English translation
6649. Narrated Zahdam: There was a relation of love and brotherhood between this tribe of Jarm and Al-Ash‘ariyūn. Once we were with Abū Mūsā Al-Ash‘ārī, and then a meal containing chicken was brought to Abū Mūsā, and there was present, a man from the tribe of Taimillāh who was of red complexion as if he were from non-Arab freed slaves. Abū Mūsā invited him to the meal. He said, “I have seen chickens eating dirty things, so I deemed it filthy and took an oath that I would never eat chicken.” On that, Abū Mūsā said, “Get up, I will narrate to you something about that. Once a group of the Ash‘ariyūn and I went to Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ and asked him to provide us with mounts; he said, ‘By Allāh, I will never give you any mounts, nor do I have anything to mount you on.' Then a few camels of war booty were brought to Allāh's Messenger ﷺ, and he asked about us, saying, 'Where are the Ash'ariyūn?' He then ordered five nice camels to be given to us, and when we had departed, we said, 'What have we done? Allāh's Messenger ﷺ had taken the oath not to give us any mounts, and that he had nothing to mount us on, and later he gave us that we might ride? Did we take advantage of the fact that Allāh's Messenger ﷺ had forgotten his oath? By Allāh, we will never succeed.' So we went back to him and said to him, 'We came to you to ask for mounts, and you took an oath that you would not give us any mounts, and that you had nothing to mount us on.' On that he (ﷺ) said, 'I did not provide you with mounts, but Allāh did. By Allāh, if I take an oath to do something, and then (later) find something else better than it, I do that which is better and make expiation for the the oath."