Musnad Ahmad Hadith 12529

Once, Alaa bin Ziyad (may Allah have mercy on him) asked Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), “O Abu Hamza! How old was the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was sent as a Prophet?” He replied, “Forty years old.” Alaa asked, “What happened after that?” He replied, “He (ﷺ) stayed in Makkah for ten years, and in Madinah for ten years, thus completing sixty years. After that, Allah called the Prophet (ﷺ) to Himself.” Alaa asked, “At that time, what kind of man did the Prophet (ﷺ) appear to be?” He replied, “Like a handsome and well-built young man.” Alaa bin Ziyad (may Allah have mercy on him) then asked, “Abu Hamza! Did you participate in jihad with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?” He said, “Yes, I was present with him (ﷺ) at the Battle of Hunayn. The polytheists came out in great numbers and attacked us, so much so that we looked behind our horses’ backs, and among the disbelievers was a man who attacked us and wounded and killed people with his sword. Seeing this, the Prophet (ﷺ) dismounted, then Allah defeated them and they turned their backs and fled. When victory was achieved, the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up, and one by one, the prisoners of war began to be brought, and they came and started pledging allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) on Islam. One man, who was among your noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them), had vowed that if the man who wounded us that day was brought as a captive, he would kill him. Hearing this, the Prophet (ﷺ) remained silent, and that man was brought. When that man saw the Prophet (ﷺ), he said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! I have repented to Allah.’ (Upon hearing this) the Prophet (ﷺ) delayed accepting his pledge, thinking that the companion (may Allah be pleased with him) would fulfill his vow (i.e., kill the man as soon as possible), but the companion was waiting for the Prophet (ﷺ) to order the killing, so that he could kill the man, and I was afraid that I might kill the man and the Prophet (ﷺ) would be displeased with me. When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw that the companion was not doing anything, i.e., was not killing the man in any way, then finally, the Prophet (ﷺ) was compelled to accept his pledge. Upon this, the companion said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! How will my vow be fulfilled?’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘The reason I delayed and did not accept his pledge was so that you could fulfill your vow.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! Why did you not signal to me?’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘It is not appropriate for a Prophet to make a secret signal with his eyes.’