“I came to Safwan bin ʿAssal Al Muradi to ask him about wiping over the Khuff, so he said: ‘What has brought you, O Zirr?’ So I said: ‘The desire for knowledge.’ So he said: ‘Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, out of pleasure with what he is seeking.’ So I said: ‘Indeed there is some doubt in my chest concerning wiping over the Khuff after defecation and urination, and you were a man from the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, so I came to you to ask you: Have you heard him ﷺ mention anything concerning that?’ He said: ‘Yes, he ﷺ used to order us, that when we were travelers’ - or - ‘in travel, to not remove our Khuff for three days and nights except, from sexual impurity, but not from defecation, urination, and sleep.’” He said: “Have you heard him ﷺ mention anything concerning love?” He said: “Yes. We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey when a Bedouin with a loud voice called upon him (saying): ‘O Muhammad!’ So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ responded to him with a voice similar to him (saying): ‘Come.’ So we said to him: ‘Lower your voice for you are with the Prophet ﷺ, and you have been prohibited from this.’ He said: ‘By Allah, I will not lower (my voice).’ The Bedouin said: ‘A man loves a people but he is not with them (in terms of deeds)?’ He ﷺ said: ‘A man is with whomever he loves on the Day of Judgement.’” So he did not cease talking with us, until he mentioned a gate in the direction of the west with the width of seventy years journey - or a rider would travel its width - for forty or seventy years.” Sufyan (one of the narrators) said: “In the direction of Ash-Sham, Allah created it the Day He created the heavens and the earth, open - that is, for repentance. It shall not be locked until the sun rises through it.” (Using translation from Tirmidhī 3535)   

مَا جَاءَ بِكَ؟ قُلْتُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْعِلْمِ قَالَ فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ رِضًا بِمَا يَطْلُبُ قَالَ قُلْتُ حَكَّ فِي صَدْرِي مَسَحَ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ بَعْدَ الْغَائِطِ وَالْبَوْلِ وَكُنْتُ امْرَأً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُكَ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ هَلْ سَمِعْتَ مِنْهُ فِي ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ «كَانَ يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا كُنَّا سَفَرًا أَوْ كُنَّا مُسَافِرِينَ أَنْ لَا نَنْزِعَ خِفَافَنَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ إِلَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ وَلَكِنْ مِنْ غَائِطٍ وَبَوْلٍ وَنَوْمٍ» قُلْتُ أَسَمِعْتَهُ يَذْكُرُ الْهَوَى؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ مَعَهُ فِي مَسِيرٍ إِذْ نَادَاهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ بِصَوْتٍ جَهْوَرِيٍّ أَوْ قَالَ جَوْهَرِيٍّ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ شَكَّ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَأَجَابَهُ بِنَحْوٍ مِنْ كَلَامِهِ فَقَالَ «مَهْ» قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا وَلَمْ يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ؟ قَالَ «هُوَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ» قَالَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُحَدِّثُنَا حَتَّى قَالَ «إِنَّ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَغْرِبِ بَابًا مَسِيرَةُ عَرْضِهِ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً فَتَحَهُ اللهُ لِلتَّوْبَةِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يُغْلِقُهُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ»  

[Machine] What brought you here?" I said, "To seek knowledge." He said, "Shall I not give you glad tidings?" I said, "Of course." So he raised the hadith and said, "Verily, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, pleased with what he seeks." Then he asked him about wiping over the footwear, so he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: 'The traveler wipes over his footwear for three days and nights from urine, feces, or sleep, but not from sexual impurity.' Then he began to inform us, and he said, 'While we were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on a journey when a Bedouin called out to him with a loud voice, saying, 'O Muhammad, O Muhammad, O Muhammad!' So I said to him, 'Lower your voice, for you have been commanded not to raise your voice.' So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, responded to him according to what he had heard from him, saying, 'Here I am.' Then he asked him about love for a people when he is encompassed by them, so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'A person is with those whom he loves.' Then he began to inform us, and he said, 'The gate of repentance is open from the west, its width is the travel of seventy years, and it will not be closed until the sun rises from its direction.' Then he recited this verse, 'Do they await except that the angels should come to them?'"  

