- “Allah sent one of His servants to his people, but they rejected him and wounded his head. As he wiped the blood from his forehead, he said: ‘O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.’”
Al-Bukhari narrated it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (757), and Ahmad (1/427 and 456), through Hammad ibn Zayd, from Asim ibn Bahdalah, from Abu Wa’il, from Ibn Mas‘ud, who said:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, distributed the spoils of Hunayn at al-Ji‘ranah, the people crowded around him. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: … then he mentioned it. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said: “It is as though I can see the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, portraying the man as he wiped his forehead.”
I say: This chain of transmission is good. Its narrators are reliable and are among the narrators of the two Shaykhs, except that they narrated from Asim ibn Bahdalah only alongside another narrator, as stated in al-Taqrib.
Hammad ibn Salamah also corroborated Hammad ibn Zayd, narrating from Asim a similar report with an addition. He said:
A man from the Ansar uttered words expressing resentment toward the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. I could not rest until I informed the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, of them, and I wished that I could ransom myself from it with all my family and wealth. He said: “They harmed Moses, peace be upon him, with more than that, yet he remained patient.” Then he told of a prophet whom his people rejected and wounded on the head when he came to them with Allah’s command. As he wiped the blood from his face, he said: “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.”
Ahmad also narrated it (1/453) with a good chain of transmission.
Al-A‘mash also corroborated Asim. He said: Shuqayq narrated it to me in abbreviated form. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said: