1 – ʿAlqamah ibn Marthad narrates from Yahya ibn Yaʿmur, who said:

While I was with a companion of mine in the City of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we caught sight of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him). I said to my friend, “Shall we go to him and ask him about al-qadar (divine decree)?” He replied, “Yes.” I added, “Let me be the one to put the question, for I know him better than you do.”

So we went up to ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar, greeted him with peace, and sat down. I said, “Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman, we travel about this land, and sometimes we reach a town where people say: ‘There is no divine decree.’ How should we answer them?” He said, “Tell them that I disavow them, and that, were I to find supporters, I would fight them.”

He then began to relate to us, saying:

“While we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, together with a group of his Companions, a handsome young man approached—fair-skinned, with a full head of dark hair, pleasantly fragrant, dressed in radiant white clothes. He said, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah; peace be upon you all.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned his greeting, and we did likewise.

“He then asked, ‘May I come closer, O Messenger of Allah?’ ‘Come closer,’ he replied. The young man stepped forward a pace or two, then stood respectfully. Again he asked, ‘May I come closer, O Messenger of Allah?’ ‘Come closer,’ the Prophet said, and he advanced until his knees touched the knees of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

“He said, ‘Inform me about iman (faith).’ He replied, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Scriptures, His messengers, meeting Him, the Last Day, and that destiny—its good and its bad—is from Allah.’ The young man said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’ We were astonished that he confirmed the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and then said, ‘You have spoken the truth,’ as though he himself possessed knowledge.

“He then asked, ‘Tell me about the prescriptions of Islam; what are they?’ He answered, ‘Establishing the prayer, giving the zakah (alms-due), making pilgrimage to the House, fasting in Ramadan, and performing the ghusl (ritual bath) after major impurity.’ The young man said, ‘You have spoken the truth,’ and we marvelled again at his reply.

“He next asked, ‘Inform me about ihsan (spiritual excellence); what is it?’ He replied, ‘Excellence is to worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He certainly sees you.’ The man asked, ‘If I do that, am I a muhsin (one who has attained excellence)?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The young man said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’

“He said, ‘Now tell me about the Hour—when will it be?’ He answered, ‘The one who is questioned about it knows no more than the questioner; but it has its signs.’ Then he recited: ‘Indeed, with Allah alone is knowledge of the Hour; He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Truly Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.’ (Luqman 31:34)

“The young man said, ‘You have spoken the truth,’ and then he left while we were still watching him. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Follow that man on my behalf.’ We rose and followed him, but we did not know where he had gone, nor did we see anything. When we told the Prophet ﷺ what had happened, he said, ‘That was Gabriel; he came to teach you the fundamentals of your religion. By Allah, he has never come to me in a form without my recognising him—except for this form.’”