A Stranger Finds the Prophet

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عَنْ اِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:

لَمَّا بَلَغَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ مَبْعَثَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

When the Prophet's mission reached Abu Dharr, may God bless him and grant him peace.

قَالَ لِأَخِيهِ اِرْكَبْ إِلَى هَذَا الْوَادِيِ

He said to his brother, "Ride to this valley."

فَاِعْلَمْ لِي عِلْمَ هَذَا الْرَّجُلِ

Find out for me about this man.

الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ

who claims to be a prophet,

يَأْتِيهِ الْخَبَرُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ

News will come to him from the sky.

وَاسْمَعْ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ

And listen to what he says.

ثُمَّ ائْتِنِي

Then come to me.

فَانْطَلَقَ الأَخُ حَتَّى قَدِمَهُ وَسَمِعَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ

Then the brother set out until he reached him and heard his words.

ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ

Then he returned to Abu Dharr.

فَقَالَ لَهُ رَأَيْتُهُ يَأْمُرُ بِمَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلاَقِ

So he said to him, "I saw him enjoining noble character."

وَكَلاَمًا مَا هُوَ بِالشِّعْرِ

And speech that is not poetry.

فَقَالَ مَا شَفَيْتَنِي مِمَّا أَرَدْتُ

So he said, "You did not satisfy me with what I wanted."

فَتَزَوَّدَ وَحَمَلَ شَنَّةً لَهُ فِيهَا مَاءٌ

So he took provisions and carried a bundle for himself that contained water.

حَتَّى قَدِمَ مَكَّةَ

Until he arrived in Mecca.

فَأَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ

So he went to the mosque.

فَالْتَمَسَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَا يَعْرِفُهُ

So he sought the Prophet, but he did not recognize him.

وَكَرِهَ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَنْهُ حَتَّى أَدْرَكَهُ بَعْضُ اللَّيْلِ

He was reluctant to ask about him until part of the night had passed.

فَرَآهُ عَلِيُّ فَعَرَفَ أَنَّهُ غَرِيبٌ

Then Ali saw him and realized that he was a stranger.

فَلَمَّا رَآهُ تَبِعَهُ

When he saw him, he followed him.

فَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى أَصْبَحَ

Then neither of them asked his companion about anything until morning.

ثُمَّ اِحْتَمَلَ قِرْبَتَهُ وَزَادَهُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ

Then he carried his waterskin and his provisions to the mosque,

وَظَلَّ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ وَلاَ يَرَاهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى أَمْسَى

And that continued throughout the day, and the Prophet did not see him until evening.

فَعَادَ إِلَى مَضْجَعِهِ

Then he returned to his bed.

فَمَرَّ بِهِ عَلِيٌّ فَقَالَ

Then Ali passed by him and said.

أَمَا نَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَنْزِلَهُ فَأَقَامَهُ

Could the man not have known his station and remained there?

فَذَهَبَ بِهِ مَعَهُ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ

So he went with him, and neither of the two asked his companion about anything.

حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمَ الْثَّالِثَ

Until the third day came,

فَعَادَ عَلِيُّ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ

Ali did the same.

فَأَقَامَ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ

So he stayed with him, then he said.

أَلاَ تُحَدِّثُنِي مَا الَّذِي أَقْدَمَكَ

Won't you tell me what brought you here?

قَالَ إِنْ أَعْطَيْتَنِي عَهْدًا وَ مِيثَاقًا لَتُرْشِدَنَّنِي

He said, "If you give me a pledge and a covenant, you will surely guide me."

فَعَلْتُ فَفَعَلَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ

I acted, then he acted, then he informed him.

قَالَ فَإِنَّهُ حَقٌّ وَهُوَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

He said, "For he is true and he is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace."

فَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَإِتَّبِعْنِي

So when you wake in the morning, follow me.

فَإِنَّيَ إِنْ رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ قُمْتُ كَأَنَّيَ أُرِيقُ الْمَاءَ

Whenever I saw anything that made me fear for you, I would stand up as if I were pouring water,

فَإِنْ مَضَيْتُ فَاتْبَعْنِي حَتَّى تَدْخُلَ مَدْخَلِي فَفَعَلَ

If I leave, then follow me until you enter my entrance. So he did.

فَإِنْطَلَقَ يَقْفُوهُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ

So he set out, and they followed him until he entered upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he entered with him.

فَسَمِعَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ

Then he heard from his words.

وَأَسْلَمَ مَكَانَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِرْجِعْ إِلَى قَوْمِكَ

He yielded his place, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to him, "Return to your people."

فَأَخْبِرْهُمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ أَمْرِّيُ

So tell them to wait until my matter reaches you.

قَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَأَصْرُخَنَّ بِهَا بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْهِمْ

He said, "By the One in whose hand my soul is, I will certainly call out with it between their shoulder-blades."

فَخَرَجَ حَتَّى أَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ

Then he went out until he reached the mosque.

فَنَادَى بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِهِ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

Then he cried out in his loudest voice, "I bear witness that there is no god but God."

وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

ثُمَّ قَامَ الْقَوْمُ فَضَرَبُوهُ حَتَّى أَضْجَعُوهُ

Then the people stood up and beat him until they knocked him down.

وَأَتَى الْعَبَّاسُ فَأَكَبَّ عَلَيْهِ

Al‑Abbas came and bent over him.

قَالَ وَيْلَكُمْ أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مِنْ غِفَارٍ وَأَنَّ طَرِيقَ تِجَارِكُمْ إِلَى الشَّأْمِ فَأَنْقَذَهُ مِنْهُمْ

He said, "Woe to you! Do you not know that he is from Ghifar and that your merchants travel to Syria, so he rescued him from them?"

ثُمَّ عَادَ مِنْ الْغَدِ لِمِثْلِهَا

Then he returned the next day to do the same.

فَضَرَبُوهُ وَثَارُوا إِلَيْهِ

So they struck him and rushed at him.

فَأَكَبَّ الْعَبَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ

Then Al-Abbas rushed at him.