قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَعْمَرَ، وَحُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحِمْيَرِيِّ، قَالَا لَقِينَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ فَذَكَرْنَا الْقَدَرَ وَمَا يَقُولُونَ فِيهِ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقُولُوا إِنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ مِنْكُمْ بَرِيءٌ وَأَنْتُمْ مِنْهُ بُرَآءُ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُمْ بَيْنَا هُمْ جُلُوسٌ أَوْ قُعُودٌ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي حَسَنُ الْوَجْهِ حَسَنُ الشَّعْرِ عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُ بَيَاضٍ فَنَظَرَ الْقَوْمُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ مَا نَعْرِفُ هَذَا وَمَا هَذَا بِصَاحِبِ سَفَرٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آتِيكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَجَاءَ فَوَضَعَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ عِنْدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَيَدَيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا الْإِسْلَامُ قَالَ شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ قَالَ فَمَا الْإِيمَانُ قَالَ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَالْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ وَالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْقَدَرِ كُلِّهِ قَالَ فَمَا الْإِحْسَانُ قَالَ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ لِلَّهِ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ قَالَ فَمَتَى السَّاعَةُ قَالَ مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنْ السَّائِلِ قَالَ فَمَا أَشْرَاطُهَا قَالَ إِذَا الْعُرَاةُ الْحُفَاةُ الْعَالَةُ رِعَاءُ الشَّاءِ تَطَاوَلُوا فِي الْبُنْيَانِ وَوَلَدَتْ الْإِمَاءُ رَبَّاتِهِنَّ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ عَلَيَّ الرَّجُلَ فَطَلَبُوهُ فَلَمْ يَرَوْا شَيْئًا فَمَكَثَ يَوْمَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ أَتَدْرِي مَنْ السَّائِلُ عَنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ ذَاكَ جِبْرِيلُ جَاءَكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ قَالَ وَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ أَوْ مُزَيْنَةَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا نَعْمَلُ أَفِي شَيْءٍ قَدْ خَلَا أَوْ مَضَى أَوْ فِي شَيْءٍ يُسْتَأْنَفُ الْآنَ قَالَ فِي شَيْءٍ قَدْ خَلَا أَوْ مَضَى فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أَوْ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا نَعْمَلُ قَالَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ يُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ يُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ قَالَ يَحْيَى قَالَ هُوَ هَكَذَا يَعْنِي كَمَا قَرَأْتَ عَلَيَّ‏.‏

We met 'Abdullah bin 'Umar and discussed the divine decree (al qadar) and what others said concerning it. He said: When you go back to them, say; Ibn ‘Umar has nothing to do with you and you have nothing to do with him - three times. Then he said: ‘Umar bin al Khattab رضي الله عنه ­­ told me that whilst they were sitting with the Prophet ﷺ ­, a man came to him walking, with a handsome face and hair, wearing white clothes. The people looked at one another (as if to say): We do not know this man and he does not look like a traveller. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , shall I come to you? He said: `Yes.` So he came and put his knees against his knees and his hands on his thighs and said: What is Islam? He said: `To testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , to establish regular prayer, to give zakah, to fast Ramadan and to go on pilgrimage to the House.` He said: What is faith (eeman)? He said: “To believe in Allah, His angels, Paradise and Hell, resurrection after death and the divine decree, all of it.” He said: What is ihsan? He said: `To strive for the sake of Allah as if you see Him, and even though you do not see Him, He sees you.` He said: When will the Hour come? He said: `The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.” He said: What are its portents? He said: `When the destitute, barefoot, naked shepherds compete in constructing lofty buildings, and the slave women give birth to their masters.” Then he said: `Call the man to me.” They looked for him but they saw no trace of him. Two or three days passed, then he said: “O Ibn al­ Khattab, do you know who that was who asked about such and such?” He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: `That was Jibreel who came to teach you your religion.` A man from Juhainah or Muzainah asked him: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , what are we striving for? Is it something that is already decided or is it something that is evolving right now? He said:`For some-­thing that is already decided.` The man or one of the people said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , then why should we strive? He said: “The people of Paradise will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Paradise and the people of Hell will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Hell.` Yahya said: And that is how it is.