English Translation

It was narrated that ‘Abayah bin Rifa`ah said: `Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) 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 offered some supplies (to the envoy) but he refused. He left at midday and went to ‘Umar(may Allah be well pleased with him), 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 I 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 Beloved Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: `No man should eat his fill when his neighbour is going without.”