حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا الْمَسْعُودِيُّ عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ كَانَ فِي مَمْلَكَتِهِ فَتَفَكَّرَ فَعَلِمَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مُنْقَطِعٌ عَنْهُ وَأَنَّ مَا هُوَ فِيهِ قَدْ شَغَلَهُ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ فَتَسَرَّبَ فَانْسَابَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ قَصْرِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ فِي مَمْلَكَةِ غَيْرِهِ وَأَتَى سَاحِلَ الْبَحْرِ وَكَانَ بِهِ يَضْرِبُ اللَّبِنَ بِالْأَجْرِ فَيَأْكُلُ وَيَتَصَدَّقُ بِالْفَضْلِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى رَقِيَ أَمْرُهُ إِلَى مَلِكِهِمْ وَعِبَادَتُهُ وَفَضْلُهُ فَأَرْسَلَ مَلِكُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ فَأَعَادَ ثُمَّ أَعَادَ إِلَيْهِ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ وَقَالَ مَا لَهُ وَمَا لِي قَالَ فَرَكِبَ الْمَلِكُ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ الرَّجُلُ وَلَّى هَارِبًا فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ الْمَلِكُ رَكَضَ فِي أَثَرِهِ فَلَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ قَالَ فَنَادَاهُ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ مِنِّي بَأْسٌ فَأَقَامَ حَتَّى أَدْرَكَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَنْ أَنْتَ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ قَالَ أَنَا فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ صَاحِبُ مُلْكِ كَذَا وَكَذَا تَفَكَّرْتُ فِي أَمْرِي فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ مَا أَنَا فِيهِ مُنْقَطِعٌ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ شَغَلَنِي عَنْ عِبَادَةِ رَبِّي فَتَرَكْتُهُ وَجِئْتُ هَاهُنَا أَعْبُدُ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَالَ مَا أَنْتَ بِأَحْوَجَ إِلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ مِنِّي قَالَ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ عَنْ دَابَّتِهِ فَسَيَّبَهَا ثُمَّ تَبِعَهُ فَكَانَا جَمِيعًا يَعْبُدَانِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَدَعَوَا اللَّهَ أَنْ يُمِيتَهُمَا جَمِيعًا قَالَ فَمَاتَا قَالَ لَوْ كُنْتُ بِرُمَيْلَةِ مِصْرَ لَأَرَيْتُكُمْ قُبُورَهُمَا بِالنَّعْتِ الَّذِي نَعَتَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4312
It was narrated from ' Abdur-Rahman bin 'Abdullah that his father Ibn Mas'ood said: There was a man among those who came before you who had a kingdom; one day he thought and realised that it would come to an end and that what he had was distracting him from worshipping his Lord. So he slipped out one night from his palace and went to the kingdom of someone else. He came to the shore and stayed there, making bricks for payment, and he ate and gave the surplus in charity. He continued like that until news of him and his worship and virtue reached their king. The king sent for him but he refused to go to him. He sent for him again and he refused to go to him, saying: What have I to do with him? So the king rode (to where he was), and when the man saw him he turned and fled. When the king saw that he pursued him but could not catch up with him. He cried out: O slave of Allah, you have nothing to fear from me. So he stopped and the king caught up with him and said: Who are you, may Allah have mercy on you? He said: I am So and so, the son of So and so, the ruler of such and such. I thought about my situation and I realised that what i had would come to an end and that it was preoccupying me and distracting me from worshipping my Lord, So I left it and came here to worship my Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. He said: You arc not in greater need of what you did than me. Then he dismounted and let his mount go, and he followed him, and they stayed together, worshipping Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. They prayed to Allah and asked Him to cause them to die together, and they died (together). He said: If I was in Rumailah in Egypt i would show you their graves as described to us by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020