حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو حَمْزَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ غُلَامًا أَسْعَى مَعَ الصِّبْيَانِ قَالَ فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَلْفِي مُقْبِلًا فَقُلْتُ مَا جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَّا إِلَيَّ قَالَ فَسَعَيْتُ حَتَّى أَخْتَبِئَ وَرَاءَ بَابِ دَارٍ قَالَ فَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ حَتَّى تَنَاوَلَنِي قَالَ فَأَخَذَ بِقَفَايَ فَحَطَأَنِي حَطْأَةً قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَادْعُ لِي مُعَاوِيَةَ وَكَانَ كَاتِبَهُ قَالَ فَسَعَيْتُ فَقُلْتُ أَجِبْ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّهُ عَلَى حَاجَةٍ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2651
Abu Jamrah told us: I heard Ibn 'Abbas (RA) say: I was a boy playing with other boys; I turned around and saw the Prophet of Allah (PBUH) coming towards me. I said: The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) is only coming to me, so I ran and hid behind a door. But suddenly he grabbed me by the back of the neck and gave me a slap between the shoulders and said: "Go and call Mu'awiyah for me" - as he was his scribe. So I ran and said: Go to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): he wants to talk to you.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020