It was also recorded by al-Bukhari and al-Nasāʾī.
Ahmad, in his Musnad, narrated: Abu al-Mughīra related to us; Muʿān ibn Rifāʿah related to us; ʿAlī ibn Yazīd told me, from al-Qāsim, from Abu Umāmah, who said:
“We sat with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He admonished us and softened our hearts, whereupon Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās wept profusely.
He exclaimed, ‘If only I had died!’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘O Saʿd, would you wish for death while you are with me?’
He repeated this three times, then added, ‘O Saʿd, if you were created for Paradise, then a long life or righteous deeds—whichever Allah grants you—is better for you.’ (1)
Muhammad ibn al-Walīd al-Busrī narrated: Yahyā ibn Saʿīd told us, from Ismāʿīl, from Qays, who informed me on the authority of Saʿd:
that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘O Allah, answer Saʿd whenever he calls upon You.’ (2)
Jaʿfar ibn ʿAwn also transmitted it, from Ismāʿīl, from Qays, that the Prophet ﷺ uttered this supplication.
= Ibn Ibrahim related to us, from al-Jaid, from Aisha bint Saʿd, who said that her father reported: “I fell seriously ill in Makka, and the Prophet ﷺ came to visit me.
I said, ‘O Prophet of God, I have assets and only one daughter. May I bequeath two-thirds of my wealth and leave one-third?’ He replied, ‘No.’
I said, ‘Then may I bequeath half and leave half?’ He replied, ‘No.’
I said, ‘Then may I bequeath a third and leave two-thirds?’ He replied, ‘A third—and a third is still much.’
He then placed his hand on my forehead, wiped his hand over my face and abdomen, and said, ‘O Allah, heal Saʿd and complete his migration for him.’
I have continued to feel the coolness of his hand upon my liver—so it seems to me—until this very hour.”
It is also cited in the book al-Marḍa, chapter “The supplication of the visitor to the sick.”
Al-Nasaʾi 6/241 records it in the section on bequests, “The bequest of one-third,” and Muslim (1628) transmits it through several chains, both abridged and detailed.
Ahmad 1/168 records it through the chain: Ayyub → ʿAmr b. Saʿid → Humayd b. ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Humayri → three of Saʿd’s children → Saʿd …
(1) Ahmad 5/267 also records it, but the isnad is weak because of the weakness of ʿAli b. Zayd, known as al-Ilahani.
(2) This isnad is sound.
It is further transmitted by al-Tirmidhi (3725) in al-Manaqib, “The merits of Saʿd b. Abi Waqqas,” by Ibn Hibban (2215), and by al-Hakim 3/499, who declared it sound, an assessment endorsed by al-Dhahabi.
Al-Haythami cites it in Majmaʿ al-Zawaʾid 9/153, attributes it to al-Bazzar, and notes that its narrators are those of the authentic collections.