Hadith of Abu Sa'id ibn al-Mu'alla (may Allah be pleased with him)

حَدِيثُ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى، ١٧٨٥١ - حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي خَبِيبُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى، قَالَ: كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ أُجِبْهُ، حَتَّى صَلَّيْتُ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ: " مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنِي؟ " قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي، قَالَ: " أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللهُ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ، وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ} [الأنفال: ٢٤] "، ثُمَّ قَالَ: " لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ، - أَوْ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ - قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ "، قَالَ: فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ (١) يَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ، قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّكَ (٢) قُلْتَ: لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ؟ قَالَ: " نَعَمْ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي، وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ " (٣)، ،

It is narrated from Abu Saeed bin Mualla (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I was offering prayer, and by chance, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called me, but I did not come until I had completed my prayer. After that, I went to him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "What kept you from coming to me?" I replied, "I was offering prayer." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Did Allah not say: O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life?" Then he said, "Shall I not teach you the greatest Surah of the Qur'an before you leave the mosque?" When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was about to leave the mosque, I reminded him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "It is Surah Al-Fatiha. It is the seven oft-repeated verses and the Great Qur'an which has been given to me."

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي الْمُعَلَّى، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَطَبَ يَوْمًا، فَقَالَ: " إِنَّ رَجُلًا خَيَّرَهُ رَبُّهُ بَيْنَ أَنْ يَعِيشَ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَعِيشَ فِيهَا، وَيَأْكُلَ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ فِيهَا، وَبَيْنَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ، فَاخْتَارَ لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ "، قَالَ: فَبَكَى أَبُو بَكْرٍ، فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَلَا تَعْجَبُونَ مِنْ هَذَا الشَّيْخِ أَنْ ذَكَرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلًا صَالِحًا خَيَّرَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَيْنَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ وَبَيْنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَاخْتَارَ لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَعْلَمَهُمْ بِمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: بَلْ نَفْدِيكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ بِأَمْوَالِنَا، وَأَبْنَائِنَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " مَا مِنَ النَّاسِ أَحَدٌ أَمَنُّ عَلَيْنَا فِي صُحْبَتِهِ، وَذَاتِ يَدِهِ مِنْ ابْنِ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ ابْنَ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ، وَلَكِنْ وُدٌّ، وَإِخَاءُ، إِيمَانٍ، وَلَكِنْ وُدٌّ وَإِخَاءُ، إِيمَانٍ - مَرَّتَيْنِ -، وَإِنَّ صَاحِبَكُمْ خَلِيلُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ " (١)، ،

It is narrated from Abu al-Ma'la that one day the Prophet (peace be upon him) was delivering a sermon and said that Allah Almighty gave a person the choice to remain in the world as long as he wished, to eat whatever he wished, and between meeting his Lord; he chose to meet his Lord. Upon hearing this, Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) began to weep. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said, "Look at this old man! The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned a righteous man whom Allah gave the choice between the world and meeting Him, and he chose to meet his Lord?" But among us, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the one who understood the reality of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement the most. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "We are ready to offer our wealth, sons, and fathers in your place." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Among the people, in companionship and in possessions, no one has done more favors to me than Ibn Abi Quhafa (may Allah be pleased with him). If I were to take anyone as a close friend (khalil), I would have taken Ibn Abi Quhafa (may Allah be pleased with him), but here, the bond of faith and affection is sufficient." He said this sentence twice: "And your Prophet himself is Allah's close friend (khalil)."