English translation
(22).3036. Qatādah bin An-Nu'mān said: "There was a household among us called Banū Ubairiq, among whom was a Bishr, a Bushair, and a Mubashshir. Bushair was a hypocrite who would recite poetry reviling the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ then he would attribute it to some of the Arabs. Then he would say: 'So-and-so said this and that [So-and-so said this and that].' So when the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ would hear that poetry, they would say: 'By Allāh! No one but this filthy person said this poetry – or as the man said – and they would say: 'Ibn Al-Ubairiq said it.'"[1] He said: "They were a poor and needy household during Jāhiliyyah and Islām. The only food the people of Al-Madīnah had was dates and barely. When a man was able to, he would import flour from Ash-Shām which he bought and kept for himself. As for his dependants, their only food was dates and barely. So an import arrived from Ash-Shām, and my uncle Rifā'ah bin Zaid bought a load of it, which he put in a storage area he had, where he kept his weapons – his shield and his sword. But it was taken from him from under the house. The storage was broken into and the food and weapons were taken. In the morning, my uncle Rifā'ah came to me and said: 'O my nephew! We were robbed during the night, our storage was broken into, and our food and weapons are gone.'" He said: "They overheard us in the house, and questioned us, and someone said to us, 'We saw Banū Ubairiq cooking during the night, and it looked like they had some of your food.'" He said: "Banū Ubairiq were saying – while we were questioning them amidst their dwellings – 'By Allāh! We do not think the one you are looking for is other than Labīd bin Sahl, a man among us who is righteous and accepted Islam.' When Labīd heard that, he brandished his sword and said: 'I stole? By Allāh! You either prove this theft, or I take to you with this sword.' They said: 'Leave us O man! You are not the one who has it.' So we continued questioning in the dwellings until we had no doubt that they had taken it. So my uncle said to me: 'O my nephew! You should go to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and tell him about that.'" Qatādah said: "So I went to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and said: 'A family among us are ill-mannered, and they conspired against my uncle Rifā'ah bin Zaid. The broke into his storage and took his weapons and his food. We want them to return our weapons, but we have no need for the food.' So the Prophet ﷺ said: 'I will decide about that.' So when Banū Ubairiq heard about that, they brought a man from among them named Usair bin 'Urwah to talk to him about that, and some people from their houses gathered and said: 'O Messenger of Allāh! Qatādah bin An-Nu'mān and his uncle came to a family among us who are a people of Islam and righteousness, accusing them of stealing without proof or confirmation.'" Qatādah said: "I went to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and spoke to him, and he said: 'You went to a family among them known for their Islam and righteousness, and accused them of stealing without confirmation or proof.'" He said: "So I returned wishing that I had lost some of my wealth, and that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ had not been spoken to about that. My uncle Rifā'ah came to me and said: 'O my nephew! What did you do?' So I told him what the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to me, so he said: 'It is from Allāh, Whom we seek help.' It was not long before the Qur'an was revealed: 'Surely, We have sent down to you the Book in truth, that you might judge between men by that which Allāh has shown you, so be not a pleader for the treacherous.' That is Banū Ubairiq. 'And seek forgiveness from Allāh.' [That is] from what you said to Qatādah. 'Certainly Allāh is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful And argue not on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Verily, Allāh does not like anyone who is a betrayer, sinner. They may hide from men, but they cannot hide from Allāh' for He is with them up to His saying: 'Most-Merciful.' That is: If you seek Allāh's forgiveness then He will forgive you. 'And whoever earns sin, he earns it only against himself...' up to His saying: 'A manifest sin.' Their saying about Labīd; 'Had it not been for the grace of Allāh and His mercy upon you...' up to His saying: 'We shall give him a great reward.'"[1] So when the Qur'an was revealed, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ brought the weapon and returned it to Rifā'ah. Qatādah said: "When the weapon was brought to my uncle – and he was an elderly man with bad sight" or "an elderly weak man" – Abū 'Eisā was in doubt – "in Jāhiliyah, and I thought that he merely had entered into Islam (without real sincerity) but when I brought it to him, he said: 'O my nephew! It is for Allāh's cause.' So I knew that his Islam was genuine. When the Qur'ān was revealed, Bushair went with the idolaters, staying with Sulāfah bint Sa'd bin Sumayyah. So Allāh, Most High, revealed: Whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell – what an evil destination. Verily Allāh forgives not associating others with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wills. And whoever associates others with Allāh, then he has indeed strayed far away.[1] "When he went to stay with Sulāfah, Hassān bin Thābit lampooned her with verses of poetry. So she took his saddle, put it on her head, then she left with it to cast it into the valley. Then she said: 'You gave me the poetry of Hassān – you did not bring me any good.'" (Hasan) [Abū 'Eisā said:] This Hadīth is Gharīb, we do not know of any one who narrated a chain for it other than Muḥammad bin Salamah Al-Ḥarrānī. Yūnus bin Bukair and others narrated this Hadīth from Muḥammad bin Ishāq, from 'Ašim bin 'Umar bin Qatādah in Mursal form, they did not mention "from his father, from his grandfather" in it. Qatādah bin An-Nu'mān is the brother of Abū Sa'eed Al-Khudrī through his mother. Abū Sa'eed [Al-Khudrī's] name is Sa'd bin Mālik.