Mercy of the Prophet, Part 2

Here is a Ḥasan or Muwaththaq (Good or Reliable) ḥadīth that exhibits the great mercy of the Prophet Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). I have made another post earlier that also shows the great mercy of the Prophet (Click here).

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع أَنَّ ثُمَامَةَ بْنَ أُثَالٍ أَسَرَتْهُ خَيْلُ النَّبِيِّ ص وَ قَدْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمْكِنِّي مِنْ ثُمَامَةَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِنِّي مُخَيِّرُكَ وَاحِدَةً مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ أَقْتُلُكَ قَالَ إِذاً تَقْتُلَ عَظِيماً أَوْ أُفَادِيكَ قَالَ إِذاً تَجِدَنِي غَالِياً أَوْ أَمُنُّ عَلَيْكَ قَالَ إِذاً تَجِدَنِي شَاكِراً قَالَ فَإِنِّي قَدْ مَنَنْتُ عَلَيْكَ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّكَ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ قَدْ وَ اللَّهِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَيْثُ رَأَيْتُكَ وَ مَا كُنْتُ لِأَشْهَدَ بِهَا وَ أَنَا فِي الْوَثَاقِ

From Zurārah from Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام) said: ‘Thumāmah bin Athāl was captured by horsemen of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: ‘O Allāh, empower me over Thumāmah’ The Messenger of Allāh said to him (Thumāmah), I am giving you the choice to (chose) one of the three choices. (Choice 1) I can kill you. He (Thumāmah) said: ‘If you kill me, you will (have killed) a great (person). (Choice 2) I can release you for exchange of ransom. He (Thumāmah) said: ‘You will find me expensive’ (Choice 3) Or, I can set you free. He (Thumāmah) said: ‘You will find me grateful'. He (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: ‘Then I have set you free’ He said: ‘I witness that there is no God, but Allāh, and that you Muḥammad are the Messenger of Allāh. By Allāh, I knew that you were the Messenger of Allāh, when I saw you, but I did not want to testify to it when I was tied up’

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 8, pg. 299-300, ḥadīth # 458

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Ḥasan or Muwaththaq (Good or Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 26, pg. 354