Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

It is narrated from Hazrat Sha’bi: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote a letter to Ra’iy al-Suhaimi. He took the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and used it to patch his bucket. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent an army. They (went and) took possession of his family and wealth. And Ra’iy mounted a horse, naked, with nothing on him. Thus, he came to his daughter. And this daughter of his was married to someone from Banu Hilal. The narrator says: He came to his daughter, and in the courtyard of her house, people would gather. So he came from the back of the house. When his daughter saw him in a naked state, she threw a cloth over him and asked, “What has happened to you?” Ra’iy replied, “Complete evil has occurred. Nothing has been left for me of my family and wealth.” Then Ra’iy asked, “Where is your husband?” The daughter replied, “With the camels.” The narrator says: Then her husband came, and Ra’iy told him the whole story. He said, “Take my mount with its saddle, and I will also give you milk from my strength.” Ra’iy said, “I do not need that, but give me a young camel and a water vessel so that I may quickly reach Muhammad, lest he distribute my family and wealth.” So he left in that state, with only a cloth on him. When he covered his head with it, his buttocks would be exposed, and when he covered his buttocks, his head would be exposed. Thus, he kept walking until he entered Madinah at night. Then he reached the vicinity of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had finished the Fajr prayer, he said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! Extend your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) extended his blessed hand. But when Ra’iy wanted to place his hand on the blessed hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) withdrew his hand. Ra’iy again requested the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah! Extend your hand.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am Ra’iy al-Suhaimi.” The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of his wrist and raised it, then said, “O people! This is Ra’iy al-Suhaimi, to whom I wrote a letter, and he took my letter and used it to patch his bucket. Now he has come to Islam.” Then Ra’iy requested, “O Messenger of Allah! My family and my wealth?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Your wealth has been distributed among the Muslims. And your family—so, of them, whoever you are able to find, look for them (you will find them).” Ra’iy says: I went outside, and my son, who had recognized the saddle, was standing by the saddles. So I presented myself to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and requested, “This is my son.” Then Hazrat Bilal was sent with me, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Go with him and ask the boy, ‘Is this your father?’ If he says, ‘Yes,’ then hand the boy over to him.” The narrator says: Hazrat Bilal came to the young man and asked, “Is this your father?” The youth replied, “Yes.” Hazrat Bilal handed the youth over to Ra’iy. The narrator says: Hazrat Bilal came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “By Allah! I did not see either of them weeping at the sight of his companion.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “This is the coarseness of the people of the desert.”