Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 18193

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among the nations that passed before you there was a man named 'Muwarriq'. He was a devoted worshipper. Once, while he was standing in prayer, he thought of women and felt a strong desire for them and became aroused, until he broke off his prayer. Then he became angry; he took his bow, cut its string, tied his testicles with it and fastened it to his heel, then he stretched out his legs and tore them off. Then he took his two worn garments and his sandals and came to a land where there was no human being and no wild animal. There he made a shelter and stood up to pray. Every morning the earth would split open and someone would come out of it with a vessel containing food; Muwarriq would eat that food until he was full. Then he would go back in, and then a vessel containing drink would come out; Muwarriq would drink it until his thirst was quenched. Then the vessel would go back in and the earth would close. When evening came, the same would happen again. Once some people passed near him, and two of them passed by Muwarriq after nightfall. They asked him where they could find the place they were heading for, and he pointed with his hand and said: 'The place you are heading for is in this direction.' They had gone only a short distance when one of them said: 'How does this man live here, where there is neither human being nor animal? If we go back to him, we will learn about his situation.' The two of them came back to him and said: 'O servant of Allah! How do you live in such a place, where there is neither human being nor animal?' He said: 'Go about your business and leave me alone!' But they did not accept this and kept insisting with him. He said: 'I will tell you on the condition that whichever of you keeps my matter hidden, Allah Almighty will honour him in this world and the Hereafter, and whichever of you discloses my matter, Allah Almighty will disgrace him in this world and the Hereafter.' The two of them said: 'Agreed.' Then the two of them stayed there. When morning came, someone came out of the earth as he used to bring food before, bringing twice as much food in addition. They ate until they were full. Then he went back into the earth and brought them drink in a vessel, twice as much in addition to the drink he used to bring before. They drank until their thirst was quenched. Then he (who brought the drink) went back in and the earth closed. One of the two men looked at the other and said: 'What hurry are we in? Food and drink are available here, and we know where we have to go. Let us stay here until the evening.' The two of them stayed. In the evening, food and drink came to them again just as had come in the early part of the day. One of them said to the other: 'Let us stay until morning.' The two of them stayed. When morning came, food and drink came to them again in the same way. Then the two of them mounted and set off. One of them became an intimate of the king and one of his closest companions, and the other became occupied with his trade and his work. It was the custom of the king that whoever in his kingdom told a lie, and his lie was proven, the king would have him crucified. One night, while the king's companions were conversing with him and mentioning the astonishing things they had seen, that man spoke up: 'O King! Shall I not tell you something more astonishing than anything you have ever heard?' Then that man related the story of him (that is, the worshipper Muwarriq) and described what he had seen with him. The king said: 'I have never heard a bigger lie than this. By Allah! Either you bring proof of what you have said, or I will have you crucified.' The man said: 'My witness is so-and-so.' The king said: 'Very well, bring him to me.' When the other man came to the king, the king said: 'This man claims that the two of you passed by a man, and that such and such happened there.' The other man said: 'O King! Do you not know that this is a lie and that this cannot happen? Had I told you this, it would have been your right to have me crucified for it.' The king said: 'You have spoken the truth and you have done right.' So the other man, who had kept the matter hidden, the king included among his intimates, and the one who (had disclosed the secret), the king had crucified." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Of the two, the one who kept his matter hidden, Allah Almighty honoured him in this world and the Hereafter; and the one of the two who disclosed his matter, Allah Almighty disgraced him in this world, and He will disgrace him in the Hereafter as well." After this, the narrator Bakr bin Abdullah al-Muzani looked at Thumamah bin Abdullah bin Anas and said: "O Abu al-Muthanna! Did you hear your grandfather (that is, Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him)) narrate this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: "Yes!"
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat from his teacher Muhammad bin Shu'ayb, whom I do not know, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), although there is slight weakness in some of them.