مَا جَاءَ بِكَ فَقُلْتُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْعِلْمِ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُبَشِّرُكَ؟ فَقُلْتُ بَلَى فَرَفَعَ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ «إِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ رِضًى بِمَا يَطْلُبُ» ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْمَسْحِ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ يَمْسَحُ الْمُسَافِرُ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ مِنْ بَوْلٍ أَوْ غَائِطٍ أَوْ نَوْمٍ لَا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يُحَدِّثُنَا فَقَالَ بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي سَفَرٍ إِذْ نَادَاهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ بِصَوْتٍ لَهُ جَهْوَرِيٌّ يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقُلْتُ اخْفِضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ فَإِنَّكَ نُهِيتَ أَنْ تَرْفَعَ صَوْتَكَ فَأَجَابَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى نَحْوٍ مِمَّا سَمِعَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ «هَاؤُمُ» ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْهَوَى عَنِ الْمَرْءِ يُحِبُّ الْقَوْمَ لَمَّا يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ» ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يُحَدِّثُنَا فَقَالَ «بَابُ التَّوْبَةِ مَفْتُوحٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَغْرِبِ وَعَرْضُهُ مَسِيرَةُ سَبْعِينَ عَامًا لَا يُغْلَقُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ» ثُمَّ قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ {هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ} إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ  

“I came to Safwan bin ʿAssal Al-Muradi so he said to me: ‘What has brought you, O Zirr?’ So I said: ‘The desire for knowledge.’ So he said: ‘It has been conveyed to me that the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, out of pleasure with what he is doing.’” He said: “So I said to him: ‘Indeed there is something wavering’ - or - ‘some doubt in my chest concerning wiping over the Khuff after defecation. So have you retained anything from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning that?’ He said: ‘Yes, when we were travelers, he ﷺ used to order us not to remove our Khuff for three days and nights, except from sexual impurity, but not from defecation, urination, and sleep.’” He said: “So I said: ‘So have you memorized anything from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning love?’ He said: ‘Yes, we were in one of our journeys with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a man, a harsh, foolish Bedouin, who had been at the end of the group, called him with a loud voice, saying: “O Muhammad! O Muhammad!” So the people said to him “Mah! Indeed, you have been prohibited from this.” So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ responded to him with similar to his voice: “Come.” So he said: “A man loves a people but he has not reached them?” He said: ‘So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A man is with whomever he loves.”’ Zirr said: “He did not cease reporting to me until he had reported that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has appointed a gate in the west - its width is the distance of a seventy-year journey - for repentance: it shall not be locked until the sun rises from its direction, and that is the Statement of Allah, Blessed be He and Most High, of the Ayah: The Day some of the signs of your Lord come, no soul shall be benefited by its believing.” (Using translation from Tirmidhī 3536)   

مَا جَاءَ بِكَ يَا أَصْلَعُ؟ فَقُلْتُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْعِلْمِ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ رِضًى بِمَا يَصْنَعُ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّهُ حَاكَ أَوْ حَالَ فِي نَفْسِي الْمَسْحُ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ فَهَلْ حَفِظْتَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِيهِ شَيْئًا؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ كُنَّا إِذَا كُنَّا سَفَرًا أَوْ مُسَافِرِينَ أَمَرَنَا أَنْ لَا نَخْلَعَ خِفَافَنَا ثَلَاثًا إِلَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ لَكِنْ مِنْ غَائِطٍ وَبَوْلٍ وَنَوْمٍ قُلْتُ فَهَلْ حَفِظْتَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي الْهَوَى شَيْئًا؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي سَفَرِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَنَادَاهُ رَجُلٌ فِي أُخْرَيَاتِ الْقَوْمِ بِصَوْتٍ لَهُ جَهْوَرِيٍّ أَعْرَابِيٍّ جِلْفٍ جَافٍ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْقَوْمُ مَهْ فَإِنَّكَ قَدْ نُهِيتَ عَنْ هَذَا فَأَجَابَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَلَى نَحْوٍ مِنْ صَوْتِهِ فَقَالَ «هَاؤُمُ» قَالَ الْمَرْءُ يُحِبُّ الْقَوْمَ وَلَمْ يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ قَالَ «الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ» قَالَ فَمَا بَرِحَ يُحَدِّثُنِي حَتَّى حَدَّثَنِي «أَنَّ اللهَ ﷻ جَعَلَ بِالْمَغْرِبِ بَابًا مَسِيرَةُ عَرْضِهِ سَبْعُونَ عَامًا لِلتَّوْبَةِ لَا يُغْلَقُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ» وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللهِ ﷻ {يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا}  

[Machine] I participated in the caliphate of Uthman. The reason for my visit was to meet the companions of Muhammad ﷺ . I met Safwan ibn Asaal al-Muradi and asked him if he had met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . He said yes and that he accompanied him in twelve battles. I asked him about wiping over the socks, and he replied that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to command us, when we were traveling, to wipe over our socks for three days and nights, whether we had urinated, defecated, or slept. But as for impurity due to sexual defilement, he did not mention it. One night, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting, he mentioned a gate from the west to the east, the width of which is seventy years, open for repentance and will not be closed until the sun rises from its opposite direction. Then a man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and called out to him in a loud voice, saying, "O Muhammad, do you see the man who loves the people but cannot catch up with them?" The Prophet ﷺ replied in a similar tone, saying, "A person is with the one he loves."  

