وَعَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ : بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ أَخَذَ الشَّيْطَانَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ : بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ أَخَذْتَ الشَّيْطَانَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ، صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . قَالَ : نَعَمْ ، ضَمَّ إِلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - تَمْرَ الصَّدَقَةِ ، فَجَعَلْتُهُ فِي غُرْفَةٍ لِي ، فَكُنْتُ أَجِدُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ نُقْصَانًا ، فَشَكَوْتُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَقَالَ لِي : " هُوَ عَمَلُ الشَّيْطَانِ فَارْصُدْهُ " .
قَالَ : فَرَصَدْتُهُ لَيْلًا ، فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ هَوِيٌّ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ، أَقْبَلَ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْفِيلِ ، فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى إِلَى الْبَابِ دَخَلَ مِنْ خَلَلِ الْبَابِ عَلَى غَيْرِ صُورَتِهِ ، فَدَنَا مِنَ التَّمْرِ فَجَعَلَ يَلْتَقِمُهُ ، فَشَدَدْتُ عَلَيَّ ثِيَابِي فَتَوَسَّطْتُهُ ، فَقُلْتُ : أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ، يَا عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ ، وَثَبْتَ إِلَى تَمْرِ الصَّدَقَةِ فَأَخَذْتَهُ ، وَكَانُوا أَحَقَّ بِهِ مِنْكَ ، لَأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَيَفْضَحُكَ . فَعَاهَدَنِي أَنْ لَا يَعُودَ .
فَغَدَوْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَقَالَ : " مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ ؟ " . فَقُلْتُ : عَاهَدَنِي أَنْ لَا يَعُودَ . قَالَ : " إِنَّهُ عَائِدٌ فَارْصُدْهُ " . فَرَصَدْتُهُ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ فَصَنَعَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، وَصَنَعْتُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، وَعَاهَدَنِي أَنْ لَا يَعُودَ فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ .
ثُمَّ غَدَوْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لِأُخْبِرَهُ ، فَإِذَا مُنَادِيهِ يُنَادِي : " أَيْنَ مُعَاذٌ ؟ " . فَقَالَ لِي : " يَا مُعَاذُ ، مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ ؟ " . فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي : " إِنَّهُ عَائِدٌ فَارْصُدْهُ " .
فَرَصَدْتُهُ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّالِثَةَ فَصَنَعَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، وَصَنَعْتُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، فَقُلْتُ : يَا عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ ، عَاهَدْتَنِي مَرَّتَيْنِ وَهَذِهِ الثَّالِثَةُ ، لَأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَيَفْضَحُكَ .
فَقَالَ : إِنِّي شَيْطَانٌ ذُو عِيَالٍ ، وَمَا أَتَيْتُكَ إِلَّا مِنْ نَصِيبِينَ ، وَلَوْ أَصَبْتُ شَيْئًا دُونَهُ مَا أَتَيْتُكَ ، وَلَقَدْ كُنَّا فِي مَدِينَتِكُمْ هَذِهِ حَتَّى بُعِثَ صَاحِبُكُمْ ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ آيَتَانِ أَنْفَرَتْنَا مِنْهَا ، فَوَقَعْنَا بِنَصِيبِينَ ، وَلَا يُقْرَآنِ فِي بَيْتٍ إِلَّا لَمْ يَلِجْ فِيهِ الشَّيْطَانُ ثَلَاثًا ، فَإِنْ خَلَّيْتَ سَبِيلِي عَلَّمْتُكَهُمَا ، قُلْتُ : نَعَمْ ، قَالَ : آيَةُ الْكُرْسِيِّ ، وَخَاتِمَةُ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ : آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ ، إِلَى آخِرِهَا .
فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ ثُمَّ غَدَوْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لِأُخْبِرَهُ ، فَإِذَا مُنَادِيهِ يُنَادِي : " أَيْنَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ ؟ " . فَلَمَّا دَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ ، قَالَ لِي : " مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ ؟ " . قُلْتُ : عَاهَدَنِي أَنْ لَا يَعُودَ وَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِمَا قَالَ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - : " صَدَقَ الْخَبِيثُ وَهُوَ كَذُوبٌ " . قَالَ : فَكُنْتُ أَقْرَؤُهُمَا عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا أَجِدُ فِيهِ نُقْصَانًا .
رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ عَنْ شَيْخِهِ يَحْيَى بْنِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ وَهُوَ صَدُوقٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَمَا قَالَ الذَّهَبِيُّ ، قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ : وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمُوا فِيهِ ، وَبَقِيَّةُ رِجَالِهِ وُثِّقُوا .
Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: It reached me that once, in the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) had caught Satan. I went to Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked: "It has reached me that you caught Satan in the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." He replied: "Yes. Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) handed the dates of charity over to me, and I put them in a room of mine. I noticed that they were decreasing every day. I complained about this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: 'This is the work of Satan; lie in wait for him.'" Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I lay in wait for him at night. When part of the night had passed, he came in the form of an elephant. When he reached the door, he changed his form and entered through a gap in the door. He approached the dates and began gulping them down. I tightened my clothes about me and seized him in the middle, and I said: "I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger. O enemy of Allah, you came to the charity dates and are taking them, though the people have more right to them than you. I will certainly take you before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he will disgrace you." So he made a pledge to me that he would not do it again. The next day I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: "What became of your prisoner?" I said: "He pledged to me that he will not do it again." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He will do it again; lie in wait for him." On the second night I lay in wait for him; he did the same, and I did the same, and he again pledged to me that he would not do it again, so I let him go. The next day I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to tell him about it, and there a man was announcing: "Where is Mu'adh?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: "O Mu'adh, what became of your prisoner?" I told him about it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He will come again; lie in wait for him." On the third night I lay in wait for him; he did the same again and I did the same. I said: "O enemy of Allah, twice before you made a pledge to me, and now this is the third time. Now I will certainly take you before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he will disgrace you." He said: "I am a devil with a family, and I have come to you from Nusaybin. Had I found anything before this, I would not have come to you. Previously we used to live in this city of yours until your master was sent, and when two verses were revealed to him, those two verses drove us out from here, and we went to Nusaybin. In whatever house these two verses are recited, Satan will not enter that house for three days. If you let me go, I will teach you those two verses." I said: "Very well." He said: "One is Ayat al-Kursi, and the other is the final verses of Surah al-Baqarah, from 'Amana al-Rasul' to the end of the surah." Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I let him go. The next morning I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to tell him about it, and there a caller was announcing: "Where is Mu'adh bin Jabal?" When I came before him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: "How is your prisoner?" I said: "He has pledged to me that now he will not do it again," and then I told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) what he had said. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The wicked one has spoken the truth, although he is a liar." The narrator says: So after that I would recite these two verses, and I never again found any decrease in those dates.
Al-Tabarani recorded it from his shaykh Yahya bin Uthman bin Salih, who is, if Allah wills, saduq (truthful), as al-Dhahabi said; Ibn Abi Hatim says: The scholars of hadith have criticised him. The rest of its narrators have been declared trustworthy.