“If he thinks well of Me, that is what he shall have; and if he thinks ill of Me, that is what he shall have.” This is an authentic chain of transmission. Its narrators are trustworthy and have biographies in al-Tahdhib, apart from Hayyan Abu al-Nadr, whom Ibn Ma'in declared trustworthy. Ibn Abi Hatim (1/2/245) related from his father that he was “sound,” and Ibn Hibban included him among the trustworthy narrators in al-Thiqat (3/48). Muhammad ibn al-Muhajir is the trustworthy Syrian Ansari narrator, not Muhammad ibn Muhajir, the weak Qurashi narrator from Kufa.
The hadith was recorded by Ibn al-Mubarak in al-Zuhd (909), and from him by al-Darimi (2/305), Ahmad (3/491 and 4/106), Ibn Hibban as well (717–718, 2393, and 2468), al-Dulabi in al-Kuna (2/137–138), and al-Hakim (4/240), through Hisham ibn al-Ghaz, from Hayyan Abu al-Nadr, with this report, except that he said: “So let him think of Me as he wishes.” Al-Hakim said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him in his Talkhis, but it contains the notation “authentic (M),” which is an error by the copyist or typesetter.
The hadith also has a corroborating report from Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet, with wording like that of Ibn al-Muhajir. It was recorded by Ahmad (2/391) and Ibn Hibban (2394), and its chain is authentic.
1664 — “Help comes from Allah in proportion to the burden, and patience comes from Allah in proportion to the trial.”
It has been reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah and Anas ibn Malik.
- As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, it has several routes. The first is through Abu al-Zinad, from al-A'raj, from Abu Hurayrah.