Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْأَشْجَعِيِّ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مَعَ زَيْدِ بْنِ حَارِثَةَ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي غَزْوَةِ مُؤْتَةَ وَرَافَقَنِي مَدَدِيٌّ مِنْ الْيَمَنِ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ غَيْرُ سَيْفِهِ فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ جَزُورًا فَسَأَلَهُ الْمَدَدِيُّ طَائِفَةً مِنْ جِلْدِهِ فَأَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهُ فَاتَّخَذَهُ كَهَيْئَةِ الدَّرَقِ وَمَضَيْنَا فَلَقِينَا جُمُوعَ الرُّومِ وَفِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ عَلَى فَرَسٍ لَهُ أَشْقَرَ عَلَيْهِ سَرْجٌ مُذَهَّبٌ وَسِلَاحٌ مُذَهَّبٌ فَجَعَلَ الرُّومِيُّ يُغْرِي بِالْمُسْلِمِينَ وَقَعَدَ لَهُ الْمَدَدِيُّ خَلْفَ صَخْرَةٍ فَمَرَّ بِهِ الرُّومِيُّ فَعَرْقَبَ فَرَسَهُ فَخَرَّ وَعَلَاهُ فَقَتَلَهُ وَحَازَ فَرَسَهُ وَسِلَاحَهُ فَلَمَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ فَأَخَذَ مِنْهُ السَّلَبَ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا خَالِدُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَضَى بِالسَّلَبِ لِلْقَاتِلِ قَالَ بَلَى وَلَكِنِّي اسْتَكْثَرْتُهُ قُلْتُ لَتَرُدَّنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ لَأُعَرِّفَنَّكَهَا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبَى أَنْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَاجْتَمَعَا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَصَصْتُ عَلَيْهِ قِصَّةَ الْمَدَدِيِّ وَمَا فَعَلَهُ خَالِدٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا خَالِدُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَكْثَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا خَالِدُ رُدَّ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَخَذْتَ مِنْهُ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَقَالَ دُونَكَ يَا خَالِدُ أَلَمْ أَفِ لَكَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَا ذَاكَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ يَا خَالِدُ لَا تَرُدَّهُ عَلَيْهِ هَلْ أَنْتُمْ تَارِكُو إِلَيَّ أُمَرَائِي لَكُمْ صَفْوَةُ أَمْرِهِمْ وَعَلَيْهِمْ كَدَرُهُ قَالَ الْوَلِيدُ سَأَلْتُ ثَوْرًا عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْأَشْجَعِيِّ نَحْوَهُ.
English Translation
al-Walid b. Muslim told us, saying: Safwan b. Amr told me, from Abd al-Rahman b. Jubayr b. Nufayr, from his father, from Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'i, who said: I went out with those who went out with Zayd b. Harithah among the Muslims in the expedition of Mu'tah, and a reinforcement-man from Yemen accompanied me, having nothing with him but his sword. A man among the Muslims slaughtered a camel, and the reinforcement-man asked him for a piece of its hide, which he gave him, and he made it into something like a small shield. We proceeded and met the gathered forces of the Byzantines, among whom was a man on a chestnut horse with a gilded saddle and gilded weapon, and the Byzantine kept inciting the Muslims to fight, while the reinforcement-man sat in wait for him behind a rock. The Byzantine passed by him, so he hamstrung his horse, and it fell, and he overcame him and killed him, and took his horse and weapon. When Allah granted victory to the Muslims, Khalid b. al-Walid sent for him and took the spoils from him. Awf said: I went to him and said, "O Khalid, 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, but I considered it too much." I said, "You will surely return it to him, or I will make it known to you before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He refused to return it to him. Awf said: So the two of them met before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I related to him the story of the reinforcement-man and what Khalid had done. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O Khalid, what led you to do what you did?" He said, "O Messenger of Allah, I considered it too much for him." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O Khalid, return to him what you took from him." Awf said: Then he said, "Here you are, O Khalid — did I not fulfill my promise to you?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What is that?" and I informed him, so the Messenger of Allah became angry and said, "O Khalid, do not return it to him! Will you leave my commanders to me? You are entitled to the best of their conduct, and upon them is its blemish." Al-Walid said: I asked Thawr about this hadith, and he related it to me from Khalid b. Ma'dan, from Jubayr b. Nufayr, from Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'i, similarly.