Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on a donkey, on which there was a saddle and underneath it was a cloth from Fadak, that is, a prepared cloth from the place of Fadak. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) seated Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) behind him on the donkey. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was going to visit Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the tribe of Banu Harith bin Khazraj to inquire about his health. This incident took place before the Battle of Badr. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was passing by, he came across a gathering in which Muslims, polytheists, idol worshippers, and Jews were sitting together. Among them were Abdullah bin Ubayy and Abdullah bin Rawaha as well. When the dust raised by the donkey reached the gathering, Abdullah bin Ubayy covered his nose with his cloak and said, “Do not scatter dust upon us.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) greeted them with peace, stopped, dismounted, and invited them to Allah’s religion and recited the Qur’an before them. Abdullah bin Ubayy said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “No one’s words are better than yours. If what you say is true, then do not trouble us by coming to our gatherings. Go to your own house, and whoever among us comes to you, you may present these things to him.” Upon this, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah! Please do come to our gatherings, we like it.” Or Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed Abdullah bin Ubayy and said: “You are stopping him from coming to our gatherings, yet we invite you to our gatherings. You should come to our gatherings, and we like it.” Because of these words, an argument broke out among the Muslims, polytheists, and Jews, to the extent that it almost came to blows. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept trying to calm them down. After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted his ride and went to the house of Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) and stayed there. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Sa’d! Did you hear what Abu Hubab, that is, Abdullah bin Ubayy, said? He said such and such.” Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: “O Messenger of Allah! Leave him and forgive him. By Allah! Allah has already given you the honor He intended for you. The people of this town, that is, Madinah Munawwarah, were about to crown him and make him their chief, but when Allah made him unsuccessful and deprived him of this through the truth He granted you, he became jealous of you. What he did to you is the result of that, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forgave him.”