It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you see Allah Almighty giving a servant what he loves while he persists in his sins, then that is in fact istidraj (being given respite to be drawn on) for that servant from Him." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) cited this verse as proof: "So when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (good) thing, until, when they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and then they were in despair. So the people who did wrong were cut off at the root. And all praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds."
Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This hadith is narrated from Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) only with this chain, and Harmalah bin Imran is alone in narrating it."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب الواو / 9272
Hadith Takhrij«أخرجه أحمد فى «مسنده» برقم: 17584، والطبراني فى «الكبير» برقم: 914، 913»