"The Prophet (ﷺ) sent two armies, place 'Ali bin Abi Talib as the commanded of one of them, and Khalid bin Al-Walid over the other. He said: 'Where there is fighting, then 'Ali (is in command).'" He said: "So 'Ali conquered a fortress and took a slave girl. Khalid [bin Al-Walid] wrote a letter and sent me with it to the Prophet (ﷺ), to speak against him for it. So I arrived to the Prophet (ﷺ) to read the letter. The color of his face changed, the he said: 'What do you think about a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him?'" He said: "I said: 'I seek refuge from angering Allah and angering His Messenger, I am only the Messenger.' So he was silent. [Abu 'Eisa said:] There is something about this from Ibn 'Umar. This Hadith is Hasan Gharib, we do not know of it except from the narration of Al-Ahwas bin Jawwab. And his saying: "To speak against him for that." refers to An-Namimah.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَحْوَصُ بْنُ الْجَوَّابِ أَبُو الْجَوَّابِ، عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ جَيْشَيْنِ وَأَمَّرَ عَلَى أَحَدِهِمَا عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَعَلَى الآخَرِ خَالِدَ بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ وَقَالَ " إِذَا كَانَ الْقِتَالُ فَعَلِيٌّ " . قَالَ فَافْتَتَحَ عَلِيٌّ حِصْنًا فَأَخَذَ مِنْهُ جَارِيَةً فَكَتَبَ مَعِي خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَشِي بِهِ فَقَدِمْتُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَرَأَ الْكِتَابَ فَتَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ " مَا تَرَى فِي رَجُلٍ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ " . قَالَ قُلْتُ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ غَضَبِ اللَّهِ وَغَضَبِ رَسُولِهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولٌ . فَسَكَتَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ . وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ الأَحْوَصِ بْنِ جَوَّابٍ . مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ يَشِي بِهِ يَعْنِي النَّمِيمَةَ .
Tirmizi
The Book on Jihad • Hadith 1752