Sahih Muslim 150 e
Sa'd reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) bestowed (some gifts) upon a group of people and I was sitting amongst them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), 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 (ﷺ) 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) 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 headlong into the fire. And in the hadith transmitted by Hulwani this statement was repeated twice.
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ، وَعَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَامِرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَعْدٍ أَنَّهُ أَعْطَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَهْطًا وَأَنَا جَالِسٌ فِيهِمْ قَالَ فَتَرَكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْهُمْ رَجُلاً لَمْ يُعْطِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْجَبُهُمْ إِلَىَّ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَارَرْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكَ عَنْ فُلاَنٍ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَرَاهُ مُؤْمِنًا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَوْ مُسْلِمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَسَكَتُّ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ غَلَبَنِي مَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكَ عَنْ فُلاَنٍ فَوَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَرَاهُ مُؤْمِنًا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَوْ مُسْلِمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَسَكَتُّ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ غَلَبَنِي مَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكَ عَنْ فُلاَنٍ فَوَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَرَاهُ مُؤْمِنًا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَوْ مُسْلِمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنِّي لأُعْطِي الرَّجُلَ ‏.‏ وَغَيْرُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْهُ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يُكَبَّ فِي النَّارِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَفِي حَدِيثِ الْحُلْوَانِيِّ تَكْرَارُ الْقَوْلِ مَرَّتَيْنِ ‏.‏