Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ أنبأ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ أنبأ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى أنبأ هُشَيْمٌ عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ وَحَيَّانَ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ السُّلَمِيِّ أَنَّهُمَا كَانَا يَتَنَازَعَانِ فِي عَلِيٍّ وَعُثْمَانَ ؓ وَكَانَ حَيَّانُ يُحِبُّ عَلِيًّا ؓ وَكَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ يُحِبُّ عُثْمَانَ ؓ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ سَمِعْتُهُ يُحَدِّثُ يَعْنِي عَلِيًّا ؓ قَالَ كَتَبَ حَاطِبُ بْنُ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَغْزُوَكُمْ بِأَصْحَابِهِ فَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ وَدَفَعَ كِتَابَهُ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا سَارَّةُ فَجَعَلَتْهُ فِي إِزَارِهَا أَوْ فِي ذُؤَابَةٍ مِنْ ذَوَائِبِهَا فَانْطَلَقَتْ فَأَطْلَعَ اللهُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَبَعَثَنِي وَمَعِيَ الزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ الْعَوَّامِ وَأَبُو مَرْثَدٍ الْغَنَوِيُّ وَكُلُّنَا فَارِسٌ قَالَ انْطَلِقُوا فَإِنَّكُمْ سَتَلْقَوْنَهَا بِرَوْضَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَفَتِّشُوهَا فَإِنَّ مَعَهَا كِتَابًا إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ مِنْ حَاطِبٍ فَانْطَلَقْنَا فَوَافَقْنَاهَا فَقُلْنَا هَاتِي الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي مَعَكِ إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ فَقَالَتْ مَا مَعِي كِتَابٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا كَذَبْتُ وَلَا كُذِبْتُ لَتُخْرِجِنَّهُ أَوْ لَأُجَرِّدَنَّكِ فَلَمَّا عَرَفَتْ أَنِّي فَاعِلٌ أَخْرَجَتِ الْكِتَابَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُ فَانْطَلَقْنَا بِهِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَفَتَحَهُ فَقَرَأَهُ فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبٍ إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا يُرِيدُكُمْ فَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ وَتَأَهَّبُوا أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ الْكِتَابَ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى حَاطِبٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَكَتَبْتَ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَمَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَمَا وَاللهِ مَا كَفَرْتُ مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْتُ وَإِنِّي لِمُؤْمِنٌ بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَا حَمَلَنِي عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتُ مِنْ كِتَابِي إِلَى أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِكَ إِلَّا وَلَهُ هُنَاكَ بِمَكَّةَ مَنْ يَدْفَعُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي هُنَاكَ أَحَدٌ يَدْفَعُ عَنْ أَهْلِي وَمَالِي فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَ الْقَوْمِ يَدًا وَإِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللهَ سَيُظْهِرُ رَسُولَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالَ فَصَدَّقَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَبِلَ قَوْلَهُ قَالَ فَقَامَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ دَعْنِي فَأَضْرِبَ عُنُقَهُ؛ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ خَانَ اللهَ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَا عُمَرُ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ
English Translation
Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us, from Abu Bakr ibn Ishaq, from Isma'il ibn Qutaybah, from Yahya ibn Yahya, from Hushaym, from Husayn, from Sa'd ibn Ubaydah, from Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami and Hayyan ibn Atiyyah al-Sulami — they used to dispute about Ali and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them). Hayyan loved Ali and Abu Abd al-Rahman loved Uthman. Abu Abd al-Rahman said: I heard Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah wrote to Makkah saying: Muhammad intends to march against you with his companions, so take precautions. He gave his letter to a woman named Sarrah, who placed it in her garment or in one of her braids, and she departed. Allah revealed this to His Messenger (peace be upon him). Ali said: He sent me along with al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi — all of us horsemen. He said: Go, for you will find her at such-and-such a garden. Search her, for she carries a letter from Hatib to the people of Makkah. We set out and found her. We said: Hand over the letter you carry to the people of Makkah. She said: I have no letter. I said: Neither have I lied, nor has the one who told me lied. Either produce the letter or I will strip you. When she saw that I was serious, she produced it. We took it and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He opened and read it, and it said: From Hatib to the people of Makkah — Muhammad intends to march against you, so take precautions and prepare. He sent for Hatib and asked: Did you write this letter? He said: Yes. He asked: What drove you to this? He said: O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I have not disbelieved since I accepted Islam; I am a believer in Allah and His Messenger. Nothing drove me to write this letter except that every one of your companions has relatives in Makkah who protect his family and property, while I had no one there to protect mine. I wanted to earn a favor with the people, and I know that Allah will grant His Messenger victory over them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) believed him and accepted his statement. Umar ibn al-Khattab stood and said: O Messenger of Allah, let me strike his neck, for he has betrayed Allah and the believers. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: O Umar, he is from the people of Badr, and what would you know — perhaps Allah looked upon them and said: Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you.