A Man From Paradise (Story Of A Sahabi)

Anas ibn Malik reported: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said, “Coming upon you now is a man from the people of Paradise.”

A man from the Ansar came whose beard was disheveled by the water of ablution and he was carrying both of his shoes with his left hand. The next day the Prophet repeated the same words, and the man came in the same condition. The third day the Prophet repeated the same again, and the man came in the same condition. When the Prophet stood up to leave, Abdullah ibn Amr followed the man and he said, “I am in a dispute with my father and I have sworn not to enter my home for three days. May I stay with you?” The man said yes.

Abdullah stayed three nights with the man but he never saw him praying at night. Whenever he went to bed, he would remember Allah and rest until he woke up for morning prayer. Abdullah said that he never heard anything but good words from his mouth. When three nights had passed and he did not see anything special about his actions, Abdullah asked him, “O servant of Allah, I have not been in dispute with my father nor have I cut relations with him. I heard the Prophet say three times that a man from the people of Paradise was coming to us and then you came. I thought I should stay with you to see what you are doing that I should follow, but I did not see you do anything special. Why did the Prophet speak highly of you?” The man said, “I am as you have seen.” When Abdullah was about to leave, the man said, “I am as you have seen, except that I do not find dishonesty in my soul towards the Muslims and I do not envy anyone because of the good that Allah has given them.” Abdullah said, “This is what you have achieved and it is something we have not accomplished.”

Source: Musnad Aḥmad 12286

Source: Sahih (authentic) according to Ibn Kathir

عن أنس بن مالك قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ يَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ الْآنَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَطَلَعَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ تَنْطِفُ لِحْيَتُهُ مِنْ وُضُوئِهِ قَدْ تَعَلَّقَ نَعْلَيْهِ فِي يَدِهِ الشِّمَالِ فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَطَلَعَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مِثْلَ الْمَرَّةِ الْأُولَى فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْيَوْمُ الثَّالِثُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِ أَيْضًا فَطَلَعَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى مِثْلِ حَالِهِ الْأُولَى فَلَمَّا قَامَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَبِعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَاحَيْتُ أَبِي فَأَقْسَمْتُ أَنْ لَا أَدْخُلَ عَلَيْهِ ثَلَاثًا فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ تُؤْوِيَنِي إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى تَمْضِيَ فَعَلْتَ قَالَ نَعَمْ

قَالَ أَنَسٌ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّهُ بَاتَ مَعَهُ تِلْكَ اللَّيَالِي الثَّلَاثَ فَلَمْ يَرَهُ يَقُومُ مِنْ اللَّيْلِ شَيْئًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ إِذَا تَعَارَّ وَتَقَلَّبَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكَبَّرَ حَتَّى يَقُومَ لِصَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ غَيْرَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَسْمَعْهُ يَقُولُ إِلَّا خَيْرًا فَلَمَّا مَضَتْ الثَّلَاثُ لَيَالٍ وَكِدْتُ أَنْ أَحْتَقِرَ عَمَلَهُ قُلْتُ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لَمْ يَكُنْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ أَبِي غَضَبٌ وَلَا هَجْرٌ ثَمَّ وَلَكِنْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ لَكَ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ يَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ الْآنَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَطَلَعْتَ أَنْتَ الثَّلَاثَ مِرَارٍ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ آوِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَنْظُرَ مَا عَمَلُكَ فَأَقْتَدِيَ بِهِ فَلَمْ أَرَكَ تَعْمَلُ كَثِيرَ عَمَلٍ فَمَا الَّذِي بَلَغَ بِكَ مَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا مَا رَأَيْتَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا وَلَّيْتُ دَعَانِي فَقَالَ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا مَا رَأَيْتَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي لَا أَجِدُ فِي نَفْسِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ غِشًّا وَلَا أَحْسُدُ أَحَدًا عَلَى خَيْرٍ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ الَّتِي بَلَغَتْ بِكَ وَهِيَ الَّتِي لَا نُطِيقُ

12286 مسند أحمد باقي مسند المكثرين

8/95 المحدث ابن كثير خلاصة حكم المحدث إسناده صحيح على شرط الصحيحين في تفسير القرآن