We were in our country when flags and banners were raised. I said: What is this? The (the people) said: This is the banner of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So I came to him. He was (sitting) under a tree. A sheet of cloth was spread for him and he was sitting on it. His Companions were gathered around him. I sat with them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned illness and said: When a believer is afflicted by illness and Allah cures him of it, it serves as an atonement for his previous sins and a warning to him for the future. But when a hypocrite becomes ill and is then cured, he is like a camel which has been tethered and then let loose by its owners, but does not know why they tethered it and why they let it loose. A man from among those around him asked: Messenger of Allah, what are illnesses? I swear by Allah, I never fell ill. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Get up and leave us. You do not belong to our number. When we were with him, a man came to him. He had a sheet of cloth and something in his hand. He turned his attention to him and said: Messenger of Allah, when I saw you, I turned towards you. I saw a group of trees and heard the sound of fledglings. I took them and put them in my garment. Their mother then came and began to hover round my head. I showed them to her, and she fell on them. I wrapped them with my garment. They are now with me. He said: Put them away from you. So I put them away, but their mother stayed with them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his companions: Are you surprised at the affection of the mother for her young? They said: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said: I swear by Him Who has sent me with the Truth, Allah is more affectionate to His servants than a mother to her young ones. Take them back put them and where you took them from when their mother should have been with them. So he took them back.  

إِنِّي لَبِبِلاَدِنَا إِذْ رُفِعَتْ لَنَا رَايَاتٌ وَأَلْوِيَةٌ فَقُلْتُ مَا هَذَا قَالُوا هَذَا لِوَاءُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ وَهُوَ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ قَدْ بُسِطَ لَهُ كِسَاءٌ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَيْهِمْ فَذَكَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الأَسْقَامَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُ السَّقَمُ ثُمَّ أَعْفَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ كَانَ كَفَّارَةً لِمَا مَضَى مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ وَمَوْعِظَةً لَهُ فِيمَا يَسْتَقْبِلُ وَإِنَّ الْمُنَافِقَ إِذَا مَرِضَ ثُمَّ أُعْفِيَ كَانَ كَالْبَعِيرِ عَقَلَهُ أَهْلُهُ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلُوهُ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ لِمَ عَقَلُوهُ وَلَمْ يَدْرِ لِمَ أَرْسَلُوهُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ حَوْلَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الأَسْقَامُ وَاللَّهِ مَا مَرِضْتُ قَطُّ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُمْ عَنَّا فَلَسْتَ مِنَّا فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَهُ إِذْ أَقْبَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَيْهِ كِسَاءٌ وَفِي يَدِهِ شَىْءٌ قَدِ الْتَفَّ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لَمَّا رَأَيْتُكَ أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَيْكَ فَمَرَرْتُ بِغَيْضَةِ شَجَرٍ فَسَمِعْتُ فِيهَا أَصْوَاتَ فِرَاخِ طَائِرٍ فَأَخَذْتُهُنَّ فَوَضَعْتُهُنَّ فِي كِسَائِي فَجَاءَتْ أُمُّهُنَّ فَاسْتَدَارَتْ عَلَى رَأْسِي فَكَشَفْتُ لَهَا عَنْهُنَّ فَوَقَعَتْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مَعَهُنَّ فَلَفَفْتُهُنَّ بِكِسَائِي فَهُنَّ أُولاَءِ مَعِي قَالَ ضَعْهُنَّ عَنْكَ فَوَضَعْتُهُنَّ وَأَبَتْ أُمُّهُنَّ إِلاَّ لُزُومَهُنَّ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَصْحَابِهِ أَتَعْجَبُونَ لِرُحْمِ أُمِّ الأَفْرَاخِ فِرَاخَهَا قَالُوا نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَوَالَّذِي بَعَثَنِي بِالْحَقِّ لَلَّهُ أَرْحَمُ بِعِبَادِهِ مِنْ أُمِّ الأَفْرَاخِ بِفِرَاخِهَا ارْجِعْ بِهِنَّ حَتَّى تَضَعَهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخَذْتَهُنَّ وَأُمُّهُنَّ مَعَهُنَّ فَرَجَعَ بِهِنَّ  

on his father's authority said his grandfather reported: He was a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: When Allah has previously decreed for a servant a rank which he has not attained by his action, He afflicts him in his body, or his property or his children. Abu Dawud said: Ibn Nufail added in his version: "He then enables him to endure that." The agreed version goes: "So that He may bring him to the rank previously decreed from him by Allah."  

عَنْ جَدِّهِ وَكَانَتْ لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا سَبَقَتْ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَنْزِلَةٌ لَمْ يَبْلُغْهَا بِعَمَلِهِ ابْتَلاَهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَسَدِهِ أَوْ فِي مَالِهِ أَوْ فِي وَلَدِهِ