أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ التَّمِيمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَرَجَ إِلَى الْبَطْحَاءِ وَمَعَهُ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَأَقْعَدَهُ وَخَطَّ عَلَيْهِ خَطًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ لَا تَبْرَحَنَّ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَنْتَهِي إِلَيْكَ رِجَالٌ فَلَا تُكَلِّمْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَنْ يُكَلِّمُوكَ فَمَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَيْثُ أَرَادَ ثُمَّ جَعَلُوا يَنْتَهُونَ إِلَى الْخَطِّ لَا يُجَاوِزُونَهُ ثُمَّ يَصْدُرُونَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ جَاءَ إِلَيَّ فَتَوَسَّدَ فَخِذِي وَكَانَ إِذَا نَامَ نَفَخَ فِي النَّوْمِ نَفْخًا، فَبَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مُتَوَسِّدٌ فَخِذِي رَاقِدٌ إِذْ أَتَانِي رِجَالٌ كَأَنَّهُمُ الْجِمَالُ عَلَيْهِمْ ثِيَابٌ بِيضٌ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ مَا بِهِمْ مِنَ الْجَمَالِ حَتَّى قَعَدَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا بَيْنَهُمْ مَا رَأَيْنَا عَبْدًا أُوتِيَ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ هَذَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّ عَيْنَيْهِ لَتَنَامَانِ وَإِنَّ قَلْبَهُ لَيَقْظَانُ اضْرِبُوا لَهُ مَثَلًا سَيِّدٌ بَنَى قَصْرًا ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مَأْدُبَةً فَدَعَا النَّاسَ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ وَشَرَابِهِ ثُمَّ ارْتَفَعُوا وَاسْتَيْقَظَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لِي أَتَدْرِي مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ قُلْتُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ هُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ قَالَ وَهَلْ تَدْرِي مَا الْمَثَلُ الَّذِي ضَرَبُوهُ قُلْتُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ الرَّحْمَنُ بَنَى الْجَنَّةَ فَدَعَا إِلَيْهَا عِبَادَهُ فَمَنْ أَجَابَهُ دَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَمَنْ لَمْ يُجِبْهُ عَاقَبَهُ وَعَذَّبَهُ
Narrated Abu ‘Uthman An-Nahdi: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went towards ” بَطْحَا ” and Ibn Masood accompanied him. He ﷺ sat him down, then he drew a line around him. Then he ﷺ said ” Do not leave your place, for indeed there shall come some men to you, but do not speak to them and they shall also not speak to you. Ibn Masood said: “Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went to where he wanted to go, and while I was sitting within the line, some men ended up before me but they did not come past the line. Then they went towards the direction where RasoolAllah (ﷺ) went. When it was near the end of the night, RasoolAllah ﷺ came back. He placed his head on my thighs. RasoolAllah ﷺ snored when he slept. At that time when RasoolAllah ﷺ was sleeping on my thigh suddenly some men came appearing as if camels. They were wearing white clothes. Allah knows best just how handsome they were. They came towards me, and a group of them sat at the head of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and a group at his feet. Then they said to each other: ‘We have not ever seen a slave (of Allah) who was given the likes of what this Prophet has been given. He has his eyes sleeping but his heart is conscious, make for him a parable. “His parable is that of a chief who built a castle, then he placed a table-spread in it, and invited the people to eat from his food and drink.” Then they alighted and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) awoke at that time, and said: ‘I heard what they were saying. Do you know who they were?’ I said: ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ He said: ‘They were the angels. Do you know the meaning of the parable they stated?’ I said: ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ He said:”The meaning is that Ar-Rahman [Most Blessed and Most High] built Paradise, and He invited His slaves to it. Whoever replies he shall enter Paradise, and whoever does not reply, he shall be punished and tortured.”
Also in Tirmizi 2861
Grade: Isnad Hasan.
Imam Tirmizi himself has graded this hadith as Hasan Sahih Ghareeb in his Sunan.
( Chapter on the description of the Prophet ﷺ and his coming in previous books , Volume 1, Hadith No.12 Sunan Daarmi )
Note: There is some disagreement between the scholars on the reliability of Ja’far bin Maimun At Tamimi. Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani has said about him as صدوق يخطئ ( Truthful but makes mistakes). Imaam Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in Ath-Thiqaat. Both the great Huffaadh and A’immah of Jarh wa Ta’deel, i.e. Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar are agreed upon his being reliable. However, contemporary scholars such as Zubair Ali Zai have graded him as Da’if as well as seniors such as Abu Dawood, Ahmad bin Hanbal. Yahya bin Ma’een . However, Shaykh Al-Albani has defended him and believes he is مقبول (Acceptable). And Allah Knows Best.