Sa'd ibn Ubadah
Safwan became the subject of a controversy following the expedition when he and Muhammad's wife Aisha became separated from the caravan returning to Medina. Rumors circulated that they had an illicit affair, but the allegations turned out to be false. Safwan blamed the well-known Arab poet Hassan ibn Thabit for spreading the rumor and is said to have struck him in the head with a sword out of anger. Hassan complained to Muhammad, who compensated him either by offering Hassan an Egyptian bride or a piece of land; in return, Sa'd ibn Ubadah, a prominent Muslim from Medina, made Hassan relinquish his demand for retribution against Safwan, who was essentially unpunished for his action. Historian Gautier H. A. Juynboll asserts that the veracity of the stories surrounding the alleged incident between Safwan, Aisha and Hassan ibn Thabit are "hard to establish; they may be no more than background embellishments of Safwan's role in the affair, assuming then that the tale is historically tenable".