Hadith #531

Arabic Text

English Translation

Ismāʿīl narrated to us, Ayyūb informed us, from al-Qāsim al-Tamīmī, from Zahdam al-Jarmī, who said: We were with Abū Mūsā, and he presented chicken in his food. Among the people was a man from Banū Taym Allāh, reddish in complexion, as if he were a freed slave. He did not come near the food. Abū Mūsā said to him: 'Come and eat, for I have seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ eating from it.' The man said: 'I saw it eating something that I found disgusting, so I swore never to eat it.' Abū Mūsā said: 'Come, I will tell you about that. I came to the Prophet ﷺ with a group of Ashʿarīs to ask him for mounts while he was distributing camels from the charity camels.' Ayyūb said: 'I think he was angry.' He said: 'No, by Allah, I will not give you mounts, and I have nothing to give you as mounts.' So we departed. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought some captured camels, and he said: Where are those Ashʿarīs? So we came to him, and he ordered five white-humped she-camels for us. When we set out, I said to my companions: We came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asking him for mounts, and he swore not to give us mounts, then he sent for us and gave us mounts. I said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forgot his oath. By Allah, if we take advantage of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forgetting his oath, we shall never succeed. Let us go back to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and remind him of his oath. So we returned to him and said: O Messenger of Allah, we came to you asking for mounts and you swore not to give us mounts, then you gave us mounts. We realized — or thought — that you had forgotten your oath. He ﷺ said: 'Go, for it was Allah عز وجل who carried you. And indeed, by Allah, if Allah wills, I shall never swear an oath and then see something better than it except that I do what is better and expiate my oath.' ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, Maʿmar narrated to us, from Ayyūb, from Abū Qilābah, from Zahdam al-Jarmī, who said: I was with Abū Mūsā, and food containing chicken was brought to him — then he mentioned its meaning. ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Walīd narrated to us, Ayyūb narrated to us, Abū Qilābah narrated to me, from a man of Banū Taym Allāh called Zahdam, who said: We were with Abū Mūsā and chicken meat was brought — then he mentioned it. ʿAffān narrated to us, Wuhayb narrated to us, Ayyūb narrated to us, from Abū Qilābah and from al-Qāsim al-Tamīmī, from Zahdam al-Jarmī, who said: There was brotherhood between us and al-Ashʿarī — then he mentioned the hadith and its meaning.