حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ مَوْلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَلَمَةَ يَعْنِي ابْنَ كُهَيْلٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ حَبَّةَ الْعُرَنِيِّ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ضَحِكَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ لَمْ أَرَهُ ضَحِكَ ضَحِكًا أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى بَدَتْ نَوَاجِذُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ ذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ظَهَرَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو طَالِبٍ وَأَنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ نُصَلِّي بِبَطْنِ نَخْلَةَ فَقَالَ مَاذَا تَصْنَعَانِ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي فَدَعَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَالَ مَا بِالَّذِي تَصْنَعَانِ بَأْسٌ أَوْ بِالَّذِي تَقُولَانِ بَأْسٌ وَلَكِنْ وَاللَّهِ لَا تَعْلُوَنِي اسْتِي أَبَدًا وَضَحِكَ تَعَجُّبًا لِقَوْلِ أَبِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَا أَعْتَرِفُ أَنَّ عَبْدًا لَكَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ عَبَدَكَ قَبْلِي غَيْرَ نَبِيِّكَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ لَقَدْ صَلَّيْتُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ النَّاسُ سَبْعًا
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 776
It was narrated that Habbah bin al-'Urani said: I saw 'Ali (RA) smiling on the minbar and I never saw him smile more than that, [so broadly that] his eyeteeth appeared. Then he said: I remember what Abu Talib said. Abu Talib came to us when i was with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and we were praying in Batn Nakhlah. He said: What are you two doing, O son of my brother? The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) called him to Islam, but he said: There is nothing wrong with what you are doing (or saying), but by Allah you will never get my buttocks higher than me. And ['Ali] smiled in amazement at what his father said. Then he said: O Allah, I do not know that there is a slave of Yours in this nation who worshipped You before me except Your Prophet - and he said it three times. [Then he said:] I prayed seven years before the people prayed.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020