Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 16060

Sayyiduna Mazbadah (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandfather of Hud al-Abdi, narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was talking with his Companions, when he said: "From this pass, the best riders of the people of the East will come before you." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) got up and set off in that direction, and he met thirteen riders. He welcomed them and asked: "Where are you from?" They said: "From the Abd al-Qays tribe." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What has brought you here? Trade?" They replied: "No." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Have you come to sell these swords of yours?" They replied: "No." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Then perhaps you people have come to meet that man." They replied: "Yes." So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) walked along with them, talking with them, until, when his eyes fell upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: "This is the person you were looking for." Then those people quickly got down from their mounts; some of them walking fast, some running, some walking at an ordinary pace, they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Those people took hold of the blessed hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), began kissing it, and sat down with him. Only al-Ashajj remained behind, and he was the youngest of them. He made his camel kneel, tied it, gathered the belongings of all the people, and then came walking calmly. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), took hold of the blessed hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and kissed it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Within you are two traits which Allah Almighty and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) like." He submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What are those two?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Gentleness, and doing things with ease." He submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Are they part of my innate nature, or have they arisen from my own effort?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Rather, they are part of your innate nature." So he submitted: "All praise belongs to Allah Almighty, who placed in my nature that which Allah and His Messenger like." Then those people brought their dates and began eating them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began naming those dates for them: this is such-and-such, and this is such-and-such. They submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Yes! We do not know their names better than you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." Then they said to a man among them: "Now feed us the dates that remain in your bag." That man got up, went and brought Barni dates. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These are Barni, and they are the best of your dates. It is a medicine; there is no illness in it."
Al-Tabarani and Abu Ya'la recorded it; the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy), and there is a difference of opinion about some of its narrators.