Hadith No: 1
Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
The First Musnad of the Kufans - Hadith of al-Harith ibn Dhurar al-Khuzai (r)
Volume: (30) - Page Number: (103)
18459 - Muhammad ibn Saabiq narrated to us, saying: Isa ibn Dinar narrated to us, from my father, that he heard al-Harith ibn Abi Dhurar al-Khuzai say: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), and he called me to Islam, so I entered it and affirmed it. Then he called me to zakat (almsgiving), and I affirmed it, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, return to my people and invite them to Islam and the performance of zakat. Whoever responds to me, I will gather their zakat, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) will send me a messenger to you at such and such a time to bring you what I have collected in zakat. When al-Harith collected the zakat from those who responded to him and the time arrived that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) intended to send to him, the messenger delayed, not coming to him. Al-Harith thought that this was a sign of displeasure from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic be He, and His Messenger. So he called the leaders of his people and said to them: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) had appointed me a time to send his messenger to collect what was with me from zakat, and there is no failure in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), and I do not see the delay of his messenger except as a result of some displeasure. So go, and let us go to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).
And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqba to al-Harith to collect what he had gathered from zakat. When al-Walid had traveled a short distance, he became afraid and returned, coming to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and said: O Messenger of Allah, al-Harith denied me the zakat and wanted to kill me. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) struck out a party to go to al-Harith, and al-Harith, with his companions, was on his way back when he met the party and separated from the city. Al-Harith encountered them and, when he approached them, he said: Who are you sent to? They said: To you. He asked: Why? They replied: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqba to you, and he claimed you denied him the zakat and wanted to kill him. Al-Harith said: No, by the One who sent Muhammad with the truth, I did not see him at all, nor did he come to me. When al-Harith entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), he said: Did you deny the zakat and want to kill my messenger? Al-Harith replied: No, by the One who sent you with the truth, I did not see him or approach him, and I only came when the messenger of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was delayed, fearing that it might be a sign of displeasure from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic be He, and His Messenger.
Then this verse was revealed in al-Hujurat: {O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with a report, investigae, lest you harm a people in ignorance and then become, over what you have done, regretful} (al-Hujurat 49:6) to this point: {A favor from Allah and a mercy, and Allah is Knowing and Wise} (al-Hujurat 49:8).