مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 390

It was narrated that 'Abayah bin Rifa'ah said: 'Umar (RA) heard that when Sa'd built the palace, he said: Now there will be no more noise. 'Umar sent Muhammad bin Maslamah to him, and when he arrived he took out some kindling and lit a fire, and he bought some wood for a dirham. It was said to Sa'd: A man has done such and such. He said; That is Muhammad bin Maslamah. He went out to him and swore by Allah that he never said that. He said; We will convey from you what you have said and we will do as we were instructed. So he burned the door. Then he [Sa'd] offered some supplies (to the envoy) but he refused. He left at midday and went to 'Umar (RA), and he went and came back within nineteen days. He said: Were it not that I think well of you, I would have thought that you did not convey my message. He said: Yes I did convey it; he conveys his salam and apologises, and he swore by Allah that he did not say that. He said: Did he give you any provisions? He said: No. He said: What prevented you from supplying [sufficient] provisions to me yourself? He said: i did not want to instruct that you be given the cold whilst l had the hot [i.e., I could not have given you what you wanted of food and enjoyed plentiful food myself], when around me are the people of Madinah who are starving, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: "No man should eat his fill when his neighbour is going without."

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020