ʿAmr ibn Taghlib—may Allah be pleased with him—said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave to some people and withheld from others, and those who were left out seemed displeased. He ﷺ then declared:
‘I give to certain folk because I fear their weakness and wavering, while I leave others to the goodness and self-sufficiency Allah has placed in their hearts. Among them is ʿAmr ibn Taghlib.’

ʿAmr continued, “By Allah, I would not exchange the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for a herd of red she-camels.”

Abū ʿĀṣim added, reporting from Jarīr, “I heard al-Ḥasan say that ʿAmr ibn Taghlib related: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought some wealth—or captives—and he distributed it … in this very manner.’”

In another wording recorded by al-Bukhārī (1): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought some wealth—or something similar—so he gave to certain men and left others. When it reached him that those who had been left felt aggrieved, he addressed them, praised Allah and extolled Him, and then said, ‘To proceed …,’ repeating exactly the same statement.” This version is unique to al-Bukhārī.

Ibn Hishām (2) also relates that Ḥassān ibn Thābit (3)—may Allah be pleased with him—composed the following verses about the Ansār and their tardiness in reaching the spoils:

From al-Basīṭ metre
Sorrows have swelled, and tears stream from my eyes,
A ceaseless rain—each drop a glistening pearl.
I yearn for Shammā’, that slender, fine-haunched mount—
Trim, free of blemish, never slack or frail.
Leave Shammā’ now; her friendship proved but scant,
And scant the bond whose union soon runs dry.
Go to the Prophet, say: “O best trustee
Of all the faithful when mankind is counted!
Why call on Sulaym, distant though she is,
Before the folk who sheltered you and helped?
Allah Himself named them ‘Helpers’ for the aid
They gave the Faith while raging war-flames roused.
They hastened on Allah’s path, stood firm in trials,
Betrayed none, never weary or dismayed.
The people massed against us for your sake;
Our only shield was sword and spear-tip keen.
We grapple men, sparing none,
Nor flout what the revealed surahs command.
No raider dares to howl within our hall,
And when war’s blaze erupts, we are the flame.
As once at Badr we drove back hypocrites,
And victory descended in our midst.
We were your troops by al-Naʿf of Uḥud,
When boastful Muḍar marshalled all its clans.
We never flagged, nor failed, nor have they seen
Us stumble—though the rest of men have slipped.”