Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Hatib bin Abi Balta'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to the people of Makkah, and Allah Almighty informed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of the matter. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) in pursuit of the letter. The two of them caught up with the woman who was riding a camel (carrying the letter); then they took the letter out of the braids of her hair and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for Hatib (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked: "O Hatib, did you write this letter?" He said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What led you to this act?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I am sincere and well-wishing towards Allah Almighty and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); but in Makkah I had no clan or protector, while my family lived among those very people, so I was afraid (for their lives and property). So I wrote a letter which could not harm Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in any way, and (my aim was that) perhaps it would prove beneficial for my family (in protecting them from the harm of the people of Makkah). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) (on hearing this) drew his sword and said: O Messenger of Allah, give me power over Hatib so that I may strike off his head, for he has committed disbelief (an act like it). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn al-Khattab, what do you know? Perhaps Allah Almighty looked upon the people of Badr and said: Do whatever you wish, for I have certainly forgiven you."
Its chain is sahih (authentic). Al-Humaydi mentioned, on the authority of al-Barqani, that Imam Muslim recorded it. Al-Humaydi says that Khalaf and Abu Mas'ud did not mention it. I (the author) say that Imam Muslim recorded several other hadith besides this one with this same chain.
Hadith Referenceالمطالب العالية بزوائد المسانيد الثمانية / كتاب التفسير / 3756
Hadith Takhrij«حکم الحدیث المطالب العالیہ محققاً تنسیق د. سعد بن ناصر بن عبد العزيز الشَّثري- مکتبہ شاملہ :قال ابن حجر: أَخْرَجَ مُسْلِمٌ بِهَذَا السَّنَدِ عِدَّةَ أَحَادِيثَ غَيْرَ هَذَا . » «أخرجه مسند البزار برقم: 197، وأخرجه المعجم الأوسط للطبراني برقم: 2668، وأخرجه مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد برقم: 15661، وأخرجه الأحاديث المختارة برقم: 174، وأخرجه إتحاف الخيرة المهرة بزوائد المسانيد العشرة برقم: 6823»