When the delegation of Hawazin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as Muslims, he stood up and they asked him to return their property and their captives to them.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them, "Those you see with me are present, and the most beloved speech to me is the most truthful. So choose one of the two, either the captives or the property. I have been waiting for you."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had waited for them more than ten nights when he returned from Taif. When it became clear to them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would only return one of the two, they said, "Then we choose our captives."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then stood among the Muslims, praised Allah as He deserves, and said, "To proceed, your brothers have come to us repentant, and I have decided to return their captives to them. Whoever among you is willing to do so out of goodwill, let him do so. And whoever among you wishes to hold to his share until we give it to him from the first spoils Allah
grants us, let him do so."The people said, "We willingly give that up for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them, "We do not know which of you has consented and which has not. Go back, and let your chiefs bring your decision to us."So the people dispersed, their chiefs spoke with them, and then they returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him that they had willingly consented. This is what has reached me concerning the captives of Hawazin.
حدثنا يعقوب حدثنا ابن أخي ابن شهاب عن عمه قال وزعم عروة بن الزبير أن
أن رسول الله ﷺ قام حين جاءه وفد هوازن مسلمين فسألوا أن يرد إليهم أموالهم وسبيهم فقال لهم رسول الله ﷺ معي من ترون وأحب الحديث إلي أصدقه فاختاروا إحدى الطائفتين إما السبي وإما المال وقد كنت استأنيت بكم وكان أنظرهم رسول الله ﷺ بضع عشرة ليلة حين قفل من الطائف فلما تبين لهم أن رسول الله ﷺ غير راد إليهم إلا إحدى الطائفتين قالوا فإنا نختار سبينا فقام رسول الله ﷺ في المسلمين فأثنى على الله عز وجل بما هو أهله ثم قال أما بعد فإن إخوانكم قد جاءوا تائبين وإني قد رأيت أن أرد إليهم سبيهم فمن أحب منكم أن يطيب ذلك فليفعل ومن أحب منكم أن يكون على حظه حتى نعطيه إياه من أول ما يفيء الله عز وجل علينا فليفعل فقال الناس قد طيبنا ذلك لرسول الله ﷺ فقال لهم رسول الله ﷺ إنا لا ندري من أذن منكم في ذلك ممن لم يأذن فارجعوا حتى يرفع إلينا عرفاؤكم أمركم فجمع الناس فكلمهم عرفاؤهم ثم رجعوا إلى رسول الله ﷺ فأخبروه أنهم قد طيبوا وأذنوا هذا الذي بلغني عن سبي هوازن
Its isnad is sahih, and its narrators are well known and trustworthy. The hadith was narrated by Bukhari, 3/131, Shab edition, in the Book of Agency, in the chapter "If Something Is Given to an Agent or a Preemptor," and by Abu Dawud, 3/62, no. 2293, in the Book of Jihad, in the chapter on ransoming a captive with money, and by Bayhaqi, 6/360.