisor). The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Should he leave his hand in your mouth so that you might snap it as if it were in the mouth of a male camel to snap it?' "