Now then, advise me about certain people who have maligned my family. By Allah, I have never detected any wrongdoing on the part of my family; and they are accusing a man of whom—by Allah—I have never known any evil at all. (1)

Ibn Yūnus reported: Yūnus told us, from al-Zuhrī, from Ibn al-Musayyib, from Safwān ibn al-Muʿaṭṭal, who said:
“I struck Ḥassān ibn Thābit with the sword because of a satire he had composed against me. Ḥassān went to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him to seek retribution. The Prophet did not retaliate on his behalf; instead, he paid compensation for the injury and said, ‘You uttered offensive words.’ ”

This was also transmitted by Maʿmar, though he did not mention Ibn al-Musayyib.

I (the author) say: The lines Ḥassān recited were:
“The cloak-wearers have become proud and grown in number,
while Ibn al-Furayʿah has become the town’s prized jewel.” (2)

Safwān became angry and said, “He is alluding to me.” He lay in wait for Ḥassān one night; when Ḥassān passed by, he struck him with the sword, slicing the skin of his head. The Prophet ﷺ then spoke kindly to Ḥassān until he forgave him.

For that act of pardon, the Prophet ﷺ gave him Sīrīn, the sister of Māriyah, and she bore him a son named ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.

It is also related that Safwān’s wife complained that he would sleep until the sun had risen, so he asked him—