Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Amir Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in a gathering with his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), when Hazrat Jibreel (peace be upon him) came in a changed form. The Prophet (peace be upon him) thought that he was a Muslim man. He greeted with Salam, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied. Then he placed his hands on the knees of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! (peace be upon him) What is meant by Islam?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Submit yourself before Allah, testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah's servant and His Messenger, establish prayer, and give zakat." He asked, "If I do this, will I be called a Muslim?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes!" Then he asked, "What is meant by Iman (faith)?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the books, the prophets, death and life after death, Paradise and Hell, the reckoning and the scale, and have certainty that every good and bad destiny is from Allah." He asked, "If I do this, will I become a believer?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes!" Then he asked, "O Messenger of Allah! (peace be upon him) What is meant by Ihsan (excellence)?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot imagine that, then know that He sees you." He asked, "If I do this, have I attained the level of Ihsan?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes." The narrator says that we were hearing the answers of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but we could not see the person with whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) was conversing, nor could we hear his words. Then the questioner asked, "O Messenger of Allah! (peace be upon him) When will the Hour (Day of Judgment) come?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Subhan Allah! There are five things of the unseen which none knows except Allah." (Then he recited this verse:) "Indeed, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah alone, He sends down the rain, He knows what is in the wombs, no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware." Then the questioner said, "O Messenger of Allah! (peace be upon him) If you wish, I can tell you two signs which will occur before the Hour." He said, "When you see that a slave-girl gives birth to her mistress, and those who build buildings are boasting over one another in buildings, and naked people have become the leaders of the people (then the Hour is near)." The narrator asked, "O Messenger of Allah! (peace be upon him) Who are these people?" He said, "Bedouins." Then the questioner left, and afterwards we did not see his way. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said "Subhan Allah" three times and said, "This was Jibreel who came to teach people their religion. By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him), whenever Jibreel came to me except this time, I recognized him, but this time I did not recognize him." It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) initially forbade marrying various women. Benefit: For complete explanation of the hadith, see hadith 2924. Hadith number 17299 is also narrated through another chain.