Ali reported, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched me along with Zubayr and Miqdad and said, 'Set out until you reach the meadow of Khakh, where you will find a woman traveling on a camel carrying a letter. Take it from her.'So we set off, our horses galloping with us, until we reached the meadow. There we found the woman, and we said to her, 'Hand over the letter.'She replied, 'I have no letter with me.'We said, 'You will hand over the letter, or we will strip off your clothes.'So she produced it from the braids of her hair. We brought it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and it read, 'From Hatib bin Abu Balta,' addressed to certain polytheists in Mecca, informing them about some of the affairs of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Hatib, what is this?'He replied, 'Messenger of Allah, do not be hasty with me. I was a man attached to Quraysh as an ally, but I was not one of them by blood. Those of the Emigrants who were with you had relatives in Mecca who could protect their families and property there. Since I had no such kinship among them, I thought I would do them a favor that they might repay by protecting my relatives. I did not do this out of apostasy from my religion, nor out of contentment with disbelief after Islam.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Indeed, he has spoken the truth to you.'Umar said, 'Messenger of Allah, let me strike off the neck of this hypocrite.'He replied, 'He was present at Badr. What do you know, perhaps Allah has looked upon those who fought at Badr and said, "Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you."'Then Allah revealed the surah, "O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Messenger and yourselves only because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have come out for jihad in My cause and seeking My approval, taking them as confidants? You confide to them affection, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way." [Mumtahanah 60:1]"
بعثني رسول الله ﷺ أنا والزبير والمقداد فقال: انطلقوا حتى تأتوا روضة خاح، فإن بها ظعينة معها كتاب، فخذوا منها. قال: فانطلقنا تعادي بنا خيلنا حتى أتينا الروضة، فإذا نحن بالظعينة، قلنا لها: أخرجي الكتاب. قالت: ما معي كتاب. فقلنا: لتخرجن الكتاب أو لنلقين الشياب، قال: فأخرجته من عقاصها، فأتينا به رسول الله ﷺ فإذا فيه: من حاطب بن أبي بلتعة- إلى ناس بمكة من المشركين-، يخبرهم ببعض أمر رسول الله ﷺ، فقال رسول الله ﷺ: يا حاطب ما هذا. قال: يا رسول الله لا تعجل علي، إني كنت امرأ ملصقا في قريش- يقول: كنت حليفا- ولم أكن من أنفسها- وكان من معك من المهاجرين من لهم قرابات، يحمون أهليهم وأموالهم، فأحييت إذ فاتني ذلك من النسب فيهم أن أنخذ عندهم يدايحمون قرابتي، ولم أفعله ارتدادا عن ديني، ولا رضا بالكفر بعدالإسلام. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أما إنه قد صدقكم. فقال عمر: يا رسول، دعني أضرب عنق هذا المنافق. فقال: إنه قد شهد بدرا، ومايدريك لعل الله اطلع على من شهد بدرا، قال: اعملوا ما شئتم فقدغفرت لكم فأنزل الله السورة{ياأيها الذين ءامنوا لا تتخذوا عدوي وعدوكم أولياء تلقون إليهم بالمودة وقد كفروا بما جاءكم من الحق يخرجون الرسول وإياكم أن تؤمنوا بالله ربكم إن كنتم خرجتم جهدا في سبيلي وابتغاء مرضاتي تسرون إليهم بالمودة وأنا أعلم بما أخفيتم وما أعلنتم ومن يفعله منكم فقد ضل سواء السبيل} [الممتحنة: ١].
Bukhari narrated it in al-Maghazi (4274) and Muslim in Fadail al-Sahabah (16:2494), both through the route of Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Amr bin Dinar, who said, Hasan bin Muhammad informed me that he heard Ubaydullah bin Abu Rafi say, I heard Ali say, and then he mentioned it.His statement, "the zainah" means the woman. And his statement, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me, and I was with Zubayr and Miqdad." In another version reported by Bukhari and Muslim, "Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi" appears instead of "Miqdad." The Hafiz said, "It is possible that all three were with him, and one of the two narrators from Ali mentioned what the other did not mention." End of quote, Fath al-Bari (7/520).In another version, "Umar's eyes filled with tears," so he said, "Allah and His Messenger know best."