383 — Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyūb narrated to us. He said: Ibrāhīm ibn Sa‘d narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishāq, who said: Amr ibn Shu‘ayb narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather Abd Allah ibn Amr, that the delegation of Hawāzin came to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—while he was at al-Ji‘rāna, having embraced Islam. They said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we are a people of common stock and kin, and such affliction has befallen us as is not hidden from you. Show us favor, as Allah has shown you favor.”
A man from among them, belonging to Banū Sa‘d ibn Bakr—who were the people who had nursed the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then stood. His name was Zuhayr ibn Surad, and his honorific was Abū Surad. He said:
“O Messenger of Allah, within these enclosures are your paternal aunts, maternal aunts, and the women who cared for you. Had we nursed al-Hārith ibn Abī Shimr or al-Nu‘mān ibn al-Mundhir, and he had brought upon us the like of what you have brought upon us, we would have hoped for his compassion and favor. Yet you are the best of all who have ever been cared for.”
He then said:
[Basit meter]
Show favor to us, Messenger of Allah, in generosity;
For you are the man in whom we hope and whom we treasure.
Show favor to a people whom fate has held back,
Whose unity the vicissitudes of time have torn apart.
War has left us crying aloud in sorrow,
While grief and rancor weigh upon their hearts.
Unless favors that you bestow come to their aid—
O wisest of men in forbearance when put to the test.
Show favor to the people whose milk you once suckled,
When pearls from its pure milk filled your mouth.
Do not make us like those scattered in flight;
Spare some of us, for we are a noble people.
We surely give thanks for favors, even when they are denied;
And after this day, we shall ever remember.
The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Are your sons and women dearer to you, or your wealth?”
They replied, “O Messenger of Allah, you have given us the choice between our lineage and our wealth. Let our women and sons be returned to us, for they are dearer to us.”
He said to them, “Whatever belongs to me and Banū Abd al-Muttalib is yours. When I have led the people in the noon prayer, stand and say: ‘We call upon the Messenger of Allah to intercede for us with the Muslims, and upon the Muslims to intercede for us with the Messenger of Allah, regarding our sons and women.’ I shall then grant you what is mine and appeal to the others on your behalf.”
When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had led the noon prayer, they stood and said what he had instructed them to say. The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then said, “Whatever belongs to me and Banū Abd al-Muttalib is yours.”
The Emigrants said, “Whatever belongs to us, O Messenger of Allah, is yours.” The Helpers said, “Whatever belongs to us is for the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
Al-Aqra ibn Hābis said, “As for me and Banū Tamīm, no.” Uyayna ibn Hisn said, “As for me and Banū Fazāra, no.” Abbās ibn Mirdās said, “As for me and Banū Sulaym, no.”
Banū Sulaym, however, said, “Whatever belongs to us is for the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
He said: Abbās then said to Banū Sulaym, “You have undermined me!”
The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Whoever among you holds fast to his right over these captives shall receive six camels for every person, from the first captives that fall to us. ” They then returned to the people their sons and women.