It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, spoke to the western sea and said: "O sea! I have created you, and I have made your creation excellent, and I have placed much water in you, and I will make some of My servants ride upon you who will proclaim My greatness (takbir), praise (tahmid), glorification (tasbih), and declaration of My oneness (tahlil). So how will you treat them?" The sea replied: "I will drown them." Allah the Exalted said: "I will confine your wrath within your shores, and I will lift those servants of Mine upon My hands." Then Allah the Exalted spoke to the eastern sea and said: "O sea! I have created you, and I have made your creation excellent, and I have placed much water in you, and I will make some of My servants ride upon you who will proclaim My greatness, praise, glorification, and declaration of My oneness. So how will you treat them?" The eastern sea replied: "I will join them in glorifying, praising, and declaring Your oneness, and I will carry them upon myself, within myself, and upon my back." Allah the Exalted, in return, granted it the reward of jewels and game.
Hadith Referenceسنن سعید بن منصور / كتاب الجهاد / 3566
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده حسن لغيره
Hadith Takhrij«إسناده حسن لغيره، و«انفرد به المصنف من هذا الطريق»» وله شاهد من حديث أبي هريرة الدوسي، أخرجه البزار في "مسنده" (16 / 64) برقم: (9108)