Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

It is narrated from Hazrat Fatimah bint Qais that she said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Zuhr prayer one day, then ascended the pulpit. The people considered this unusual; he was among those sitting and those standing (that is, some were sitting and some were standing), and before this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would not sit on the pulpit except on Fridays. He (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to them with his hand to sit down, then said: By Allah, I have not stood here for any matter that would benefit you due to desire or fear, but rather Tamim Dari came to me and informed me, to the extent that because of the joy and coolness to my eyes from this news, I could not rest at noon. Listen carefully: A strong wind overtook Tamim Dari and his cousins at sea, and the wind brought them to an island which they did not recognize. They boarded a nearby boat and reached the island. Suddenly, they saw a black creature, with long eyelashes and much hair. They said to it, "What are you?" The creature replied, "I am Jassasah (the spy)." They said, "Tell us about yourself." It said, "I will neither tell you nor ask you anything, but this is a monastery which you have come near; go into it, for there is a man there who is eager to inform you and for you to inform him." So they went there and approached that man. Suddenly, they saw an old man bound in chains, very restless, with much hair. He said to them, "From which land have you come?" They said, "From Sham (Greater Syria)." That man said, "What is the condition of the Arabs?" They replied, "We are people of Arabia." He said, "What is the condition of the one who has appeared among you?" They said, "He is in a good state. People have opposed him, but Allah has granted him dominance over them. Nowadays, all are united; their God is one and their religion is one." He said, "That is better for them." He asked, "What is the condition of the spring of Nahr?" They said, "They irrigate their fields from it and drink from it in times of thirst." He asked, "What is the condition of the date palms between Amman and Baisan?" They said, "They bear fruit every year." He asked, "What is the condition of the Lake of Tiberias?" They replied, "Its shores are overflowing with water due to its abundance." Then he took three long breaths and said, "Indeed, if I am freed from these chains, I will not leave any land except that I will trample it with these two feet of mine, except for Madinah Munawwarah, for I will not have dominance over it." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: At this point, my happiness was complete. This is Taybah (Madinah). By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no narrow or wide path of this Madinah except that there is an angel standing over it with a drawn sword until the Day of Judgment.