Marthad bin Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi was a strong man who used to smuggle prisoners from Mecca to Medina. He said:I had agreed to carry a particular man, and there was in Mecca a prostitute called Anaq who had been my lover. She came out and saw my dark figure against the shadow of a wall.She said, "Who's this? Marthad? Welcome, welcome, Marthad! Come spend the night with us in our quarters."I said, "Anaq, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden fornication."She cried out, "People of the tents! This is the man who smuggles your prisoners from Mecca to Medina!"So I took the path of Khandamah, and eight men pursued me. They came until they stood right over my head and urinated, their urine splashing onto me, but Allah blinded them to my presence. Then I went to my companion and carried him off. When I reached the arak trees with him, I unfastened his shackles.I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "Messenger of Allah, may I marry Anaq?"He remained silent toward me, then there was revealed "No one marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist" [Nur 24:3]. He recited it to me and said, "Do not marry her."
أن مرثد بن أبي مرثد الغنوي، وكان رجلا شديدا، وكان يحمل الأساري من مكة إلى المدينة، قال: فدعوت رجلا لأحمله، وكان بمكة بغي يقال لها: عناق وكانت صديقته خرجت فرأت سوادي في ظل الحائط. فقالت: من هذا مرثد مرحبا وأهلا يا مرثد. انطلق الليلة فبت عندنا في الرحل. قلت يا عناق: إن رسول الله ﷺ حرم الزنا. قالت يا أهل الخيام: هذا الدلدل الذي يحمل أسراءكم من مكة إلى المدينة. فسلكت الخندمة فطلبني ثمانية، فجاؤوا حتى قاموا على رأسي، فبالوا فطار بولهم على وأعماهم الله عني، فجئت إلى صاحبي فحملته، فلما انتهيت به إلى الأراك، فككت عنه كبله، فجئت إلى رسول الله ﷺ، فقلت يا رسول الله: أنكح عناق، فسكت عني فنزلت {لا ينكحها إلا زان أو مشرك} [النور: ٣] فقرأها على وقال: لا تنكحها
Reported by Abu Dawud (2051) in brief form, Nasai (3228), Tirmidhi (3176), Tahawi in his Mushkil (4552), and Bayhaqi (7/153), all of them from the hadith of Ubaydullah bin Akhnas, from Amr bin Shuayb with his chain of transmission, as mentioned.Its chain is hasan because of Amr bin Shuayb, for his hadith is hasan. Tirmidhi said, "This is a hasan gharib hadith, we do not know it except from this route.""Dul-dul" is the hedgehog, which most often appears at night and hides its head. "Khandamah" is a mountain behind Abu Qubays, as Azraqi stated.