(1) Its full wording is: He said, “May Allah have mercy on you, Abu Bakr. Do you not fall ill? Do you not feel sadness? Do you not experience hardship? That is the recompense you receive.” It is found in al-Kamil, p. 593, and the hadith is sound by virtue of its multiple chains and corroborating reports. Al-Tirmidhi (3039) relates it through Ruh b. ‘Ubada, from Musa b. ‘Ubayda, from the freedman of Ibn Saba‘, who said: I heard ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar narrate from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq: “I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when the verse was revealed: ‘Whoever does an evil deed will be requited for it and will find no protector or helper besides Allah.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Abu Bakr, shall I recite to you a verse that has just been revealed to me?’ I replied, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He recited it to me, and I felt as though my back were about to break, so I stretched myself out. The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘What is the matter, Abu Bakr?’ I said, ‘May my father and mother be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah. Which of us has not done something wrong, and shall we be repaid for everything we have done?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘As for you, Abu Bakr, and the believers, your requital is in this world until you meet Allah free of sins; as for the others, their deeds are amassed and they will be punished for them on the Day of Resurrection.’” Musa b. ‘Ubayda is weak, and the freedman of Ibn Saba‘ is unknown. Ahmad (1/11), al-Tabari (10523, 10528), Abu Ya‘la (33–34), and al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan (3/373) transmit, through Isma‘il b. Abi Khalid, from Abu Bakr b. Abi Zuhayr, who said: “I was informed that Abu Bakr said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how can we be safe after the verse, “It is not by your wishes nor the wishes of the People of the Book; whoever does an evil deed will be requited for it”? Every evil we commit we are repaid for.’ The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘May Allah forgive you, Abu Bakr. Do you not fall ill? Do you not grow weary? Do you not feel sorrow? Do you not experience hardship?’ He said, ‘Indeed.’ The Prophet said, ‘That is the recompense you receive.’” This chain is broken, for Abu Bakr b. Abi Zuhayr was among the younger tabi‘un and is little-known, with no clear judgment regarding his reliability. Nonetheless, Ibn Hibban (1734) and al-Hakim (3/74–75) authenticated it, and al-Dhahabi agreed. Ibn Kathir cites it in his Tafsir (2/588) from Ibn Marduyah through al-Fudayl b. ‘Iyad—Sulayman b. Mihran—Muslim b. Subayh—Masruq, who said: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how severe is the verse, ‘Whoever does an evil deed will be requited for it.’” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Calamities, illnesses, and sorrows in this world are the recompense.” This chain is also broken. A similar report from ‘Aisha appears in al-Tabari (10530, 10532) through Ibn Abi Mulayka: ‘Aisha said, “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I know a verse in the Quran that is extremely severe.’ He said, ‘Which one, ‘Aisha?’ I answered, ‘This verse: “Whoever does an evil deed will be requited for it.”’ He replied, ‘It refers to whatever befalls the believing servant—even a mere stumble.’” Its chain is acceptable. Ibn Hibban includes a comparable version in his Sahih (1736) through ‘Amr b. al-Harith—Bakr b. Sawadah—Yazid b. Abi Yazid—‘Ubayd b. ‘Umayr—from ‘Aisha, and its chain is sound. Muslim records a related narration in his Sahih (2574)…