حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَقُ بْنُ مُوسَی الْأَنْصَارِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِکٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ مِنْ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةً لَا يَسْقُطُ وَرَقُهَا وَهِيَ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ حَدِّثُونِي مَا هِيَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ فِي شَجَرِ الْبَوَادِي وَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَحَدَّثْتُ عُمَرَ بِالَّذِي وَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي فَقَالَ لَأَنْ تَکُونَ قُلْتَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَکُونَ لِي کَذَا وَکَذَا قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَی هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَفِي الْبَاب عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
جامع ترمذی · Hadith 2867
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Indeed there is a tree that does not shed its foilage, and it is is similar to the believer. Can any of you tell me what it is? 'Abdullah said: The people started thinking about the trees of the desert. And it occurred to me that it may be the date-palm. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said: It is the date-palm. But I was shy - meaning to say anything. 'Abdullah said: So I informed 'Umar about what I had thought of, and he said: 'If you had said it, that would be more beloved to me than this or that.'
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020