Ibn Hibban

Yahya bin Ya’mar says: I said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! (that is, he said this to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:) There are some people who believe that there is no reality to destiny. So Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, inquired: Is there anyone among us from those people? He replied: No. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When you meet those people, convey this message from me to them that Abdullah bin Umar declares himself free from you before Allah. And you have nothing to do with him. Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated this to us. Once we were sitting with the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, along with some people. During this, a man came upon whom there were no signs of travel, and he was not a resident of the city either. He came forward, stepping over people’s necks, and sat in front of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon you! What is Islam? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and indeed Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is the Messenger of Allah; you establish prayer, you pay zakat, you perform Hajj and Umrah, you perform ghusl for major impurity, you complete ablution, and you fast in Ramadan. He asked: If I do this, am I a Muslim? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Yes. He said: You have spoken the truth. He said: O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon you! What is Iman (faith)? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. You believe in Paradise, Hell, and the Scale. You believe in resurrection after death. You believe in destiny, whether good or bad. The man asked: If I do this, am I a believer? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Yes! He said: You have spoken the truth. He asked: O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon you! What is Ihsan (excellence)? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He surely sees you. He asked: If I do this, will I be considered a doer of Ihsan? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Yes! He said: You have spoken the truth. He asked: O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon you! When will the Hour (Day of Judgment) come? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Glory be to Allah! The one being asked does not know more about it than the one asking. If you wish, I can tell you about its signs. He said: Okay. So the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When you see the poor, barefoot, and scantily clad people competing in constructing tall buildings and they become kings.” He asked: Who are meant by the barefoot and scantily clad people? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The ‘Arib (i.e., the lower class Arabs). The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: When you see a slave girl giving birth to her mistress, then this will be one of the signs of the Hour. He said: You have spoken the truth. Then he went back. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Bring that man to me. (The narrator says) We searched for him everywhere but could not find him. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Do you know who he was? He was Jibreel (Gabriel), peace be upon him, who came to you to teach you your religion, so take from him. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, never before this time did I have difficulty recognizing him, but this time I recognized him only when he went back. Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says: The narrator named Sulaiman Taimi is unique in narrating these words: “So take from him.” And also these words: “And that you perform Umrah, and you perform ghusl, and you complete ablution.”