Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 13414

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three men were going back to their families when rain overtook them, and they went into a cave. A rock came onto the mouth of the cave and blocked the entrance of the cave for them, and it fell at a distance from them. One of them said to the others: 'Now the traces have been effaced and the rock has fallen, and no one knows of your whereabouts except Allah Almighty. So come forward! Let each one of you supplicate by means of his most reliable deed, which he did for the pleasure of Allah Almighty; perhaps Allah Almighty will bring you out of this place.' One of them said: 'O Allah! You know that I was dutiful to my parents. I would bring my goats back at night, milk them for my parents and come to them while they were lying on their bed, and I would give them the milk to drink with my own hand. One night I came to them, bringing their drink, and found that they had both fallen asleep. I wanted their sleep not to be spoiled, so I did not like to wake them, and I also did not like to go back with the drink and then have them wake up and not find me with them. So I stayed standing just as I was at their heads until morning came. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief!'" The narrator said: After this are the words that a third of the rock moved away. They said to the second: "Now you say something!" So the second man said: "O Allah! You know that I loved a cousin of mine (my paternal uncle's daughter) intensely. I had sent a proposal of marriage to her family, but they refused me, until I fixed for her an amount by which she would agree to a relationship between me and her. Then I called her and went into seclusion with her, and I came close to her in the way a man comes close to a woman. She said: 'It is not lawful for you to break the seal except by its right.' So I had to hold myself back, and I let her keep her payment and left her person untouched. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief." Then there was some further opening (the narrator is in doubt whether it was this or some similar word). The people said to the third man: "Now you say something!" The third man said: "O Allah! You know that a labourer used to work for me for a sa' of grain. Once that labourer went away without taking his sa', and for a long time he did not come back to me. I took his sa' and began farming with it, until from that sa' many cows, goats and much wealth were gathered. After a long time that labourer came to me and asked for his sa' of grain. I said to him: 'Your sa' of grain has now turned into much wealth, many sheep and goats and many cows. Take all of it, for it has come from that sa'.' He said to me: 'Are you mocking me?' I said to him: 'No, by Allah! Rather, it is the truth.' So he drove away all the wealth. O Allah! You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, so grant us relief." Then the rock moved away and fell, and they came out walking.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat with several chains. The narrators of al-Bazzar and those of one of al-Tabarani's chains are the narrators of the Sahih.