أَنْبَأَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ سَمِعَ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَخْطُبَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ابْنَتَهُ فَقُلْتُ مَا لِي مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَكَيْفَ ثُمَّ ذَكَرْتُ صِلَتَهُ وَعَائِدَتَهُ فَخَطَبْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ هَلْ لَكَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَأَيْنَ دِرْعُكَ الْحُطَمِيَّةُ الَّتِي أَعْطَيْتُكَ يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ هِيَ عِنْدِي قَالَ فَأَعْطِهَا إِيَّاهُ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 603
It was narrated from Ibn Abu Najeeh, from his father, from a man who heard 'Ali (RA) say: I wanted to propose marriage to the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), but I thought: I have nothing, so how could it be? Then I remembered how he upheld ties of kinship and his kindness and generosity, so I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage. He said: "Do you have anything?" I said: No. He said: "Where is the Hutamiyyah shield that I gave you on such and such a day?" I said: I have it. He said: "Then give it to her."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020