Sa'd reported that the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) bestowed (some gifts) upon a group of people and I was sitting amongst them. The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) , however, left a person and he did not give him anything, and he seemed to me the most excellent among them (and thus deserved the gifts more than anyone else). So I stood up before the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and said to him in undertone: Messenger of Allah, what about so and so? By Allah, I find him a believer. He (the Messenger of Allah) ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: He may be a Muslim. I kept quiet for a short while, and then what I knew of him urged me (to plead his case again) and I said: Messenger of Allah, what about so and so? By Allah, I find him a believer. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: He may be a Muslim. I again remained quiet for a short while, and what I knew of him again urged me to plead his case so I said: Messenger of Allah, what about so and so? By Allah, I find him a believer. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: He may be a Muslim. I often bestow (something) upon a person, whereas someone else is dearer to me than he, because of the fear that he may fall headling into the fire. And in the hadith transmitted by Hulwani this statement was repeated twice.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Muhammad bin Sa'd through another chain of transmitters (and the words are): "The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) struck between my neck and shoulder with his hand and said: Do you wrangle, O Sa'd, because I bestow (some gifts) upon a person?"