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English translation
3718. It was narrated from 'Amr bin Shu'aib, from his father, that his grandfather said: "We were with the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ when the delegation of Hawâzin came to him and said: 'O Muḥammad! We are one of the 'Arab tribes and a calamity has befallen us of which you are well aware. Do us a favor, may Allâh bless you.' He said: 'Choose between your wealth or your women and children.'[2] They said: 'You have given us a choice between our families and our wealth; we choose our women and children.' The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said: 'As for that which was allocated to myself and to Banu 'Abdul-Muṭṭalib, it is yours. When I have prayed Zuhr, stand up and say: "We seek the help of the Messenger of Allâh in dealing with the believers, or the Muslims, with
regard to our women and children.”’ So when they prayed Zuhr, they stood up and said that. The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said: ‘As for that which was allocated to myself and to Banu ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib, it is yours.’ The Muhājirūn said: ‘That which was allocated to us is for the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ.’ The Anṣār said: ‘That which was allocated to us is for the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ.’ Al-Aqra’ bin Hâbis said: ‘As for myself and Banu Tamīm, then no (we will not give it up).’ Uyaynah bin Hiṣn said: ‘As for myself and Banu Fazârah, then no (we will not give it up).’ Al-‘Abbâs bin Mirdâs said: ‘As for myself and Banu Sulaim, then no (we will not give it up).’ Banu Sulaim stood up and said: ‘You lied; whatever was allocated to us, it is for the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ.’ The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said: ‘O people, give their women and children back to them. Whoever gives back anything of these spoils of war, he will have six camels from the spoils of war that Allâh grants us next.’ Then he mounted his riding-animal and the people surrounded him, saying: ‘Distribute our spoils of war among us.’ They made him go back toward a tree on which his Ridâ (upper-wrap) got caught. He said: ‘O people! Give me back my Ridâ’. By Allâh! If there were cattle as many in number as the trees of Tihâmah I would distribute them among you, then you would not find me a miser, a coward or a liar.’ Then he went to a camel and took a hair from its hump between two of his
fingers and said: 'Look! I do not have any of the spoils of war. All I have is the Khums, and the Khums will be given back to you.' A man stood up holding a ball of yarn made from goat hair and said: 'O Messenger of Allāh, I took this to fix my camel-saddle.' He said: 'What was allocated to myself and to Banu 'Abdul-Muttalib is for you.' He said: 'Is this so important? I don't need it! And he threw it down.' He said: 'O people! Give back even needles large and small, for Al-Ghulūl[1] will be (a source of) shame a disgrace for those who took it on the Day of Resurrection.'" (Hasan)
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Footnotes
1
[1] A more general term for "gift" than Nihal, and it is used in the previous chapter, where the narrations state a "gift" rather than a present.
2
[2] The meaning becomes clear in the remainder of the narration.
Commentary
1. This incident belongs to the Battle of Hunain. After the Conquest of Makkah, Allāh's Messenger ﷺ came to know that Banu Hawāzin, etc., were assembling an army to challenge the Muslims. Allāh's Messenger ﷺ decided to fight them. When the battle was fought, Banu Hawāzin met with defeat. Their wives, children, camels, goats, almost everything fell into the hands of the Muslims, because of their foolhardiness.
2. 'Myself and to Banu Abdul Muttalib': These words posit the theme of the chapter that the shares of his (the Prophet ﷺ) and Abdul Muttalib's household were not separate. It was rather included in its totality, which Allāh's Messenger ﷺ gifted or pardoned. Hence, making a gift of a shared thing is lawful.
