50 — Abū Bakr Qāsim ibn Zakariyyā al-Mutarriz narrated to us, saying: Fadl ibn Sahl al-Araj narrated to us, saying: Zayd ibn al-Hubāb narrated to us, saying: Mūsā ibn ⦗350⦘ Ubayda informed me, saying: Hūd ibn Atā al-Hanafī narrated to me, from Anas ibn Mālik, who said:
There was among us a young man devoted to worship and asceticism. We described him to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him the man’s name, but he did not recognize him. While we were in this state, the man approached, so we said, “There he is, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “I can indeed see a mark of Satan upon his face.”
The man came and greeted the group with peace, and they returned his greeting. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, “Did you entertain the thought that no one in this group was better than you?”
He replied, “Yes.” He then turned away and entered the mosque.
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, “Who will kill the man?”
Abū Bakr said, “I will, O Messenger of Allah.” He entered the mosque and found the man praying. Abū Bakr said, “I found him praying, and you have forbidden us to strike those who are praying.”
He again asked, “Who will kill the man?”
Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I will, O Messenger of Allah.” He entered the mosque and found the man prostrating. He said, “Am I to kill a man who is praying, when he has forbidden us to strike those who are praying?”
He returned, and the Prophet asked him, “What happened, Umar?”
He replied, “I found him prostrating, and you have ⦗351⦘ forbidden us to strike those who are praying.”
He then asked, “Who will kill the man?”
Alī—may Allah honor his countenance—said, “I will.”
He said, “You will kill him, if you find him.”
Alī went and then returned. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, “What happened, Alī?”
He replied, “I found that he had already left.”
He said, “Indeed, had you killed him, he would have been both the first and the last of them, and no two members of my community would ever have differed.”