Musnad Ahmad

Ubayyah bin Rifa’ah says that when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) learned that Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) had built a palace for himself where the voices of the complainants could no longer reach, he immediately sent Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him): When he arrived there, he took out a flint and kindled a fire with it, bought wood worth one dirham and set it on fire. Someone went and told Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man is doing such and such, he said that it is Muhammad bin Maslamah, and saying this, he came to him and swore that he had not said anything. Muhammad bin Maslamah said, “We will do only what we have been ordered, and if you have any message to send, we will deliver that too.” Saying this, he set fire to the door of the palace. Then Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) offered him provisions for the journey, but he did not accept it and returned. When he reached Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), it was midday, and the whole journey had taken him nineteen days. When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him, he said, “If we did not have a good opinion of you, we would have thought that perhaps you did not deliver our message to him.” He replied, “Why not! In response, he sent you greetings and apologized, and swore by Allah that he had not said anything of the sort.” Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “Did he give you provisions for the journey?” He replied, “I myself did not take them.” He said, “Then why did you not take them with you?” He replied, “I did not like that I should give him your order, and it should be cool for you and hot for me, while around me are the people of Madinah who are dying of hunger, and I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that no person should go about satiated while leaving his neighbor hungry.”