21 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Abu Khaythama narrated to us; Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us; al-ʿAlaʾ Abu Muhammad al-Thaqafi narrated, saying: I heard Anas ibn Malik say:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, at Tabuk when the sun rose with beams, brilliance, and light the like of which we had never seen before. Gabriel came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he asked, ‘O Gabriel, why do I see the sun today shining with a radiance, light, and beams such as I have never seen until now?’ He replied, ‘That is because Muʿawiyah al-Laythi died in Medina today, and Allah has sent seventy thousand angels to perform the funeral prayer for him.’ He asked, ‘And what merited that for him?’ He replied, ‘He used to recite “Say, ‘He is Allah, the One’” (Surah al-Ikhlas, 112) often—night and day, while walking, standing, and sitting. Would you like me, O Messenger of Allah, to fold the earth for you so that you may pray over him?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So he offered the prayer over him and then returned.”