وَفَدْتُ فِي خِلَافَةِ عُثْمَانَ ؓ وَإِنَّمَا حَمَلَنِي عَلَى الْوِفَادَةِ لُقْيُ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ قَالَ فَلَقِيتُ صَفْوَانَ بْنَ عَسَّالٍ الْمُرَادِيَّ فَقُلْتُ لَقِيتَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَغَزَوْتُ مَعَهُ ثِنْتَيْ عَشَرَ غَزْوَةً فَقُلْتُ حَدِّثْنِي عَنِ الْمَسْحِ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ فَقَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا كُنَّا سَفَرًا أَوْ مُسَافِرِينَ أَنْ نَمْسَحَ عَلَى خِفَافِنَا ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ وَأَيَّامَهُنَّ مِنْ بَوْلٍ أَوْ غَائِطٍ أَوْ نَوْمٍ فَأَمَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ فَلَا قَالَ وَبَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَذَكَرَ بَابًا مِنْ قِبَلِ مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ مَسِيرَةُ عَرْضِهِ سَبْعِينَ عَامًا مَفْتُوحٌ لِلتَّوْبَةِ لَا يُغْلَقُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ قِبَلَهِ قَالَ وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يُنَادِيهِ بِصَوْتٍ لَهُ جَهْوَرِيٍّ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَرَأَيْتَ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ الْقَوْمَ وَلَمَّا يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ فَأَجَابَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِنَحْوٍ مِنْ صَوْتِهِ «الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ»  

[Machine] "What brought you here?" I said, "Seeking knowledge." He said, "No Muslim seeks knowledge except that the angels open their wings, pleased with what he is doing." I said to him, "You are a companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I have something regarding the masah on the two khuffain after answering the call of nature or relieving oneself." So tell me something if you have heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to command us, when we were on a journey or traveling, to wipe over our socks for three nights and days, without taking them off except for janabah, but not for defecation, urination or sleep." I said to him, "Did you hear him saying anything regarding desires?" He said, "Yes, we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a battle or Umrah, and when an Arab came towards his riding animal, he started calling out loudly, 'O Muhammad! O Muhammad!' So it was said to him, 'Lower your voice, for you have been commanded to do so.' He said, 'By Allah, I will not lower it until I hear it.' And he was a tall, stout man. When the Prophet ﷺ heard his voice, he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do you see a man who loves a people, but has not yet joined them?' So he did not leave until he finished speaking to us. He told me, 'The gate of repentance is opened until the sun rises from the west. It is a distance of seventy years, and it is still open until the sun rises from that direction.' And that is when 'It will not benefit a soul to believe in its faith, if it had not believed before, or had earned through its faith some good.'"  

مَا جَاءَ بِكَ؟ فَقُلْتُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْعِلْمِ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنَ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ إِلَّا تَضَعُ لَهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًى بِمَا يَفْعَلُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَإِنَّهُ حَكَّ فِي صَدْرِي شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْمَسْحِ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ بَعْدَ الْغَائِطِ وَالْبَوْلِ فَأَخْبِرْنِي بِشَيْءٍ إِنْ كُنْتَ سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا كُنَّا سَفَرًا أَوْ مُسَافِرِينَ أَنْ نمْسَحَ عَلَى خِفَافِنَا ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ وَأَيَّامَهُنَّ وَأَنْ لَا نَخْلَعَهُمَا إِلَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ وَلَكِنْ مِنْ غَائِطٍ أَوْ بَوْلٍ أَوْ نَوْمٍ» فقُلْتُ لَهُ هَلْ سَمِعْتَهُ يَقُولُ فِي الْهَوَى شَيْئًا؟ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي غَزْوَةٍ أَوْ عَمْرَةٍ فَإِذَا أَعْرَابِيٌّ قَدْ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ فِي أُخْرَيَاتِ الْقَوْمِ جَعَلَ يُنَادِي بِصَوْتٍ لَهُ جَهْوَرِيٍّ يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقِيلَ وَيْلَكَ اغْضُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ فَإِنَّكَ أُمِرْتَ بِذَلِكَ قَالَ وَاللهِ لَا أَفْعَلُ حَتَّى أَسْمَعَهُ وَإِذَا هُوَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ جَافٌّ جِلْفٌ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ صَوْتَهُ قَالَ «هَاؤُمُ» قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا وَلَمَّا يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ فَقَالَ «ذَاكَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ» فَلَمْ يَبْرَحْ يُحَدِّثُنَا حَتَّى حَدَّثَنِي «أَنَّ قِبَلَ الْمَغْرِبِ بَابًا مَفْتُوحًا لِلتَّوْبَةِ مَسِيرَةُ عَرْضِهِ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً لَا يَزَالُ مَفْتُوحًا حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ فَإِذَا طَلَعَتْ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ» فَذَاكَ حِينَ {لَا يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا}