Musnad Ahmad

Yahya bin Ya’mar and Humaid bin Abdur Rahman Himyari say that once we met Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). We brought up the issue of predestination before him and also mentioned people’s objections. After listening to us, he said: When you return to those people, tell them that Ibn Umar is free from you and you are free from him. He said this three times and then narrated this tradition: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says, One day we were sitting in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when suddenly a man came walking. He had a beautiful complexion, beautiful hair, and was dressed in white clothes. Seeing this man, people looked at each other and signaled that we do not recognize him, and he does not even look like a traveler. The man said: O Messenger of Allah! May I come closer? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) allowed him, so he sat down with his knees touching the Prophet’s knees and placed his hands on the Prophet’s thighs and said: What is Islam? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “To bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the House of Allah.” He then asked: What is faith (iman)? He said: “To believe in Allah, His angels, Paradise and Hell, resurrection after the Day of Judgment, and in predestination.” He then asked: What is excellence (ihsan)? He said: “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state, then (know that) He sees you.” He then asked: When will the Hour (Day of Judgment) come? He said: “The one being asked knows no more than the one asking, meaning we both are unaware in this matter.” He said: Then tell me some of its signs. He said: “When you see those who had tattered clothes and no shoes, who were poor and shepherds, today they will build tall buildings and boast over one another, and slave girls will give birth to their mistresses, then the Hour is near.” When that man left, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bring that man back. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) went out to look for him but saw nothing. Two or three days later, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): “O Ibn Khattab! Do you know who that questioner was?” He replied, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “That was Jibreel (Gabriel), who came to teach you the important matters of your religion.” The narrator says that a man from the tribe of Juhainah or Muzainah also asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) this question: O Messenger of Allah! The deeds we do, has their decision already been made or do we act first? He said: “Their decision has already been made.” He said: O Messenger of Allah! Then what is the benefit of action? He said: “The deeds of the people of Paradise are made easy for the people of Paradise, and the deeds of the people of Hell are made easy for the people of Hell.”