Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:19876Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Accept the glad tidings, O people of Tamim." They said, "You have already given us glad tidings, so grant us." He said, "Accept the glad tidings, O people of Yemen." They said, "We have already accepted, so inform us about the beginning of this matter and how it was?" He said, "Allah existed before everything else, and His throne was above the water. He wrote in the Preserved Tablet the remembrance of everything." He said, "And a man came to me and said, 'O Imran, your camel has broken free from its tether.'" He said, "So I went out, and there was a mirage that appeared between me and it." He said, "So I followed in its tracks, but I do not know what happened after me."  

أحمد:١٩٨٧٦حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ قَالَ قَالُوا قَدْ بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا قَالَ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ قَالَ قُلْنَا قَدْ قَبِلْنَا فَأَخْبِرْنَا عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ كَيْفَ كَانَ؟ قَالَ كَانَ اللهُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَكَتَبَ فِي اللَّوْحِ ذِكْرَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَالَ وَأَتَانِي آتٍ فَقَالَ يَا عِمْرَانُ انْحَلَّتْ نَاقَتُكَ مِنْ عِقَالِهَا قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ فَإِذَا السَّرَابُ يَنْقَطِعُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهَا قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ فِي أَثَرِهَا فَلَا أَدْرِي مَا كَانَ بَعْدِي  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Ṭabarānī, Bayhaqī
bukhari:7418ʿAbdān > Abū Ḥamzah > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn

While I was with the Prophet ﷺ , some people from Bani Tamim came to him. The Prophet ﷺ said, "O Bani Tamim! Accept the good news!" They said, "You have given us the good news; now give us (something)." (After a while) some Yemenites entered, and he said to them, "O the people of Yemen! Accept the good news, as Bani Tamim have refused it. " They said, "We accept it, for we have come to you to learn the Religion. So we ask you what the beginning of this universe was." The Prophet ﷺ said "There was Allah and nothing else before Him and His Throne was over the water, and He then created the Heavens and the Earth and wrote everything in the Book." Then a man came to me and said, 'O ʿImran! Follow your she-camel for it has run away!" So I set out seeking it, and behold, it was beyond the mirage! By Allah, I wished that it (my she-camel) had gone but that I had not left (the gathering). "  

البخاري:٧٤١٨حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ

إِنِّي عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِذْ جَاءَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ فَقَالَ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ قَالُوا بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا فَدَخَلَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ قَالُوا قَبِلْنَا جِئْنَاكَ لِنَتَفَقَّهَ فِي الدِّينِ وَلِنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الأَمْرِ مَا كَانَ قَالَ كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَىْءٌ قَبْلَهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ثُمَّ أَتَانِي رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا عِمْرَانُ أَدْرِكْ نَاقَتَكَ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَطْلُبُهَا فَإِذَا السَّرَابُ يَنْقَطِعُ دُونَهَا وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّهَا قَدْ ذَهَبَتْ وَلَمْ أَقُمْ  

tabarani:15651Muḥammad b. al-Naḍr al-Azdī > Muʿāwiyah b. ʿAmr > Abū Isḥāq al-Fazārī > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. al-Ḥuṣayn

[Machine] I came to the Prophet ﷺ and tied my camel at the door, then I entered and some people from the tribe of Tameem came to him and he said, "Accept the good news, O people of Tameem." They said, "You have already given us the good news, so give it to us." Then some people from the tribe of Yemen came to him and he said, "Accept the good news, O people of Yemen, for the people of Tameem did not accept it." They said, "Let us learn about the religion and ask you about the beginning of this matter, how was it?" He said, "Allah existed and nothing else existed, and His throne was above the water, and He wrote everything in the Book of Remembrance, then He created the heavens and the earth." Then a man came to me and said, "Catch your camel, for it has run away." So I went out and found it being held without its reins and I swear by Allah that I wished I had left it.  

الطبراني:١٥٦٥١حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ النَّضْرِ الْأَزْدِيُّ ثنا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْفَزَارِيِّ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ الْحُصَيْنِ قَالَ

أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَعَقَلْتُ نَاقَتِي بِالْبَابِ ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُ فَأَتَاهُ نَاسٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ فَقَالَ «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ» قَالُوا قَدْ بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا فَجَاءَهُ نَفَرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ» فَقَالُوا لِنَتَفَقَّهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَنَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ كَيْفَ كَانَ؟ فَقَالَ «كَانَ اللهُ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَكُ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ» ثُمَّ جَاءَنِي رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ أَدْرِكْ نَاقَتَكَ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَخَرَجْتُ فَوَجَدْتُهَا تَنْقَطِعُ دُونَهَا السَّرَابُ وَايْمُ اللهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ تَرَكْتُهَا  

bayhaqi:17701al-Imām al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Bakr Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī al-Bayhaqī ؒ > Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh > Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Maḥbūbī > Saʿīd b. Masʿūd > ʿUbaydullāh b. Mūsá > Shaybān > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn

While I was with the Prophet ﷺ , some people from Bani Tamim came to him. The Prophet ﷺ said, "O Bani Tamim! Accept the good news!" They said, "You have given us the good news; now give us (something)." (After a while) some Yemenites entered, and he said to them, "O the people of Yemen! Accept the good news, as Bani Tamim have refused it. " They said, "We accept it, for we have come to you to learn the Religion. So we ask you what the beginning of this universe was." The Prophet ﷺ said "There was Allah and nothing else before Him and His Throne was over the water, and He then created the Heavens and the Earth and wrote everything in the Book." Then a man came to me and said, 'O ʿImran! Follow your she-camel for it has run away!" So I set out seeking it, and behold, it was beyond the mirage! By Allah, I wished that it (my she-camel) had gone but that I had not left (the gathering). " (Using translation from Bukhārī 7418)   

البيهقي:١٧٧٠١أَخْبَرَنَا الْإِمَامُ الْحَافِظُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ أنبأ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمَحْبُوبِيُّ ثنا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ ثنا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مُوسَى ثنا شَيْبَانُ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ

إِنِّي لَجَالِسٌ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِذْ جَاءَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ فَقَالَ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ قَالُوا قَدْ بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ أُنَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ قَالُوا قَدْ قَبِلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ جِئْنَا لِنَتَفَقَّهَ فِي الدِّينِ وَنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ مَا كَانَ؟ قَالَ كَانَ اللهُ ﷻ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ قَبْلَهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قَالَ وَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا عِمْرَانُ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ رَاحِلَتَكَ أَدْرِكْ نَاقَتَكَ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَانْطَلَقْتُ فِي طَلَبِهَا فَإِذَا السَّرَابُ يَنْقَطِعُ دُوْنَهَا وَايْمُ اللهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّهَا ذَهَبَتْ وَأَنِّي لَمْ أَقُمْ