- “By Him in whose Hand is my soul! If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”
Then he departed, peace and blessings be upon him, and the people wept. Allah Most High then revealed to him: “O Muhammad, have you made My servants despair?!”
So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned and said: “Receive glad tidings, keep to the right course, and be moderate.”
Al-Bukhari recorded it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (254), and al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman (2/22/1058), through the route of al-Rabi' ibn Muslim al-Qurashi: Muhammad ibn Ziyad narrated to us from Abu Hurayrah, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came out to a group of his Companions who were laughing and conversing, and he said: …
He then mentioned it.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to Muslim’s criteria.
Ibn Hibban likewise recorded it in his Sahih (1/162/113 and 285/359), and said:
“‘Keep to the right course’ means: be those who keep to the right course. Keeping to the right course means adhering to the way of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and following his sunnahs.
His words, ‘and be moderate,’ mean: Do not impose upon yourselves such hardship that you are unable to bear. And ‘receive glad tidings’ means that Paradise is yours if you adhere to my way of keeping to the right course and are moderate in your deeds.”