He went on a military expedition with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ toward Najd. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned back, he returned with him. The midday rest overtook them in a valley thick with thorny trees. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dismounted, and the people scattered to take shade beneath the trees. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ settled under a tree, hung his sword on it, and we slept for a while.Suddenly the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was calling us, and there beside him was an Arabi. The Prophet ﷺ said, "This man drew my sword on me while I was asleep. I woke up to find it unsheathed in his hand, and he said, 'Who will protect you from me?' I replied, 'Allah,' three times."He did not punish him, and sat down.
أنه غزا مع رسول الله ﷺ قبل نجد، فلما قفل رسول الله ﷺ قفل معه، فأدركتهم القائلة في واد كثير العضاة، فنزل رسول الله ﷺ، وتفرق الناس يستظلون بالشجر، فنزل رسول الله ﷺ تحت شجرة، وعلق بها سيفه، ونمنا نومة، فإذا رسول الله ﷺ يدعونا، وإذا عنده أعرابي، فقال: إن هذا اخترط علي سيفي وأنا نائم، فاستيقظت وهو في يده صلتا، فقال: من يمنعك مني؟ فقلت: الله ثلاثا، ولم يعاقبه، وجلس.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Jihad (2910), and Muslim in the Book of Virtues (842), both from the hadith of Zuhri, who said, "Sinan bin Abu Sinan Duali told me, from Jabir," and he related it. The name of this bedouin was Ghawrath bin Harith, as stated in Bukhari (4136).Ibn Abu Hatim also narrated it in his Tafsir (4/1173) from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, who said, "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raided Banu Anmar, he camped at Dhat ar-Riqa in the upper part of Nakhl. While he was sitting at the head of a well with his legs dangling down, Harith from Banu Najjar said, 'I will surely kill this man.' His companions said to him, 'How will you kill him?' He said, 'I will say to him, Give me your sword, and when he gives it to me, I will kill him with it.' So he came to him and said, 'Muhammad, give me your sword so I can look at it.' So the Prophet gave it to him, but his hand trembled until the sword fell from his hand. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Allah has come between you and what you wanted.'"Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed, "O Messenger, convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people" [Maidah 5:67].This narration includes Musa bin Ubaydullah, who is daif. That is why Ibn Kathir said in his Tafsir, "This is a gharib hadith from this angle."