Reports on seclusion

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever detaches himself (from the world) and devotes himself to Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty suffices him in every need and provides for him from where he does not expect. And whoever devotes himself wholly to the world, Allah Almighty entrusts him to it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Ibrahim bin al-Ash'ath, the companion of al-Fudayl, and he is da'if (weak). Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat and said: He narrates unusual reports, makes mistakes and contradicts others. The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm Maysarah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not tell you of the best of people?" The people said: "Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his blessed hand toward the east and said: "A man who takes hold of the reins of his horse in the path of Allah, watching whether he should attack or be attacked. Shall I not tell you of the best of people after him?" The people said: "Yes indeed!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his blessed hand toward the Hijaz and said: "A man who is among his sheep and goats, establishes the prayer, gives zakah, knows the right of Allah Almighty in his wealth, and keeps himself apart from people."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), except that the narrator Ibn Ishaq is a mudallis.

Adasah al-Ta'i relates: I was at "Sharaf" when Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and stayed with us. My family sent me to him with some things. Some of our slave boys, who used to be out with our camels (far from habitation), brought birds from a distance of four days' journey. When I took the meat of those birds to him, he asked me: "Where have you brought these birds to me from?" I said: "We have some slave boys who are out with our camels; they brought it from a distance of four days' journey." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I wish I were in the place where this bird was hunted (that is, a place four days' journey from habitation), where I would not speak to anyone about anything and no one would speak to me, until I came into the presence of Allah Almighty."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Adasah al-Ta'i, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he passed by Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), who was standing at the door of his house, gesturing with his hand as if talking to himself. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman! What is the matter with you, that you are talking to yourself?" He said: "What can I do? The enemy of Allah wants to make me slip from the matter about which I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Always strive to stay in your house and not go out to the gathering.' And I also heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever goes out in the path of Allah is under the protection of Allah; whoever visits a sick person is under the protection of Allah; whoever goes to the mosque in the morning or the evening is under the protection of Allah; whoever goes to a ruler in order to support him is under the protection of Allah; and whoever sits in his house and does not backbite anyone with evil is under the protection of Allah.'" (Then Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) "So the enemy of Allah wants to take me out of my house to the gathering."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and something similar in abridged form in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; al-Bazzar also recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih, except Ibn Lahi'ah, and his hadith is hasan (good) despite his weakness.

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.

Aslam narrates: In the year of Ramadah, that is, in the year 16 AH, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went to perform Hajj. When he was between al-Suqya and al-Arj in the middle of the night, a rider appeared before him on the road and called out loudly: "O riders! Is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) among you?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Woe to you! Are you in your right mind?" He said: "It is my mind that has brought me to you. Has the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away?" The people told him: "He has passed away." He began to weep, and the people wept with him. Then he asked: "Who took charge of the affair after him?" The people said: "The son of Abu Quhafah." He said: "That frail man from Banu Taym?" The people replied: "Yes." He asked: "Is he among you?" The people replied: "No, he too has passed away." He made supplication, and the people also made supplication. He asked: "Who took charge of the affair after him?" The people said: "Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said: "The ruddy man from Banu Adi?" The people replied: "Yes, he is the one speaking with you." He said: "Why did you not choose (some) fair-complexioned man from Banu Umayyah, or (some) man from Banu Hashim who is bald at the front?" The people said: "That has already happened; (tell us) what do you need?" He said: "I am Abu Uqayl al-Ju'ayli. I met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at the rock of Ju'ayl; I accepted Islam and gave my pledge of allegiance, and I drank sawiq (barley gruel) with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank the first part of it and he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me the last part to drink. By Allah! Since then, whenever I feel hungry, I feel the strength of that sawiq within me; whenever I feel thirsty, I feel its coolness; and whenever I am parched, I feel its quenching, and this has continued up to this very day. Then I settled on the top of this mountain, I, my wife and my daughters. There I offer five prayers every day, I fast a particular month of the year, and I slaughter an animal on the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah. These are the things the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me. Then this year came. By Allah! Only one goat was left of my goats, and yesterday a wolf took that too; it ate part of that goat and we ate part of it. So now help is needed, help is needed!" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Help will come to you; stay with us at the water until the morning." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went on until he reached the water. He kept waiting and delayed setting out because of that man, but he did not come. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called the owner of the water (or the local chief there) and said: "Abu Uqayl al-Ju'ayli has his three daughters and his wife with him. When he comes to you, spend on him, on his family and on his children until I pass by you on my return, if Allah wills." When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had performed Hajj and set out on the return journey, (on the way) he summoned the owner of that water and asked: "What became of Abu Uqayl?" He said: "He came to me on the day after you instructed me. He had a fever; he remained ill with me for a few days and then he died. His grave is over there." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) turned to his companions and said: "Allah Almighty was not pleased for him with the trial that you people have had to face." Then he went with the people to his grave and offered his funeral prayer. After that he took upon himself the support of his daughters and his wife, and kept providing for them.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.