Abu al-Sawwar narrates from his maternal uncle: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with some people following behind him, and I too followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) along with them. Then the people came running, and I drew back. The narrator says: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he struck me, either with a stick, or with a tooth-stick (miswak), or perhaps with something else that he had with him. The narrator says: By Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not hurt me. I spent the night there. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck me only because of something that Allah Almighty had made known to him (peace and blessings be upon him) about me. The narrator says: I thought to myself that in the morning I would go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The narrator says: Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) came down and said: You are a shepherd, so do not break the horns of your flock. When we had offered the morning prayer (the narrator is unsure, perhaps the words are:) when morning came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Some people followed behind me, and I did not like their following me. So, O Allah! Whomever I have struck or reviled, make that an expiation and a reward for that person" (the narrator is unsure, perhaps the words are:) "a means of forgiveness and mercy", or however the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said it.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب المناقب / 16135
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسنادہ صحیح
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه احمد فى المسند (294/5) ، أخرجه مسند أحمد برقم: 22004»