Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/173)

A Jewish man also sold him something on credit, with payment due at an agreed date. He came before that date to demand payment, and the Prophet said: “The payment is not yet due.” The Jewish man said: “You are certainly slow to repay (1), O Banū Abd al-Muttalib!” His Companions were about to lay hands on the man, but he stopped them, and this only increased his forbearance. The Jewish man then said: “I had recognized in you every sign of prophethood except one that remained (2): harsh and ignorant treatment only increases his forbearance. I wanted to ascertain that sign.” The Jewish man then embraced Islam (3).

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His guidance, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning walking alone and with his Companions

When he walked, he leaned forward (4). His gait was the swiftest, most graceful, and most composed of anyone’s. Abū Hurayra said: “I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as though

(1) The plural of matūl (one who delays repayment). In ‘Ayn, it is vocalized as “la-muttal,” meaning the plural of mātil (one who delays repayment), just as rukka‘ is the plural of rāki‘ (one who bows). (2) Sād, Jīm: “baqat” (“remained”), in the dialect of Tayyi’. (3) Part of the preceding hadith. (4) This is the reading in the manuscripts and in Abū al-Shaykh’s Akhlāq al-Nabī (The Prophet’s Character), may Allah bless him and grant him peace (2:27). Ibn al-Athīr states in al-Nihāya (4:183): “It was transmitted thus without a hamza, although the original form has a hamza; some transmit it with a hamza.” Its original form is therefore “takaffa’a takaffu’an” (“he leaned forward as he walked”), as al-Fiqī printed it in his edition.

وباعه يهودي بيعًا إلى أجل، فجاءه قبل الأجل يتقاضى ثمنه، فقال: «لم يحِلَّ الأجلُ»، فقال اليهودي: إنكم لَمُطُلٌ (١) يا بني عبد المطلب، فهمَّ به أصحابُه، فنهاهم، فلم يزده ذلك إلا حلمًا. فقال اليهودي: كلُّ شيء منك قد عرفتُه من علامات النبوة، وبقيت (٢) واحدة وهي أنه لا يزيده شدَّةُ الجهل عليه إلا حلمًا، فأردتُ أن أعرفها. فأسلم اليهودي (٣). فصل في هديه ﷺ في مشيه وحده ومع أصحابه كان إذا مشى تكفَّى تكفِّيًا (٤)، وكان أسرع الناس مِشْيةً وأحسنَها وأسكنَها. قال أبو هريرة: «ما رأيتُ شيئًا أحسنَ من رسول الله ﷺ، كأن

(١) جمع مَطُول. وضبط في ع: «لَمُطَّل» يعني جمع ماطل كراكع ورُكَّع. (٢) ص، ج: «بقت» على لغة طيئ. (٣) جزء من الحديث السابق. (٤) كذا في النسخ و «أخلاق النبي ﷺ» لأبي الشيخ (٢/ ٢٧). قال ابن الأثير في «النهاية» (٤/ ١٨٣): «هكذا روي غير مهموز، والأصل الهمز، وبعضهم يرويه مهموزًا»، فأصله «تكفَّأ تكفُّؤًا» كما أثبته الفقي في نشرته.