\nNarrated 'Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi`:\n \n\nI heard `Ali saying, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent me, Az-Zubair and Al-Miqdad somewhere saying, 'Proceed \ntill you reach Rawdat Khakh. There you will find a lady with a letter. Take the letter from her.' " So, \nwe set out and our horses ran at full pace till we got at Ar-Rawda where we found the lady and said (to \nher). "Take out the letter." She replied, "I have no letter with me." We said, "Either you take out the \nletter or else we will take off your clothes." So, she took it out of her braid. We brought the letter to \nAllah's Messenger (ﷺ) and it contained a statement from Hatib bin Abi Balta a to some of the Meccan pagans \ninforming them of some of the intentions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Hatib! \nWhat is this?" Hatib replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Don't hasten to give your judgment about me. I was \na man closely connected with the Quraish, but I did not belong to this tribe, while the other emigrants \nwith you, had their relatives in Mecca who would protect their dependents and property . So, I wanted \nto recompense for my lacking blood relation to them by doing them a favor so that they might protect \nmy dependents. I did this neither because of disbelief not apostasy nor out of preferring Kufr \n(disbelief) to Islam." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), said, "Hatib has told you the truth." `Umar said, O Allah's \nApostle! Allow me to chop off the head of this hypocrite." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Hatib participated in \nthe battle of Badr, and who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said, \n'Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you."\n

\nNarrated 'Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi`:\n \n\nI heard `Ali saying, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent me, Az-Zubair and Al-Miqdad somewhere saying, 'Proceed \ntill you reach Rawdat Khakh. There you will find a lady with a letter. Take the letter from her.' " So, \nwe set out and our horses ran at full pace till we got at Ar-Rawda where we found the lady and said (to \nher). "Take out the letter." She replied, "I have no letter with me." We said, "Either you take out the \nletter or else we will take off your clothes." So, she took it out of her braid. We brought the letter to \nAllah's Messenger (ﷺ) and it contained a statement from Hatib bin Abi Balta a to some of the Meccan pagans \ninforming them of some of the intentions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Hatib! \nWhat is this?" Hatib replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Don't hasten to give your judgment about me. I was \na man closely connected with the Quraish, but I did not belong to this tribe, while the other emigrants \nwith you, had their relatives in Mecca who would protect their dependents and property . So, I wanted \nto recompense for my lacking blood relation to them by doing them a favor so that they might protect \nmy dependents. I did this neither because of disbelief not apostasy nor out of preferring Kufr \n(disbelief) to Islam." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), said, "Hatib has told you the truth." `Umar said, O Allah's \nApostle! Allow me to chop off the head of this hypocrite." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Hatib participated in \nthe battle of Badr, and who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said, \n'Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you."\n

\nحَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ، سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْهُ، مَرَّتَيْنِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي حَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي رَافِعٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَا وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَالْمِقْدَادَ بْنَ الأَسْوَدِ قَالَ ‏"‏ انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ، فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً وَمَعَهَا كِتَابٌ، فَخُذُوهُ مِنْهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ فَانْطَلَقْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى الرَّوْضَةِ، فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالظَّعِينَةِ فَقُلْنَا أَخْرِجِي الْكِتَابَ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ مَا مَعِي مِنْ كِتَابٍ‏.‏ فَقُلْنَا لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الْكِتَابَ أَوْ لَنُلْقِيَنَّ الثِّيَابَ‏.‏ فَأَخْرَجَتْهُ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا، فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى أُنَاسٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ، يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا حَاطِبُ، مَا هَذَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَىَّ، إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا، وَكَانَ مَنْ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ بِمَكَّةَ، يَحْمُونَ بِهَا أَهْلِيهِمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ، فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّسَبِ فِيهِمْ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَهُمْ يَدًا يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَتِي، وَمَا فَعَلْتُ كُفْرًا وَلاَ ارْتِدَادًا وَلاَ رِضًا بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الإِسْلاَمِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ عُمَرُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ دَعْنِي أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا الْمُنَافِقِ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا، وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ، فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ وَأَىُّ إِسْنَادٍ هَذَا‏.‏