Narrated Zubayb ibn Tha'labah al-Anbari:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent an army to Banu al-Anbar. They captured them at Rukbah in the suburbs of at-Ta'if and drove them to Prophet ﷺ.

I rode hurriedly to Prophet ﷺ and said: Peace be on you, Messenger of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Your contingent came to us and arrested us, but we had already embraced Islam and cut the sides of the ears of our cattle.

When Banu al-Anbar arrived, Prophet ﷺ said to me: Have you any evidence that you had embraced Islam before you were captured today?

I said: Yes. He said: Who is your witness? I said: Samurah, a man from Banu al-Anbar, and another man whom he named. The man testified but Samurah refused to testify. Prophet ﷺ said: He (Samurah) has refused to testify for you, so take an oath with your other witness. I said: Yes. He then dictated an oath to me and I swore to the effect that we had embraced Islam on a certain day, and that we had cut the sides of the ears of the cattle.

Prophet ﷺ said: Go and divide half of their property, but do not touch their children. Had Allah not disliked the wastage of action, we should not have taxed you even a rope.

Zubayb said: My mother called me and said: This man has taken my mattress. I then went to Prophet ﷺ and informed him.

He said to me: Detain him. So I caught him with a garment around his neck, and stood there with him . Then Prophet ﷺ looked at us standing there. He asked: What do you intend (doing) with your captive?

I said: I shall let him go free if he returns to this (man) the mattress of his mother which he has taken from her.

He said: Prophet of Allah ﷺ, I no longer have it.

He said: Prophet ﷺ took the sword of the man and gave it to me, and said to him: Go and give him some sa's of cereal. So he gave me some sa's of barley.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمَّارُ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْبِ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ، سَمِعْتُ جَدِّيَ الزُّبَيْبَ، يَقُولُ بَعَثَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَيْشًا إِلَى بَنِي الْعَنْبَرِ فَأَخَذُوهُمْ بِرُكْبَةٍ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ الطَّائِفِ فَاسْتَاقُوهُمْ إِلَى نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرَكِبْتُ فَسَبَقْتُهُمْ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ أَتَانَا جُنْدُكَ فَأَخَذُونَا وَقَدْ كُنَّا أَسْلَمْنَا وَخَضْرَمْنَا آذَانَ النَّعَمِ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ بَلْعَنْبَرُ قَالَ لِي نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ " هَلْ لَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ عَلَى أَنَّكُمْ أَسْلَمْتُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُؤْخَذُوا فِي هَذِهِ الأَيَّامِ " . قُلْتُ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " مَنْ بَيِّنَتُكَ " . قُلْتُ سَمُرَةُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي الْعَنْبَرِ وَرَجُلٌ آخَرُ سَمَّاهُ لَهُ فَشَهِدَ الرَّجُلُ وَأَبَى سَمُرَةُ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ " قَدْ أَبَى أَنْ يَشْهَدَ لَكَ فَتَحْلِفُ مَعَ شَاهِدِكَ الآخَرِ " . قُلْتُ نَعَمْ . فَاسْتَحْلَفَنِي فَحَلَفْتُ بِاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَسْلَمْنَا يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَخَضْرَمْنَا آذَانَ النَّعَمِ . فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ " اذْهَبُوا فَقَاسِمُوهُمْ أَنْصَافَ الأَمْوَالِ وَلاَ تَمَسُّوا ذَرَارِيَهُمْ لَوْلاَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ ضَلاَلَةَ الْعَمَلِ مَا رَزَيْنَاكُمْ عِقَالاً " . قَالَ الزُّبَيْبُ فَدَعَتْنِي أُمِّي فَقَالَتْ هَذَا الرَّجُلُ أَخَذَ زِرْبِيَّتِي فَانْصَرَفْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ - يَعْنِي فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ - فَقَالَ لِي " احْبِسْهُ " . فَأَخَذْتُ بِتَلْبِيبِهِ وَقُمْتُ مَعَهُ مَكَانَنَا ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَيْنَا نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَائِمَيْنِ فَقَالَ " مَا تُرِيدُ بِأَسِيرِكَ " . فَأَرْسَلْتُهُ مِنْ يَدِي فَقَامَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ " رُدَّ عَلَى هَذَا زِرْبِيَّةَ أُمِّهِ الَّتِي أَخَذْتَ مِنْهَا " . فَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا خَرَجَتْ مِنْ يَدِي . قَالَ فَاخْتَلَعَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَيْفَ الرَّجُلِ فَأَعْطَانِيهِ . وَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ " اذْهَبْ فَزِدْهُ آصُعًا مِنْ طَعَامٍ " . قَالَ فَزَادَنِي آصُعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ .