My companions sent me to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to ask him to provide them with mounts, as they were with him in the Army of Hardship, which was the Expedition of Tabuk. I said, "Prophet of Allah, my companions have sent me to you so that you might provide them with mounts."He said, "By Allah, I will not provide you with any mounts."I had come upon him while he was angry, though I did not realize it. I returned grieved by the Prophet's ﷺ refusal and fearful that the Prophet ﷺ might harbor something against me. I went back to my companions and informed them of what the Prophet ﷺ had said.I had not been there but a short while when I heard Bilal calling out, "Abdullah bin Qays!"I answered him, and he said, "Respond to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he is calling for you."When I came to him, he said, "Take these two paired camels, and these two, and these two," six camels in all, which he had just then purchased from Saad. "Take them to your companions and tell them that Allah," or he said, "that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is providing you with these as mounts, so ride them."So I went to them with the camels and said, "The Prophet ﷺ is providing you with these as mounts. But by Allah, I will not leave you until some of you go with me to those who heard what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, lest you suppose that I have told you something the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not say."They said to me, "By Allah, you are trusted by us, but we will do whatever you wish."So Abu Musa went off with a group of them until they came to those who had heard the Messenger of Allah's ﷺ statement refusing them and then his giving them the camels afterward. Those men told them the same thing Abu Musa had told them.
حدثني محمد بن العلاء حدثنا أبو أسامة عن بريد بن عبد الله بن أبي بردة عن أبي بردة
أرسلني أصحابي إلى رسول الله ﷺ أسأله الحملان لهم إذ هم معه في جيش العسرة وهي غزوة تبوك فقلت يا نبي الله إن أصحابي أرسلوني إليك لتحملهم فقال والله لا أحملكم على شيء ووافقته وهو غضبان ولا أشعر ورجعت حزينا من منع النبي ﷺ ومن مخافة أن يكون النبي ﷺ وجد في نفسه علي فرجعت إلى أصحابي فأخبرتهم الذي قال النبي ﷺ فلم ألبث إلا سويعة إذ سمعت بلالا ينادي أي عبد الله بن قيس فأجبته فقال أجب رسول الله ﷺ يدعوك فلما أتيته قال خذ هذين القرينين وهذين القرينين لستة أبعرة ابتاعهن حينئذ من سعد فانطلق بهن إلى أصحابك فقل إن الله أو قال إن رسول الله ﷺ يحملكم على هؤلاء فاركبوهن فانطلقت إليهم بهن فقلت إن النبي ﷺ يحملكم على هؤلاء ولكني والله لا أدعكم حتى ينطلق معي بعضكم إلى من سمع مقالة رسول الله ﷺ لا تظنوا أني حدثتكم شيئا لم يقله رسول الله ﷺ فقالوا لي والله إنك عندنا لمصدق ولنفعلن ما أحببت فانطلق أبو موسى بنفر منهم حتى أتوا الذين سمعوا قول رسول الله ﷺ منعه إياهم ثم إعطاءهم بعد فحدثوهم بمثل ما حدثهم به أبو موسى