886 — Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd al-Sijistānī also narrated to us. He said: Abū Hafs Amr ibn Alī al-Fallās narrated to us. He said: Mu‘tamir narrated to us. He said: Ismā‘īl ibn ⦗1318⦘ Abī Khālid narrated to us, from Mujālid, from Āmir, who said: Fātima bint Qays narrated to me that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—performed the noon prayer and then ascended the pulpit, though before that day he would ascend it only on Fridays. The people found this unusual, some standing and others sitting. He motioned to them with his hand to sit down, then said:

“By Allah, I have not taken my stand here to rouse you over some matter, whether to give you hope or fill you with fear. Rather, Tamīm al-Dārī came to me and told me such joyful news that it kept me from my midday rest. I therefore wished to share your Prophet’s joy with you.

“Some paternal cousins of Tamīm al-Dārī were overtaken by a gale at sea, and the wind forced them onto an island they did not know. They boarded the ship’s boats and made their way up onto the island. There they encountered something black, long-fringed, and exceedingly hairy.

“They asked her, ‘What are you?’

“She replied, ‘I am al-Jassāsa.’

“They said, ‘Tell us.’

“She replied, ‘I shall neither tell you anything nor question you. But you have drawn near to this monastery, and within it is a man intensely eager for you to exchange news with him.’

“They made their way to him and sought permission to enter. There they found an old man tightly bound, openly displaying sorrow and complaining bitterly.

“He asked them, ‘Where have you come from?’

“They replied, ‘From al-Shām.’

“He asked, ‘How are the Arabs faring?’

“They replied, ‘We are ⦗1319⦘ Arabs ourselves. What are you asking about?’

“He asked, ‘What has become of the man who appeared among you?’

“They replied, ‘His affairs have turned out well. Some people opposed him while others believed him, and Allah—Glorious and Exalted is He—gave him victory over them.’

“He asked, ‘So their religion is one and their God is one?’

“They replied, ‘Yes.’

“He said, ‘That is better for them.’ He then asked, ‘What has become of the spring of Zughar?’

“They replied, ‘It is well. They drink from it and irrigate their crops with its water.’

“He asked, ‘What has become of the date palms between Umān and Baysān?’

“They replied, ‘They yield their harvest every year.’

“He asked, ‘What has become of Lake Tiberias?’

“They replied, ‘Its two shores overflow, and it has abundant water.’

“At that, he heaved a deep sigh, then another, then a third. He then said, ‘If I should break free from these bonds, I shall leave no land untrodden by these two feet of mine, unless it be Taybah, for I have no authority over it.’”

The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then said:

“By Him in whose hand is my soul, there is neither a narrow nor a broad road within it, nor any plain or mountain, but that an angel stands over it with sword drawn until the Day of Resurrection.”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: This hadith has been transmitted through a number of chains. Ibn Abī Dāwūd narrated it to us in “The Book of Lamps.”