Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah and Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them), when a stranger would come, he would not recognize the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor would he know where he was, until he would inquire. We said: O Messenger of Allah! If we prepare a seat for you so that you may sit on it, so that a stranger can recognize you. So we made a platform of clay for you, and we used to sit on both your sides. We were sitting when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to his gathering, and suddenly a handsome man, wearing the best fragrance and extremely clean clothes, arrived. His clothes were such that it seemed no dirt had touched them. He greeted from the edge of the row of people, and said: "Peace be upon you, O Muhammad (peace be upon him)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied to his greeting. Then he said: "May I come closer?" He kept asking to come closer, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Let him come closer," until he placed his hand on the knees of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! What is Islam?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "That you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish prayer, pay zakat, fast in Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House of Allah." He said: "If I do all this, have I accepted Islam?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Yes." He said: "You have spoken the truth." The narrator said: We did not like his saying "You have spoken the truth" (because he was the questioner). He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Tell me about faith (iman)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His prophets (peace be upon them all), and in every kind of destiny." He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Tell me about excellence (ihsan)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "That you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (know that) He sees you." He said: "You have spoken the truth." He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Tell me about the Hour (Day of Judgment)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) lowered his head and did not answer him. He asked again, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not answer him. He repeated the question, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not answer him. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his blessed head, swore by Allah or said: "By the One Who sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) with guidance and the true religion, the one being asked (about the Hour) knows no more than the questioner. But it has some signs by which it can be recognized. When you see the shepherds of livestock boasting about tall buildings, and when you see the barefoot and naked ones become the kings of the land, and when a woman gives birth to her mistress (master), there are five things of the unseen which only Allah knows." Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this verse: "Indeed, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah alone, He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs... the All-Knowing, the All-Aware." Then a cloud of dust rose from the sky, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "By the One Who sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) with guidance and the true religion! I do not know more about it than any of you. That was Jibreel, who came to you in the form of Dihyah Kalbi to teach you your religion."
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب الايمان / 31
Hadith Takhrij«سنن ابوداود ، كتاب السنه ، باب فى القدر ، رقم : 4698 . قال الشيخ الالباني صحيح . سنن نسائي ، كتاب الايمان وشرائعه ، باب صفة الايمان والاسلام ، رقم : 4991 . نسائي كبري ، رقم : 5974»
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was prominently present among the people, when a man came walking. He said: Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is faith? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His messengers, meeting Him, and being raised again after death.” He said: O Messenger of Allah! What is Islam? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “That you do not associate anything with Him, perform the obligatory prayers, pay the obligatory zakat, and fast in Ramadan.” He said: Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is ihsan? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.” He said: Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! When will the Hour come? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one being asked knows no more about it than the one asking, and I will tell you about its signs: when a woman gives birth to her master, and you see barefoot, naked people becoming the leaders of the masses, and of five things only Allah knows: surely the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah, and He sends down the rain.” Then the man went away. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Bring him back.” They searched for him but did not find him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “That was Jibreel, who came to teach the people their religion.”
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب الايمان / 32
Hadith Takhrij«بخاري ، كتاب الايمان ، باب سوال جبريل النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الايمان ، رقم : 50 . مسلم ، كتاب الايمان ، باب بيان الايمان ، والاسلام الخ ، رقم : 9»
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) one day said to his noble companions: “Ask me.” So they were afraid to ask him anything. Then a man came and placed his hands on the Prophet’s knees and said: “O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Tell me about faith.” The narrator then mentioned the hadith similar to the previous one, and added: “And that you believe in being raised after death, and that you believe in every kind of destiny.” And whatever he would ask you, he would say: “You have spoken the truth.” And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When you see the naked, barefoot, deaf, and dumb (like animals) people becoming the owners of the land (country), and you see the shepherds of livestock boasting with one another in construction.” In this hadith it is stated: “That you fear Allah as if you see Him.” And in the hadith it is stated: “This is Jibreel.” Abu Zur’ah narrated: He wished that they be taught to ask him questions.
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب الايمان / 33
Hadith Takhrij«مسلم ، كتاب الايمان ، باب بيان الايمان ، والاسلام الخ ، رقم : 10»