Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39400 — Reports on the letters of the Prophet

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote a letter to Ri'yah al-Suhaymi. He took the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and patched his bucket with it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched a detachment, and they (went and) seized his family and his property. Ri'yah escaped naked on a horse of his, with nothing on him. He came to his daughter, and this daughter of his was married among Banu Hilal. The narrator said: They had accepted Islam, and she had accepted Islam along with them, and they had invited him to Islam. The narrator said: He came to his daughter, and people used to gather in the courtyard of his daughter's house. So he came to the house from the back. When his daughter saw him naked, she threw a garment over him and asked: "What has happened to you?" Ri'yah replied: "Every evil has befallen me. Neither my family nor my property has been left to me." Then Ri'yah asked: "Where is your husband?" His daughter replied: "With the camels." The narrator said: Then he went to her husband and told him the whole matter. He said: "Take my mount with its saddle, and I will give you milk as provision." Ri'yah said: "I have no need of that. But give me the shepherd's young camel and a water vessel, so that I may hurry to Muhammad, lest he divide my family and my property." So he set off from there in such a state that he had one garment on him: when he covered his head with that garment his buttocks were exposed, and when he covered his buttocks his head was exposed. He kept going until he entered Madinah at night. Then he reached a place opposite him (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) had finished the Fajr prayer, the man said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched out his blessed hand. When Ri'yah was about to place his hand upon his blessed hand, he (peace and blessings be upon him) drew his hand back. Ri'yah again said to him: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you." The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched out his blessed hand. When Ri'yah was about to place his hand upon his blessed hand, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who are you?" He replied: "I am Ri'yah al-Suhaymi." The narrator said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of his upper arm and raised it, then said: "O people! This is Ri'yah al-Suhaymi, to whom I wrote a letter, and he took my letter and patched his bucket with it. Now he has accepted Islam." Then Ri'yah said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! My family and my property?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As for your property, it has been divided among the Muslims. As for your family, see whichever of them you are able to reach (they will be found)." Ri'yah said: I went out, and there was my son, who had recognised the saddle, standing beside it. So I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "This is my son." Then Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was sent with me, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go with him and ask this boy: 'Is this your father?' If he says yes, then hand the boy over to him." The narrator said: Sayyiduna Bilal came to that young man and asked him: "Is this your father?" The young man replied: "Yes!" Sayyiduna Bilal handed the young man over to Ri'yah. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Bilal came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "By Allah! I did not see either of the two weeping at the sight of the other." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That is the coarseness of the Bedouins."