Ḥadīth Jibrīl on Īmān, Islam, and Iḥsān

the first man who discussed Qadar (Divine Decree) in Baṣrah was Maʿbad al-Juhanī. I along with Ḥumayd b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Ḥimyarī set out for pilgrimage or for ʿUmrah and said: Should it so happen that we come into contact with one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we shall ask him about what is talked about Qadar. Accidentally we came across ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, while he was entering the mosque. My companion and I surrounded him. One of us ˹stood˺ on his right and the other stood on his left. I expected that my companion would authorize me to speak. I, therefore, said: Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, there have appeared some people in our land who recite the Quran and pursue knowledge. And then after talking about their affairs, added: They claim that there is no such thing as Qadar and events are not predestined. He said: When you happen to meet such people tell them that I have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with me. And verily they are in no way responsible for my ˹belief˺. ʿAbdullāh b ʿUmar swore by Allah: If any one of them had with him gold equal to the bulk of ˹the mountain˺ Uḥud and spent it ˹for the sake of Allah˺, Allah would not accept it unless he affirmed his faith in the Qadar.

He further said: My father, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes. His hair was extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last, he sat with the Prophet ﷺ. He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs,

then said: Muhammad, inform me about Islam. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Islam implies that: (1) you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and (2) you establish prayer, (3) pay Zakat, (4) observe the fast of Ramadan, and (5) perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough ˹to bear the expense of˺ the journey. ˹The inquirer˺ said: You have told the truth. ˹ʿUmar˺ said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth.

˹The inquirer˺ said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He replied: That (1) you affirm your faith in Allah, (2) in His angels, (3) in His Books, (4) in His Apostles, (5) in the Day of Judgment, and (6) you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. ˹The inquirer˺ said: You have told the truth.

˹The inquirer˺ again said: Inform me about Iḥsān (excellence in deeds). He said: That (1) you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, (2) for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you.

˹The inquirer˺ again said: Inform me about the Hour (of the Last Day). He remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring. ˹The inquirer˺ said: Tell me some of its indications. He said: That (1) the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that (2) you will find barefooted, destitute goat herders vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings.

˹ʿUmar˺ said: Then ˹the inquirer˺ went on his way but I stayed with (the Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: "ʿUmar, do you know who this inquirer was?" I replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He remarked: "He was Jibrīl (Angel Gabriel). He came to you in order to teach you in your religion."  

كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ قَالَ فِي الْقَدَرِ بِالْبَصْرَةِ مَعْبَدٌ الْجُهَنِيُّ۔ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَحُمَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ حَاجَّيْنِ أَوْ مُعْتَمِرَيْنِ، فَقُلْنَا لَوْ لَقِينَا أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ عَمَّا يَقُولُ هَؤُلاَءِ فِي الْقَدَرِ۔ فَوُفِّقَ لَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ دَاخِلاً الْمَسْجِدَ فَاكْتَنَفْتُهُ أَنَا وَصَاحِبِي أَحَدُنَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَالآخَرُ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ۔ فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ صَاحِبِي سَيَكِلُ الْكَلاَمَ إِلَىَّ۔ فَقُلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ ظَهَرَ قِبَلَنَا نَاسٌ يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَيَتَقَفَّرُونَ الْعِلْمَ وَذَكَرَ مِنْ شَأْنِهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنْ لاَ قَدَرَ، وَأَنَّ الأَمْرَ أُنُفٌ۔ قَالَ: فَإِذَا لَقِيتَ أُولَئِكَ فَأَخْبِرْهُمْ أَنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْهُمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ بُرَآءُ مِنِّي، وَالَّذِي يَحْلِفُ بِهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ لَوْ أَنَّ لأَحَدِهِمْ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا فَأَنْفَقَهُ، مَا قَبِلَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ۔

ثُمَّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعَرِ۔ لاَ يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ وَلاَ يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ۔ حَتَّى جَلَسَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَسْنَدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ۔

وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ، أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِسْلاَمِ۔ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «الإِسْلاَمُ (١) أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، (٢) وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ، (٣) وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، (٤) وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، (٥) وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً۔» قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ۔ قَالَ: فَعَجِبْنَا لَهُ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيُصَدِّقُهُ!

قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِيمَانِ۔ قَالَ: «أَنْ (١) تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ، (٢) وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ، (٣) وَكُتُبِهِ، (٤) وَرُسُلِهِ، (٥) وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ، (٦) وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ۔» قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ۔

قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِحْسَانِ۔ قَالَ: «أَنْ (١) تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، (٢) فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ۔»

قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ السَّاعَةِ۔ قَالَ: «مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ۔» قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ أَمَارَتِهَا۔ قَالَ: «أَنْ تَلِدَ الأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا، وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ۔»

قَالَ: ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ فَلَبِثْتُ مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: «يَا عُمَرُ أَتَدْرِي مَنِ السَّائِلُ؟» قُلْتُ: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ۔ قَالَ: «فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ۔»  

I and Humaid b. Abdur-Rahman Himyari argued. And they carried on the conversation about the purport of the hadith related by Kahmas and its chain of transmission too, and there is some variation of words.  

لَمَّا تَكَلَّمَ مَعْبَدٌ بِمَا تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ فِي شَأْنِ الْقَدَرِ أَنْكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَحَجَجْتُ أَنَا وَحُمَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ حِجَّةً وَسَاقُوا الْحَدِيثَ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ كَهْمَسٍ وَإِسْنَادِهِ وَفِيهِ بَعْضُ زِيَادَةٍ وَنُقْصَانُ أَحْرُفٍ  

We met Abdullah b. 'Umar and we discussed about the Divine Decree, and what they talked about it and he narrated the hadith that has been transmitted by 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Apostle ﷺ. There is a slight variation in that.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَفِيهِ شَىْءٌ مِنْ زِيَادَةٍ وَقَدْ نَقَصَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا  

The same hadith is mentioned through a different chain.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِنَحْوِ حَدِيثِهِمْ