Musnad Ahmad Hadith 22967

It is narrated from Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the beginning, I disliked Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) so much that I had never disliked anyone to that extent, and solely because of my dislike for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), I loved a man from the Quraysh. Once, that man was sent as the leader of a group of horsemen, so I also went with him, and only on the basis that he disliked Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). We captured some prisoners and wrote a letter to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) asking him to send someone to us who could collect the khums (one-fifth) of the spoils of war. So the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to us. Among those prisoners was "Waseefah," who was the most distinguished woman among the captives. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) collected the khums and distributed it, then he came out with his head covered. We asked him, "O Abu al-Hasan! What is this?" He said, "Did you see that 'Waseefah' who was among the captives? When I collected the khums, she was included in the khums, then she came into the household of the Prophet, and from there she came into the family of Ali, and I have had relations with her." That man wrote a letter to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) informing him of this situation. I said to him, "Send this letter by my hand." So he sent me to confirm it. I presented myself in the presence of the Prophet and began to read the letter, and he said, "He has spoken the truth." The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) lifted my hand from the letter and said, "Do you dislike Ali?" I said, "Yes." The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, "Do not dislike him, rather, if you love him, increase your love for him, for by the One in whose hand is the life of Muhammad (ﷺ), the share of the family of Ali in the khums is better than 'Waseefah.' After this statement, there was no one more beloved to me than Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)."