حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَمْرٍو قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي حَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي رَافِعٍ وَقَالَ مَرَّةً إِنَّ عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ أَبِي رَافِعٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَا وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَالْمِقْدَادَ فَقَالَ انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً مَعَهَا كِتَابٌ فَخُذُوهُ مِنْهَا فَانْطَلَقْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الرَّوْضَةَ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالظَّعِينَةِ فَقُلْنَا أَخْرِجِي الْكِتَابَ قَالَتْ مَا مَعِي مِنْ كِتَابٍ قُلْنَا لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الْكِتَابَ أَوْ لَنَقْلِبَنَّ الثِّيَابَ قَالَ فَأَخْرَجَتْ الْكِتَابَ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا فَأَخَذْنَا الْكِتَابَ فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى نَاسٍ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِمَكَّةَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا حَاطِبُ مَا هَذَا قَالَ لَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيَّ إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ وَلَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا وَكَانَ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَكَ مِنْ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ يَحْمُونَ أَهْلِيهِمْ بِمَكَّةَ فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ النَّسَبِ فِيهِمْ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ يَدًا يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَتِي وَمَا فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ كُفْرًا وَلَا ارْتِدَادًا عَنْ دِينِي وَلَا رِضًا بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ صَدَقَكُمْ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ دَعْنِي أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا الْمُنَافِقِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 600
'Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi' said: i heard 'Ali (RA) say: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent me, az-Zubair and al-Miqdad, and he said: "Go to the garden of Khakh, where you will find a woman riding a camel with whom there is a letter, and take it from her." We set out, with our horses galloping, until we reached that garden, and there we found the woman. We said: Give us the letter. She said: i do not have any letter. We said: Either you give us the letter or we will remove your clothes. So she brought it out from her braided hair, and we took it and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and in it (was written): From Hatib bin Abi Balta'ah to some of the muzhrikeen of Makkah, telling them about some of the plans of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "O Hatib, what is this?" He said: Do not be hasty in judging me, O Messenger of Allah. I am a man who was attached to Quraish but I was not one of them. The Muhajireen who are with you have relatives who will protect their families in Makkah, and I wanted, as I have no blood ties among them, to do them a favour so that they would protect my family. I did not do it out of kufr or because i apostatized from my religion, or because I approved of kufr after becoming Muslim, The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "He has told you the truth." 'Umar (RA) said: O Messenger of Allah, let me strike the neck of this hypocrite, He said: "He was present at Badr, and you do not know, perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: 'Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020