Ubaidullah bin Rafi', who was the scribe of 'All, reported: I heard 'Ali (RA) as saying: Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) sent me and Zubair and Miqdad saying: Go to the garden of, Khakh [it is a place between Madinah and Makkah at a distance of twelve miles from Madinah] and there you will find a woman riding a camel. She would be in possession of a letter, which you must get from her. So we rushed on horses and when we met that woman, we asked her to deliver that letter to us. She said: There is no letter with me. We said: Either bring out that letter or we would take off your clothes. She brought out that letter from (the plaited hair of) her head. We delivered that letter to Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) in which Hatib bin Abu Balta'a had informed some people amongst the polytheists of Makkah about the affairs of Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) . Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: Hatib, what is this? He said: Allah's messenger, do not be hasty in judging my intention. I was a person attached to the Quraish. Sufyan said: He was their ally but had no relationship with them. (Hatib further said): Those who are with you amongst the emigrants have blood-relationship with them (the Quraish) and thus they would protect their families. I wished that when I had no blood-relationship with them I should find some supporters from (amongst them) who would help my family. I have not done this because of any unbelief or apostasy and I have no liking for the unbelief after I have (accepted) Islam. Thereupon Allah's Apostle ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: You have told the truth. 'Umar said: Allah's Messenger, permit me to strike the neck of this hypocrite. But he (the Holy Prophet) said: He was a participant in Badr and you little know that Allah revealed about the people of Badr: Do what you like for there is forgiveness for you. And Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:" O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends" (lx. 1). And there is no mention of this verse in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr (RA) and Zubair and Ishaq has in his narration made a mention of the recitation of this verse by Sufyan.

'Ali reported that Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) sent me and Abu Marthad al-Ghitnavi and Zubair bin 'Awwam and we were all riders, and he said: Ride on until you reach the garden of Khakh for there is a woman amongst the polytheists and there is a letter with her sent by Hatib to the polytheists; the rest of the hadith is the same.

Jabir reported that a slave of Hatib came to Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) complaining against Hatib and said: Hatib will definitely go to Hell. (But) Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: You tell a lie; he would not get into that for he had taken part in Badr and in (the expedition of) Hudaibiya.