He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would become sad if one of them was struck with a calamity. When his uncle Hamzah was martyred and mutilated, he became extremely sad at what had happened to him and at his demise.
Abu Hurayrah narrated:
“The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stood by Hamzah when he was martyred, and he had been mutilated, so he looked at a scene that was very painful to his heart, and said to him: “May Allah have mercy upon you, you were very good at maintaining the ties of kinship, and you did many good deeds. Were it not for the sadness of those you left behind, I would have left you to be resurrected from different places. By Allah, I will mutilate 70 of them in your place.”
Then Archangel Gabriel revealed while the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was still standing there the Saying of Allah (which means):
«And if you punish, punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient, it is better for those who are patient.»
[Quran: 16:126]
So the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, gave expiation for his oath, and left what he had planned to do (of mutilation.)”