Jami' al-Saghir / Jam' al-Jawami' (al-Suyuti) 2-62b

Translation

Machine translation, not reviewed

"From Yaḥyā b. Yaʿmar, who said: The first to speak about the divine decree (qadar) in Basra was Maʿbad al-Juhanī. So I set out, together with Ḥumayd b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ḥimyarī, either on pilgrimage or on ʿumrah, and we said: If only we could meet one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ask him about what this man says concerning the divine decree. Then ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb was granted to us as we were entering the mosque, so my companion and I flanked him, one of us on his right and the other on his left. I thought that my companion would leave the speaking to me, so I said: O Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, there have appeared among us people who recite the Qur'an and pursue knowledge, and he mentioned something of their affairs, claiming that there is no decree and that the matter is new (unprecedented). He said: When you meet those people, tell them that I am free of them and that they are free of me. By Him by whom ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar swears, if one of them had gold the like of Uḥud and spent it, Allah would not accept it from him until he believes in the divine decree. Then he said: My father ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb narrated to me, he said: While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one day, a man appeared before us, with very white clothes and very black hair, with no sign of travel on him, and none of us knew him, until he sat down before the Prophet ﷺ, rested his knees against his knees, and placed his palms on his thighs, and said: O Muḥammad, tell me about Islam. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Islam is that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, give the zakāh, fast Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the House if you are able to find a way to it. He said: You have spoken truly. We were amazed at him, asking him and then confirming him! He said: Then tell me about faith (īmān). He said: That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you believe in the divine decree, its good and its bad. He said: You have spoken truly. He said: Then tell me about excellence (iḥsān). He said: That you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He sees you. He said: Then tell me about the Hour. He said: The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking. He said: Then tell me about its signs. He said: That the slave woman gives birth to her mistress, and that you see the barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds of sheep competing in constructing tall buildings. Then he went away, and I stayed a while. Then he said: O ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: It was Jibrīl, who came to you to teach you your religion." Aḥmad, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Khuzaymah, Abū ʿAwānah, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Bayhaqī in al-Dalāʾil. In the narration of Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Ḥibbān: and that you establish the prayer, give the zakāh, perform the pilgrimage to the House and the ʿumrah, wash from janābah, complete the ablution, and fast Ramadan. In the narration of Ibn Ḥibbān: But if you wish I will inform you of its portents: when you see the destitute, barefoot, naked ones competing in construction, though they were kings. It was asked: Who are the destitute, barefoot, naked ones? He said: The stranger; and when you see the slave woman giving birth to her mistress, that is among the portents of the Hour. The wording of al-Tirmidhī: Then the Prophet ﷺ met me after that by three days and said: O ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was? That was Jibrīl, who came to you to teach you your religion. The wording of al-Bayhaqī: and slave women give birth to their masters; then he said: Bring the man to me.

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