The Prophet ﷺ sent a cavalry detachment toward Najd, and they returned with a man from the tribe of Banu Hanifa called Thumama bin Uthal. They tied him to one of the pillars of the mosque.The Prophet ﷺ came out to him and asked, "What do you have to say, Thumama?"He replied, "I have good to offer, Muhammad. If you kill me, you kill a man whose blood carries weight. If you show favor, you show favor to one who will be grateful. And if you want wealth, ask whatever you wish of it."He was left until the next day, then the Prophet ﷺ said to him, "What do you have to say, Thumama?"He answered, "What I told you. If you show favor, you show favor to one who will be grateful."He left him until the day after, then asked, "What do you have to say, Thumama?"He replied, "I have what I told you."The Prophet ﷺ said, "Release Thumama."Thumama went to a grove of palm trees near the mosque, washed himself, then entered the mosque and declared, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Muhammad, by Allah, there was no face on earth more hateful to me than yours, but now your face has become the dearest of all faces to me. By Allah, there was no religion more hateful to me than yours, but now your religion has become the dearest of all religions to me. By Allah, there was no land more hateful to me than yours, but now your land has become the dearest of all lands to me. Your cavalry seized me while I was intending to perform Umrah, so what do you advise?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave him glad tidings and ordered him to perform Umrah. When he reached Mecca, someone said to him, "Have you abandoned your religion?"He replied, "No, but I have embraced Islam with Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By Allah, not a single grain of wheat will reach you from Yamamah until the Prophet ﷺ permits it."
بعث النبي ﷺ خيلا قبل نجد، فجاءت برجل من بني حنيفة يقال له: ثمامة بن أثال، فربطوه بسارية من سواري المسجد، فخرج إليه النبي ﷺ، فقال: ما عندك يا ثمامة؟ فقال: عندي خير يا محمد إن تقتلني تقتل ذا دم، وإن تنعم تنعم على شاكر، وإن كنت تريد المال فسل منه ما شئت، فترك حتى كان الغد، ثم قال له: ما عندك يا ثمامة؟ قال: ما قلت لك: إن تنعم تنعم على شاكر، فتركه حتى كان بعد الغد، فقال: ما عندك يا ثمامة؟ فقال: عندي ما قلت لك. فقال: أطلقوا ثمامة، فانطلق إلى نخل قريب من المسجد، فاغتسل، ثم دخل المسجد، فقال: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأشهد أن محمدا رسول الله يا محمد، والله ما كان على الأرض وجه أبغض إلي من وجهك، فقد أصبح وجهك أحب الوجوه إلي، والله ما كان من دين أبغض إلي من دينك فأصبح دينك أحب الدين إلي، والله ما كان من بلد أبغض إلي من بلدك فأصبح بلدك أحب البلاد إلي، وإن خيلك أخذتني، وأنا أريد العمرة، فماذا ترى؟ فبشره رسول الله ﷺ، وأمره أن يعتمر، فلما قدم مكة، قال له قائل: صبوت؟ قال: لا، ولكن أسلمت مع محمد رسول الله ﷺ، ولا والله لا يأتيكم من اليمامة حبة حنطة حتى يأذن فيها النبي ﷺ.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Military Expeditions (4372), and Muslim in the Book of Jihad and Expeditions (1764). Both narrated it through Layth, who said, Saeed bin Abu Saeed told me that he heard Abu Hurairah say, and then he mentioned it.