glory be to my Lord and praise be to Him—glory be to the Lord of all worlds.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said to me, “Do you have any need?”
I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, [I ask for] your companionship in Paradise.”
He said, “Then help me concerning yourself by making many prostrations.”
Imam Aḥmad also related: Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us, from his father, from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, who said: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAṭāʾ told me, from Nuʿaym ibn Mujmir, from Rabiʿah ibn Kaʿb, who said:
I used to serve the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the entire day, up to the time he performed the last night prayer. When he entered his house I would sit at his door, saying to myself, “Perhaps the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will still need something.” I would continue to hear him say, “Glory be to Allah, glory be to Allah and praise be to Him,” until I grew tired and went back, or sleep overcame my eyes and I nodded off.
One day—when he observed my eagerness and devotion in serving him—he said, “O Rabiʿah ibn Kaʿb, ask of me and I shall grant it to you.”
I said, “Let me consider the matter, O Messenger of Allah, and I will inform you.”
So I reflected and realized that this world is fleeting and soon to vanish, and that my share of provision in it will reach me regardless. I therefore decided to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for something related to the Hereafter, knowing the rank he enjoys with Allah.
I came to him and he asked, “What have you decided, O Rabiʿah?”
I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah, I ask you to intercede with your Lord so that He frees me from the Fire.”
He said, “Who advised you to make this request, O Rabiʿah?”
I replied, “By Allah who sent you with the truth, no one advised me. But when you said, ‘Ask me and I will grant it,’ and considering the station you hold with Allah, I pondered my situation and realized that this world is passing away and that my provision in it will surely reach me; so I chose to ask the Messenger of Allah for my Hereafter.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then remained silent for a long while, after which he said, “I shall do so—but assist me regarding yourself by making frequent prostrations.”
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Yaʿlā likewise reported: Abū Khaythamah narrated to us, Yazīd ibn Hārūn told us, Mubārak ibn Faḍālah narrated to us