“And turn not
away
those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon...” up to His
saying: “...and thus become of the unjust.” He said:
“Aqra’ bin
Habis At-Tamimi and ‘Uyainah bin Hisn Al-Fazri came
and found the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with Suhaib, Bilal, ‘Ammar
and Khabbab,
sitting with some of the believers who were weak (i.e.,
socially).
When they saw them around the Prophet (ﷺ) they looked
down on them.
They took him aside and said: ‘We want you to sit
with us along, so
that the ‘Arabs will recognize our superiority.
If the delegations of
the Arabs come to you we will feel ashamed if
the Arabs see us with
these slaves. So, when we come to you, make
them get up from your
presence, then when we have finished, sit with
them if you wish.’ He
said: ‘Yes.’ They said: ‘Write a
document for us (binding you to
that).’ So he called for a piece of
paper and he called ‘Ali to write,
and we were sitting in a corner.
Then Jibra’il (as), came down and
said: “And turn not away those
who invoke their Lord, morning and
afternoon seeking His Face. You
are accountable for them in nothing,
and they are accountable for you
in nothing, that you may turn them
away, and thus become of the
unjust.” Then he mentioned Aqra’
bin Habis and ‘Uyaynah
bin Hisn, then he said: “Thus We have tried
some of them with
others, that they might say: ‘Is it these (poor
believers) whom
Allah has favored from amongst us?’ Does not Allah
know best those
who are grateful.” Then he said: “When those
who believe
in Our Ayat come to you, say: Salamun ‘Alaykum (peace be
on you);
your Lord has written (prescribed) mercy for Himself”.”
He
said: “Then we got so close to him that our knees were
touching
his, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting with us.
When he
wanted to get up, he stood up and left us. Then Allah
revealed: “And
keep yourself patiently with those who call on their
Lord morning and
afternoon, seeking His Face; and let not your eyes
overlook them,”
– and do not sit with the nobles – “desiring the pomp
and
glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We
have made heedless of Our remembrance,” – meaning ‘Uyainah and
Aqra’ –
“and who follows his own lusts, and those affair
(deeds) has been
lost” He said: ‘May they be doomed.’
He said: ‘May ‘Uyainah
and Aqra’ be doomed.’ Then he made the
parable for them of two men and
the parable of this world. Khabbab
said: “We used to sit with the
Prophet (ﷺ) and if the time came
for him to leave, we would get up
and leave him, then he would
leave.”
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 37, Hadith 28