Ibn Masud’s night with the Prophet ﷺ and the parable of Paradise
[AI] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in the Isha prayer, then he turned away, took me by the hand, and went out to the Batha, the Batha of Mecca. Then he drew a line around him—that is, around Abdullah ibn Masud—and then said: "Do not leave your line, and if anyone reaches you, do not speak to him." Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on to wherever he wished. While I was sitting within my line, men came to me as though they were the Zutt in their hair and bodies. They would not cross the line, then they would go on toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When it was near the end of the night, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came while I was sitting, and he said: "These have troubled me tonight." Then he came in to me within my line, used my thigh as a pillow, and slept. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept, he would breathe audibly in sleep.
While I was sitting and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was resting his head on my thigh, suddenly I saw men who looked like men of the Hijaz. They wore white garments, and Allah knows best the beauty they possessed. A group of them sat by the head of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a group by his feet. Then they said among themselves, "We have never seen anyone given what this Prophet has been given. His eyes are asleep, but his heart is awake. So strike a parable for him." I think he said: "Of a man who built a palace, then prepared a banquet and invited people to his food. Whoever answered him ate from his food and drank from his drink, and whoever did not answer him, he punished him—or he was punished." Then they rose up.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ awoke and said to me: "Did you hear what these said? And do you know who they are?" I said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "They are the angels." He said: "Do you know the parable that they struck?" I said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "The parable they struck is this: the Lord ﷻ built Paradise and called His servants to it. Whoever answered Him entered Paradise, and whoever did not answer Him, He punished him—or chastised him."
We do not know this hadith to be narrated from Abdullah except through this route. Al-Taymi narrated it and differed with Jafar ibn Maymun in its chain of transmission, saying: from Amr al-Bikali, from Abu Uthman.
صَلَّى بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلَاةَ الْعِشَاءِ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ، فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي، وَخَرَجَ إِلَى الْبَطْحَاءِ بَطْحَاءَ مَكَّةَ، ثُمَّ خَطَّ عَلَيْهِ خَطًّا، يَعْنِي عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «لَا تَبْرَحَنَّ خَطَّكَ، فَإِنِ انْتَهَى إِلَيْكَ أَحَدٌ فَلَا تُكَلِّمْهُ». ثُمَّ مَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَيْثُ أَرَادَ، فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ فِي خُطًى، إِذْ أَتَانِي رِجَالٌ كَأَنَّهُمُ الزُّطُّ، أَشْعَارُهُمْ وَأَجْسَادُهُمْ، لَا يُجَاوِزُونَ الْخَطَّ، ثُمَّ يَصِيرُونَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ، جَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا جَالِسٌ، فَقَالَ: «لَقَدْ آذَانِي هَؤُلَاءِ اللَّيْلَةَ». ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ فِي خَطِّي، فَتَوَسَّدَ فَخِذِي فَرَقَدَ، وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا رَقَدَ نَفَخَ النَّوْمَ نَفْخًا.
فَبَيْنَمَا أَنَا قَاعِدٌ، وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مُتَوَسِّدٌ فَخِذِي، إِذَا أَنَا بِرِجَالٍ كَأَنَّهُمْ رِجَالُ الْحِجَازِ، عَلَيْهِمْ ثِيَابٌ بِيضٌ، اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ مَا بِهِمْ مِنَ الْجَمَالِ، فَجَلَسَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ عِنْدَ رَأْسِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَطَائِفَةٌ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ قَالُوا بَيْنَهُمْ: مَا رَأَيْنَا أَحَدًا قَطُّ أُوتِيَ مَا أُوتِيَ هَذَا النَّبِيُّ، إِنَّ عَيْنَيْهَ نَائِمَةٌ وَقَلْبَهُ يَقْظَانُ، فَاضْرِبُوا لَهُ مَثَلًا، أَحْسَبُهُ قَالَ: بِرَجُلٍ بَنَى قَصْرًا، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مَأْدُبَةً، وَدَعَا النَّاسَ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ، فَمَنْ أَجَابَهُ أَكَلَ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ، وَشَرِبَ مِنْ شَرَابِهِ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُجِبْهُ عَاقَبَهُ أَوْ عُوقِبَ. ثُمَّ ارْتَفَعُوا.
فَاسْتَيْقَظَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالَ لِي: «سَمِعْتَ مَا قَالَ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ وَهَلْ تَدْرِي مَنْ هُمْ؟» قُلْتُ: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «هُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ». قَالَ: «فَتَدْرِي مَا الْمَثَلُ الَّذِي ضَرَبُوهُ؟» قُلْتُ: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «مَثَلُ الَّذِي ضَرَبُوا: الرَّبُّ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى بَنَى الْجَنَّةَ، وَدَعَا إِلَيْهَا عِبَادَهُ، فَمَنْ أَجَابَهُ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُجِبْهُ عَاقَبَهُ أَوْ عَذَّبَهُ».
وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ لَا نَعْلَمُهُ يُرْوَى عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ، وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ التَّيْمِيُّ فَخَالَفَ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مَيْمُونٍ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ، وَقَالَ: عَنْ عَمْرٍو الْبِكَالِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ.
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