English Translation

Abu al-Mughirah told us, saying: Safwan told us, saying: Abd al-Rahman b. Jubayr b. Nufayr told me, from his father Jubayr, from Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'i, who said: We went on a raid to the border of Syria, and Khalid b. al-Walid was made our commander. A man from the reinforcements of Himyar joined us and took shelter in our camp, having nothing with him except a sword, no other weapon. A man among the Muslims slaughtered a camel, and this man kept working at it until he took from its hide something like a shield-shape, spreading it on the ground, then he set it in the sun until it dried, and made for it a handle like a shield's. It happened that we met our enemy — among them a mixture of Byzantines and Arabs from Quda'ah — and they fought us fiercely. Among the people was a man of the Byzantines on a chestnut horse of his, with a gilded saddle and a belt smeared with gold, and a sword likewise, and he kept charging upon the people and inciting them. That reinforcement-man kept scheming against that Byzantine until he passed by him; he waited for him from behind, struck the hamstring of his horse with the sword, so it fell, then he followed up striking with the sword until he killed him. When Allah granted the victory, he came forward asking for the spoils, and the people had testified that he was the killer. Khalid gave him some of his spoils and kept the rest. When he returned to Awf's camp, he mentioned this to him, and Awf said to him, "Go back to him, and let him give you what remains." He went back to him, but he refused. So Awf walked until he came to Khalid and said, "Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled that the spoils belong to the killer?" He said, "Yes indeed." He said, "Then what prevents you from handing over to him the spoils of the one he killed?" Khalid said, "I considered it too much for him." Awf said, "If I see the face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I will surely mention that to him." When he came to Madinah, Awf sent him to seek redress from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He summoned Khalid while Awf was sitting there, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What prevents you, O Khalid, from handing over to this man the spoils of the one he killed?" He said, "I considered it too much for him, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Give it to him." He said: Then he passed by Awf, and Awf pulled at his cloak and said, "May what I mentioned to you on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reward you well." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard him and became angry, and said, "Do not give it to him, O Khalid. Will you leave my commanders alone? Your case and theirs is like the case of a man who was put in charge of grazing camels or sheep and pastured them, then chose their watering, bringing them to a trough, so they came to it and drank the clear water, leaving the murky part; so the clear water is for you, and the murky is upon them."