Mukhtasar Muslim

‘Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Thaqif and Banu Aqil were allies of each other. Thaqif captured two men from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) captured a man from Banu Aqil and also seized ‘Adhba’ (the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him) along with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to him while he was tied up. He said, “O Muhammad! O Muhammad!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to him and asked, “What is he saying?” He replied, “For what crime have you captured me, and for what crime have you seized the she-camel that used to outpace the camels of the pilgrims (i.e., ‘Adhba’)?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is a great crime, and I have captured you in retaliation for the crime of your friends, Thaqif.” Saying this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left, but he again called out, “O Muhammad, O Muhammad!” And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was extremely compassionate and merciful, so he returned to him and asked, “What is he saying?” He replied, “I am a Muslim.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “If you had said this at a time when you were in control of your affairs (i.e., before being captured), you would have certainly been saved.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left, but he again called out, “O Muhammad, O Muhammad!” (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came again and asked, “What is he saying?” He replied, “I am hungry, feed me, and I am thirsty, give me water.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Take this (i.e., he gave him food and water).” Then he was released in exchange for the two men whom Thaqif had captured. The narrator said that a woman from the Ansar was captured and ‘Adhba’ was also captured. Then that woman was tied up, and the disbelievers were resting their animals in front of their houses, when she freed herself from her bonds and came to the camels. Whenever she approached a camel, it would make a sound, so she would leave it, until she came to ‘Adhba’, and it did not make a sound, and it was a very gentle (noble) she-camel. The woman sat on its back and urged it on, so it set off. The disbelievers found out and pursued ‘Adhba’ (each mounting their own camel), but ‘Adhba’ exhausted them (i.e., none could catch her because ‘Adhba’ was so swift). The woman made a vow that, “O Allah! If ‘Adhba’ saves me, I will sacrifice her.” When the woman reached Madinah and people saw her, they said, “This is ‘Adhba’, the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” The woman said, “I made a vow that if Allah saves me on ‘Adhba’, I will sacrifice her.” When the Companions heard this, they went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said (in amazement), “Subhan Allah! How badly this woman has repaid ‘Adhba’ (i.e., ‘Adhba’ saved her life and she wants to take ‘Adhba’s life). She made a vow that if Allah saves her on the back of ‘Adhba’, she will sacrifice ‘Adhba’ itself. Any vow made for a sinful act should not be fulfilled, nor should a vow be fulfilled regarding something over which a person has no ownership.”