حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ح و حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّی قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ قَالَ کُنْتُ أَضْرِبُ غُلَامًا لِي فَسَمِعْتُ مِنْ خَلْفِي صَوْتًا اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّی مَرَّتَيْنِ لَلَّهُ أَقْدَرُ عَلَيْکَ مِنْکَ عَلَيْهِ فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا هُوَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هُوَ حُرٌّ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَی قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّکَ لَوْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ لَلَفَعَتْکَ النَّارُ أَوْ لَمَسَّتْکَ النَّارُ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 5159
Abu Masud al-Ansari said: when I was beating a servant of mine, I heard a voice behind me saying: know, Abu Masud-Ibn al-Muthanna said: “twice”-that Allah has more power over you than you have over him. I turned round and saw that it was that it was the prophet ﷺ. I said: Messenger of Allah! He is free for Allah’s sake. He said: If you had not done it, fire would have burned you or the fire would have touched you.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020