حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَعْمَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ حَدَّثَنَا کَثِيرُ بْنُ شِنْظِيرٍ عَنْ عَطَائِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي حَاجَةٍ لَهُ فَانْطَلَقْتُ ثُمَّ رَجَعْتُ وَقَدْ قَضَيْتُهَا فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ فَوَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِي مَا اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي لَعَلَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَجَدَ عَلَيَّ أَنِّي أَبْطَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ فَوَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِي أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْمَرَّةِ الْأُولَی ثُمَّ سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَرَدَّ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا مَنَعَنِي أَنْ أَرُدَّ عَلَيْکَ أَنِّي کُنْتُ أُصَلِّي وَکَانَ عَلَی رَاحِلَتِهِ مُتَوَجِّهًا إِلَی غَيْرِ الْقِبْلَةِ
صحیح بخاری · Hadith 1217
Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: Allah's Apostle sent me for some job and when I had finished it I returned and came to the Prophet and greeted him but he did not return my greeting. So I felt so sorry that only Allah knows it and I said to myself,, 'Perhaps Allah's Apostle is angry because I did not come quickly, then again I greeted him but he did not reply. I felt even more sorry than I did the first time. Again I greeted him and he returned the greeting and said, "The thing which prevented me from returning the greeting was that I was praying." And at that time he was on his Rahila and his face was not towards the Qibla.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020