حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الأَشْجَعِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ زَيْدِ بْنِ حَارِثَةَ فِي غَزْوَةِ مُؤْتَةَ فَرَافَقَنِي مَدَدِيٌّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ غَيْرُ سَيْفِهِفَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ جَزُورًا فَسَأَلَهُ الْمَدَدِيُّ طَائِفَةً مِنْ جِلْدِهِ فَأَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهُ فَاتَّخَذَهُ كَهَيْئَةِ الدَّرَقِ وَمَضَيْنَا فَلَقِينَا جُمُوعَ الرُّومِ وَفِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ عَلَى فَرَسٍ لَهُ أَشْقَرَ عَلَيْهِ سَرْجٌ مُذْهَبٌ وَسِلاَحٌ مُذْهَبٌ فَجَعَلَ الرُّومِيُّ يُغْرِي بِالْمُسْلِمِينَ فَقَعَدَ لَهُ الْمَدَدِيُّ خَلْفَ صَخْرَةٍ فَمَرَّ بِهِ الرُّومِيُّ فَعَرْقَبَ فَرَسَهُ فَخَرَّ وَعَلاَهُ فَقَتَلَهُ وَحَازَ فَرَسَهُ وَسِلاَحَهُ فَلَمَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ فَأَخَذَ مِنَ السَّلَبِ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا خَالِدُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَضَى بِالسَّلَبِ لِلْقَاتِلِ قَالَ بَلَى وَلَكِنِّي اسْتَكْثَرْتُهُ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ لَتَرُدَّنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ لأُعَرِّفَنَّكَهَا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَبَى أَنْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَاجْتَمَعْنَا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَصَصْتُ عَلَيْهِ قِصَّةَ الْمَدَدِيِّ وَمَا فَعَلَ خَالِدٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا خَالِدُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ ‏"‏ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُهُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا خَالِدُ رُدَّ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَخَذْتَ مِنْهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عَوْفٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ دُونَكَ يَا خَالِدُ أَلَمْ أَفِ لَكَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَمَا ذَلِكَ ‏"‏ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ قَالَ فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا خَالِدُ لاَ تَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ هَلْ أَنْتُمْ تَارِكُونَ لِي أُمَرَائِي لَكُمْ صِفْوَةُ أَمْرِهِمْ وَعَلَيْهِمْ كَدَرُهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i said: I went out with Zayd ibn Harithah in the Battle of Mu'tah, and a reinforcement from the people of Yemen accompanied me; he had nothing with him except his sword. A man from the Muslims slaughtered a camel, and the Yemeni reinforcement asked him for a piece of its hide. He gave it to him, and he fashioned it into the shape of a shield. We proceeded and met the forces of the Romans, among whom was a man upon a reddish horse with a golden saddle and golden weapons. The Roman began to instigate attacks against the Muslims. The reinforcement sat for him behind a rock, and when the Roman passed by him, he hamstrung his horse, fell upon him, killed him, and seized his horse and weapons. When Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, granted victory to the Muslims, Khalid ibn al-Walid sent for him and took some of the spoils.

Awf said: I came to him and said: O Khalid, do you not know that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) decreed the spoils for the killer? He replied: Yes, but I considered it too abundant. I said: You will certainly return it to him, or I will make it known concerning you before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He refused to return it to him.

Awf said: So we gathered before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I narrated to him the story of the Yemeni reinforcement and what Khalid had done. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: O Khalid, what caused you to do what you did? He said: O Messenger of Allah, I considered it too abundant. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: O Khalid, return to him what you took from him.

Awf said: I said to him: Here you are, O Khalid! Did I not fulfill [my word] to you? Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: What is that? I informed him, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became angry and said: O Khalid, do not return it to him! Will you leave my commanders alone? For you [have the right to] the best of their affairs, while they bear the burden of its imperfection.