My father set out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the year of Hudaybiyyah. His companions entered the state of ihram, but he did not. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed that an enemy was at Ghayqah, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set off.He said, "While I was with his companions, some of them laughing with one another, I suddenly looked up and saw a wild donkey. I charged at it, struck it, and brought it down. I asked them to help me, but they refused to assist. So we ate from its meat, but we feared we might be cut off from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.I set out searching for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, at times pushing my horse to a gallop and at times riding at a steady pace. In the middle of the night I met a man from Banu Ghifar and asked him, 'Where did you leave the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?'He replied, 'I left him at Tahn, and he intends to take his midday rest at Suqya.'So I caught up with him and said, 'Messenger of Allah, your companions send you their greetings of peace and the mercy of Allah. They fear that they may be cut off from you, so wait for them.' He waited for them.Then I said, 'Messenger of Allah, I hunted some game and I still have some left.' So the Prophet ﷺ said to the people, 'Eat,' though they were in the state of ihram."
انطلق أبي مع رسول الله ﷺ عام الحديبية فأحرم أصحابه ولم يحرم وحدث رسول الله ﷺ أن عدوا بغيقة، فانطلق رسول الله ﷺ قال: فبينما أنا مع أصحابه يضحك بعضهم إلى بعض إذ نظرت فإذا أنا بحمار وحش فحملت عليه فطعمته فأثبته فاستعنتهم فأبوا أن يعينوني فأكلنا من لحمه وخشينا أن نقتطع فانطلقت أطلب رسول الله ﷺ أرفع فرسي شأوا وأسير شأوا، فلقيت رجلا من بني غفار في جوف الليل فقلت: أين لقيت رسول الله ﷺ؟ قال: تركته بتعهن وهو قائل السقيا فلحقته، فقلت: يا رسول الله إن أصحابك يقروون عليك السلام ورحمة الله، وإنهم قد خشوا أن يقتطعوا دونك، انتظرهم، فانتظرهم، فقلت: يا رسول الله إني أصدت ومعي منه فاضلة، فقال النبي ﷺ للقوم: كلوا وهم محرمون.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Hunting (1821), and Muslim in the Book of Hajj (1196:59), both via Hisham bin Abu Abdullah Dastawai, from Yahya bin Abu Kathir, who said, Abdullah bin Abu Qatada narrated to me, with this chain. The wording given is Muslim's, and Bukhari's wording is close to it.The Prophet ﷺ had sent Abu Qatada to scout their enemy toward the coast, and that is why he did not enter the state of ihram, as stated in Sahih Muslim, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed that an enemy force was at Baghiqa." His saying, "Baghiqa," refers to a place in the lands of the Bani Ghifar between Makkah and Madinah.His saying, "and we feared we might be cut off," means that the enemy might cut them off from the Prophet ﷺ. His saying, "I pushed my horse to its fullest stride," means he drove it to run at full speed, and shaw means the utmost limit or extent. His saying, "I caught it" means I hunted it down.Bukhari also narrated it in the Book of Hunting (1824), and Muslim in the Book of Hajj (1196:60), via Uthman bin Abdullah bin Mawhab, from Abdullah bin Abu Qatada, from his father, with a similar chain and wording. In it, he said, "Did any of you order him to do it or signal to him to do it?" They said, "No." He said, "Then eat what remains of its meat."