1126 – Habīb ibn Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I was present when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ allotted a one-quarter bonus during the first advance and a one-third bonus on the return.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd and judged authentic by Ibn al-Jārūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, and al-Ḥākim.⦗1⦘

Hadith status:
The hadith is sound. Ahmad and Ibn Mājah also transmitted it, and Ibn al-Jārūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, and al-Ḥākim declared it authentic on the authority of Habīb ibn Maslamah. It is further supported by two corroborating reports:

1. The hadith of ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit, authenticated by Ibn Ḥibbān.
2. The hadith of Maʿn ibn Yazīd, recorded by Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd and deemed authentic by al-Ṭaḥāwī.

Vocabulary of the hadith:
– al-badaʾah (initial march): with an open bāʾ, a silent dāl, followed by an alif, then a hamzah, and a feminine tāʾ; it refers to the outset of the expedition toward the enemy.
– al-rajʿah (return): with an open rāʾ and a silent jīm; it denotes the withdrawal and the renewed attack upon the enemy a second time.