Mustadrak al-Hakim — Hadith 4297

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that for ten years the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would follow the people to their lodgings during the Hajj seasons, at the fairs of Majannah and Ukaz, and at Mina, saying: "Who will give me shelter? Who will help me so that I may convey the messages of my Lord? For him is Paradise." But he would find no one who would help him or give him shelter, to the extent that when a man came from Egypt or Yemen to one of his relatives, the people of his tribe would come to him and say: Beware of this young man of Quraysh, lest he lead you into trial. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) would walk among their saddles, calling them to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, while they pointed at him with their fingers. Then Allah sent us from Yathrib. A man from among us would come to him and believe in him, and he would teach him the Qur'an; then he would go back to his family and, through the blessing of his Islam, they would all accept Islam too, until there was not a house among our houses left without a group of Muslims in it who openly professed Islam. Then Allah sent us to him. We consulted one another and gathered, and we said: Until when will the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) be driven away in the mountains of Makkah and live in fear?! So we set out until we came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) during the Hajj season, and he promised us the pledge of Aqabah. His uncle Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: O my nephew! I do not know who these people are who have come to you, for I know the people of Yathrib well. So we gathered with him, one or two at a time. When Abbas looked at our faces, he said: These are people we do not know; these are mere youngsters. We said: O Messenger of Allah! On what shall we pledge allegiance to you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Pledge allegiance to me that you will listen and obey in times of energy and of laziness; that you will spend in the way of Allah in hardship and in ease; that you will enjoin good and forbid evil; that you will speak the truth in the matter of Allah without caring for the blame of any blamer; that you will help me when I come to you in Madinah; and that you will protect me just as you protect your own selves, your wives and your children. And for you is Paradise." So we stood up to pledge allegiance, and As'ad bin Zurarah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the youngest of those seventy, took hold of his hand. He said: O people of Yathrib! Wait a moment. We have wearied our mounts to come to him only because we are certain that he is the Messenger of Allah. Taking him away from here today means incurring the enmity of all the Arabs, the killing of your best people, and enduring the bite of swords. Now if you are people who can endure these hardships, the killing of your leading men and the opposition of all the Arabs, then take him with you, and your reward is with Allah. But if you feel even a little fear in your hearts, then leave him, for that will be a more acceptable excuse before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. The people said: O As'ad! Take your hand away from us. By Allah! We will neither abandon this pledge nor ask to be released from it. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: So we went forward to him one by one, and he took the pledge from us on these terms, so that he would grant us Paradise in return for it.
The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), and it comprises all the details of the pledge of Aqabah, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.