688 – Thābit reports from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by me while I was playing with some other boys. He greeted us with salām, then sent me on an errand. Because of that I was late getting back to my mother. When I arrived she asked, ‘What kept you?’ I said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me on an errand.’ She said, ‘What was the errand?’ I replied, ‘It is a secret.’ She said, ‘Do not disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to anyone.’ Anas added, ‘By Allah, if I were going to tell anyone, O Thābit, I would have told you.’”
Narrated by Muslim; al-Bukhārī also records it in abridged form.

[Commentary]
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—includes under the chapter of safeguarding confidences what was transmitted by Thābit from Anas, the servant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ passed by Anas while he was playing with some children and greeted them with salām—that is, he acknowledged the boys even though they were engaged in play, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ possessed the finest character and would greet children as he walked by. He then called Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) and dispatched him on an errand, and this caused Anas to arrive late to his mother. His mother was Umm Sulaym, the wife of Abū Ṭalḥah. When Anas returned she asked, “What delayed you?” He replied, “The Prophet ﷺ sent me on an errand,” meaning he had charged him with a task. She asked, “What was his errand?” He answered, “I would never divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah…"