Jami' at-Tirmidhi — Hadith #27738

Mahmoud bin Ghaylan told us, Abu Dawud told us, he said Shu`bah told us, he said Abu Al-Fayd told me, he said I heard Sulaym bin Amir, He says that there was a covenant between Muawiyah and the people of the Byzantines, and he was traveling in their country until, when the covenant ended, he raided them, and behold, a man on An animal or a horse, and he was saying, “Allah is the greatest,” loyalty, not treachery. And behold, it was Amr ibn Absa, and Muawiyah asked him about that, and he said I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say, “Whoever has a covenant with a people should not break the covenant or tighten it until its period has passed or He rejected them all the same.” He said, “Muawiyah returned with the people.” Abu Issa said, “This is a good and authentic hadith.”