Compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، أَنَّ مَرْوَانَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ، وَالْمِسْوَرَ بْنَ مَخْرَمَةَ، أَخْبَرَاهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ حِينَ جَاءَهُ وَفْدُ هَوَازِنَ مُسْلِمِينَ، فَسَأَلُوهُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ وَسَبْيَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ " مَعِي مَنْ تَرَوْنَ، وَأَحَبُّ الْحَدِيثِ إِلَىَّ أَصْدَقُهُ، فَاخْتَارُوا إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ إِمَّا السَّبْىَ وَإِمَّا الْمَالَ، وَقَدْ كُنْتُ اسْتَأْنَيْتُ ". وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم انْتَظَرَهُمْ بِضْعَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً حِينَ قَفَلَ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ، فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم غَيْرُ رَادٍّ إِلَيْهِمْ إِلاَّ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ قَالُوا فَإِنَّا نَخْتَارُ سَبْيَنَا. فَقَامَ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَأَثْنَى عَلَى اللَّهِ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ " أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ إِخْوَانَكُمْ هَؤُلاَءِ جَاءُونَا تَائِبِينَ، وَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَنْ أَرُدَّ إِلَيْهِمْ سَبْيَهُمْ، فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يُطَيِّبَ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْعَلْ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَى حَظِّهِ حَتَّى نُعْطِيَهُ إِيَّاهُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ مَا يُفِيءُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا فَلْيَفْعَلْ ". فَقَالَ النَّاسُ طَيَّبْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ. فَقَالَ لَهُمْ " إِنَّا لاَ نَدْرِي مَنْ أَذِنَ مِنْكُمْ فِيهِ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يَأْذَنْ، فَارْجِعُوا حَتَّى يَرْفَعَ إِلَيْنَا عُرَفَاؤُكُمْ أَمْرَكُمْ ". فَرَجَعَ النَّاسُ فَكَلَّمَهُمْ عُرَفَاؤُهُمْ، ثُمَّ رَجَعُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّهُمْ طَيَّبُوا وَأَذِنُوا. وَهَذَا الَّذِي بَلَغَنَا مِنْ سَبْىِ هَوَازِنَ هَذَا آخِرُ قَوْلِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، يَعْنِي فَهَذَا الَّذِي بَلَغَنَا.
When the delegates of the tribe of Hawazin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) they requested him to return their property and their captives. He said to them, "This concerns also other people along with me as you see, and the best statement to me is the true one, so you may choose one of two alternatives; either the captives or the property and (I have not distributed the booty for) I have been waiting for you." When the Prophet (ﷺ) had returned from Ta'if, he waited for them for more than ten nights. When they came to know that the Prophet (ﷺ) would not return except one of the two, they chose their captives. The Prophet then stood up amongst the Muslims, Glorified and Praised Allah as He deserved, and then said, "Then after: These brothers of yours have come to you with repentance and I see it proper to return their captives, so whoever amongst you likes to do that as a favor, then he can do it, and whoever of you wants to stick to his share till we pay him from the very first Fai (i.e. war booty) which Allah will give us, then he can do so." The people said, "We return (the captives) to them willingly as a favor, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I do not know who of you has given his consent and who has not; so go back and your leaders may present your decision to me." The people went away, and their leaders discussed the matter with them, and then came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to tell him that all of them had given their consent (to return the captives) willingly. (Az-Zuhn, the sub-narrator said, "This is what we know about the captives, of Hawazin.")