the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was one of the best of men in character. One day he sent me to do something, and I said: I swore by Allah that I would not go. But in my heart I felt that I should go to do what the Prophet of Allah ﷺ had commanded me; so I went out and came upon some boys who were playing in the street. All of a sudden the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who had come up behind caught me by the back of the neck, and when I looked at him he was laughing. He said: Go where I ordered you, little Anas. I replied: Yes, I am going, Apostle of Allah! Anas said: I swear by Allah, I served him for seven or nine years, and he never said to me about a thing which I had done: Why did you do such and such? Nor about a thing which I left: why did not do such and such?  

أَنَسٌ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ النَّاسِ خُلُقًا فَأَرْسَلَنِي يَوْمًا لِحَاجَةٍ فَقُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ لاَ أَذْهَبُ وَفِي نَفْسِي أَنْ أَذْهَبَ لِمَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ حَتَّى أَمُرَّ عَلَى صِبْيَانٍ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ فِي السُّوقِ فَإِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَابِضٌ بِقَفَاىَ مِنْ وَرَائِي فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ فَقَالَ يَا أُنَيْسُ اذْهَبْ حَيْثُ أَمَرْتُكَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ أَنَا أَذْهَبُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَنَسٌ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ خَدَمْتُهُ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ أَوْ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ مَا عَلِمْتُ قَالَ لِشَىْءٍ صَنَعْتُ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَلاَ لِشَىْءٍ تَرَكْتُ هَلاَّ فَعَلْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا  

I served the Prophet ﷺ at Medina for ten years. I was a boy. Every work that I did was not according to the desire of my master, but he never said to me: Fie, nor did he say to me: Why did you do this? or Why did you not do this?  

خَدَمْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَأَنَا غُلاَمٌ لَيْسَ كُلُّ أَمْرِي كَمَا يَشْتَهِي صَاحِبِي أَنْ أَكُونَ عَلَيْهِ مَا قَالَ لِي فِيهَا أُفٍّ قَطُّ وَمَا قَالَ لِي لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا أَوْ أَلاَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to sit with us in meetings and talk to us. When he stood up we also used to stand up and see him entering the house of one of his wives. One day he talked to us and we stood up as he stood up and we saw that an Arabi (a nomadic Arab) caught hold of him and gave his cloak a violent tug making his neck red. AbuHurayrah said: The cloak was coarse. He turned to him and the Arabi said to him: Load these two camels of mine, for you do not give me anything from your property or from your father's property. The Prophet ﷺ said to him: No, I ask Allah's forgiveness; no, I ask Allah's forgiveness; no, I ask Allah's forgiveness. I shall not give you the camel-load until you make amends for the way in which you tugged at me. Each time the Arabi said to him: I swear by Allah, I shall not do so. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition. He (the Prophet), then called a man and said to him: Load these two camels of his: one camel with barley and the other with dates. He then turned to us and said: Go on your way with the blessing of Allah.  

يُحَدِّثُنَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَجْلِسُ مَعَنَا فِي الْمَجْلِسِ يُحَدِّثُنَا فَإِذَا قَامَ قُمْنَا قِيَامًا حَتَّى نَرَاهُ قَدْ دَخَلَ بَعْضَ بُيُوتِ أَزْوَاجِهِ فَحَدَّثَنَا يَوْمًا فَقُمْنَا حِينَ قَامَ فَنَظَرْنَا إِلَى أَعْرَابِيٍّ قَدْ أَدْرَكَهُ فَجَبَذَهُ بِرِدَائِهِ فَحَمَّرَ رَقَبَتَهُ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَكَانَ رِدَاءً خَشِنًا فَالْتَفَتَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الأَعْرَابِيُّ احْمِلْ لِي عَلَى بَعِيرَىَّ هَذَيْنِ فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَحْمِلُ لِي مِنْ مَالِكَ وَلاَ مِنْ مَالِ أَبِيكَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لاَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لاَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لاَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لاَ أَحْمِلُ لَكَ حَتَّى تُقِيدَنِي مِنْ جَبْذَتِكَ الَّتِي جَبَذْتَنِي فَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ لَهُ الأَعْرَابِيُّ وَاللَّهِ لاَ أَقِيدُكَهَا فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ ثُمَّ دَعَا رَجُلاً فَقَالَ لَهُ احْمِلْ لَهُ عَلَى بَعِيرَيْهِ هَذَيْنِ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ شَعِيرًا وَعَلَى الآخَرِ تَمْرًا ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَالَ انْصَرِفُوا عَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى