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 certain man out. There was a prostitute in Mecca named Anaq who had been my lover. She came out and saw my dark form against the shadow of a wall and said, 'Who is this? Marthad? Welcome, welcome, Marthad! Come tonight and stay with us at our place.'I said, 'Anaq, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden fornication.'She cried out, 'People of the tents! This is the smuggler who carries your prisoners from Mecca to Medina!'So I took the path of Khandamah, and eight men came after me in pursuit. They came until they stood right above my head and urinated, and their urine splashed on me, but Allah blinded them to my presence. Then I went to my companion, carried him, and when I reached the arak trees 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, 'The fornicator marries none but a fornicatress or an idolatress' [Nur 24:3]. He called me, recited it to me, and said, 'Do not marry her.'"
أخبرنا إبراهيم بن محمد التيمي قال حدثنا يحيى هو ابن سعيد عن عبيد الله بن الأخنس
أن مرثد بن أبي مرثد الغنوي وكان رجلا شديدا وكان يحمل الأسارى 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 هذا الذي يحمل أسراءكم من مكة إلى المدينة فسلكت الخندمة فطلبني ثمانية فجاءوا حتى قاموا على رأسي فبالوا فطار بولهم علي 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 {الزانية لا ينكحها إلا زان أو مشرك} فدعاني فقرأها علي وقال لا تنكحها
[Its isnad is hasan] Abu Dawud transmitted it in the Book of Marriage, chapter on the Words of Allah Most High, "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress," hadith 2051, from Ibrahim Taymi through this chain. It is also found in Al-Kubra, hadith 5338. Tirmidhi said, hadith 3177, hasan gharib, and Hakim graded it sahih, 22/166, and Dhahabi agreed with him.