Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 15109

Raja' bin Rabi'ah narrates: I was in the Prophet's Mosque when Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) passed by and greeted with salam. Those present returned his greeting, but Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) remained silent. Then, after the people had fallen silent, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) raised his voice and said: "And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings." Then he turned to those present and said: "Shall I not tell you who, of the people of the earth, is the most beloved to the people of the heaven?" The people said: "Yes." He said: "This gentleman who has just left. By Allah! Since the Battle of Siffin until now, I have not spoken a word with him, nor has he spoken a word with me. And by Allah! If he were pleased with me, that would be dearer to me than receiving wealth as great as Mount Uhud." Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Will you go to him?" He said: "Very well." Then they agreed that the next day they would go to Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator says: I went with the two of them. Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) asked permission to enter, and Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) gave him permission. We went in, but Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not go in; he remained outside until Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) gave him permission too, and then he came in. When Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him, he made room for him, and he came and sat beside Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) looked towards him. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) had stood up and did not sit; when he saw this, Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) moved aside and made room for him, and he sat between the two of them. Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) related the whole incident, and Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "O Ibn Amr! Is it so? Do you know that I am, of the people of the earth, the most beloved to the people of the heaven?" Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Yes! By the Lord of the Ka'bah! You are, of the people of the earth, the most beloved to the people of the heaven." Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Then why did you fight against my father at the Battle of Siffin? By Allah! My father is better than me." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Yes, but Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) once complained about me to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: 'Abdullah fasts during the day and keeps praying voluntary prayers at night.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Pray voluntary prayers at night and also sleep; keep voluntary fasts and also leave them; and obey Amr.' When the occasion of Siffin came, Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) adjured me by oath. By Allah! I did not add to their numbers, nor did I draw a sword for them, nor did I attack with a spear for their sake, nor did I shoot a single arrow for them." Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Do you not know that there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator?" Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Yes!" The narrator says: It was as if he accepted this statement of Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Sa'id bin Bashir, in whom there is some weakness, and he is a hafiz. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy). Before this, the report recorded by al-Bazzar has already passed in the biography of Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him). And Allah knows best.