Mukhtasar Muslim

Narrated by our master Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) rode on a donkey, under the saddle of which was a sheet made in (the town of) Fadak, and Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) was seated behind him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was going to visit Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the neighborhood of Banu Harith bin Khazraj. And this incident took place before the Battle of Badr. On the way, he passed by a mixed gathering consisting of Muslims, idol-worshipping polytheists, and Jews, in which Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul (the well-known hypocrite) was also present. (At that time, Abdullah bin Ubayy had not even outwardly accepted Islam.) In that gathering, Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him, the famous companion) was also present. When the dust from the donkey’s hooves began to reach the people of the gathering (i.e., the mount came near), Abdullah bin Ubayy covered his nose with his sheet and said, “Do not scatter dust upon us.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) greeted them with salam, then stopped, dismounted, and began to recite the Qur’an to them and invited (the people of that gathering) towards Allah. At that time, Abdullah bin Ubayy said, “O man! Even if this is true, do not recite it to us in our gatherings. Go to your house, and recite these tales to whoever comes to you there.” Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah! No, rather you should certainly come to every one of our gatherings; we like this very much.” At this, the Muslims, polytheists, and Jews began to argue and abuse each other, and it was close to turning into a fight, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) began to calm them all down (eventually, they all became silent). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mounted (his donkey) and went to Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him, “O Sa’d! Did you not hear what Abu Hubab said?” (By Abu Hubab, Abdullah bin Ubayy is meant.) “He said such and such.” Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “O Messenger of Allah! Please forgive him and overlook (his behavior), and by the One Who has revealed the Book to you, whatever has been revealed to you from Allah is indeed the truth.” (The reason is that) the people of this town had decided (before your arrival) to crown Abdullah bin Ubayy as their chief and make him their leader and ruler. But when Allah did not will this (i.e., Abdullah bin Ubayy’s leadership) because of the truth that He granted you, he became jealous of you, and that is why he uttered such evil words (against you). The Prophet (peace be upon him) forgave his fault.