[Machine] Narrated Qatadah and Hammad, they said: "We heard them saying, 'We heard them saying that Ibn Mas'ud used to say: "Verily, Umar ibn al-Khattab was a strong fortress for Islam; he would enter into Islam and would never leave it. But when Umar died, a part of the fortress was demolished, and he would come out of it and would not enter into it again. And whenever he would take a pathway, we would find it easy. And when the righteous were mentioned, he would warmly greet Umar, and he was the distinction between increase and decrease. By Allah, I wish that I could serve someone like him until I die."  

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ وَحَمَّادٍ قَالَا سَمِعْتَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ سَمِعَهُمَا يَقُولَانِ كَانَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ «إِنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ كَانَ حِصْنًا حَصِينًا لِلْإِسْلَامِ يُدْخَلُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ وَلَا يُخْرَجُ مِنْهُ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ عُمَرُ انْثَلَمَ مِنَ الْحِصْنِ ثُلْمَةُ فَهُوَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ وَلَا يَدْخُلُ فِيهِ وَكَانَ إِذَا سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا وَجَدْنَاهُ سَهْلًا فَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الصَّالِحُونَ فَحَيَّ هَلَا بِعُمَرَ كَانَ فَصْلَ مَا بَيْنَ الزِّيَادَةِ وَالنُّقْصَانِ وَاللهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي أَخْدُمُ مِثْلَهُ حَتَّى أَمُوتَ»