Hadith #247

Arabic Text

English Translation

It was narrated from 'Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) — via Yazid ibn Harun, from al-Mas'udi, from Simak ibn Harb, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abdillah, from his father Ibn Mas'ud — 'There was once a man among those who came before you. While in his kingdom, he reflected and realized that it would end for him and that what he was in had distracted him from worshipping his Lord. So one night he slipped away from his palace and found himself in another kingdom's land. He went to the seashore and made bricks for wages — he ate and gave the surplus in charity. He remained like that until news of him, his devotion, and his virtue reached that kingdom's king. The king sent for him to come, but he refused. The king sent again and again, but he refused, saying: What does he need from me or I from him? So the king rode out himself. When the man saw him, he turned and fled. When the king saw this, he galloped after him but could not catch him. He called out: O servant of Allah, I mean you no harm. He stopped until [the king] caught up. [The king] said: Who are you — may Allah have mercy on you? He said: I am so-and-so son of so-and-so, ruler of such-and-such kingdom. I reflected on my situation and realized that what I was in would end for me and had distracted me from worshipping my Lord. So I left it and came here to worship my Lord (عز وجل). [The king] said: You are no more in need of what you have done than I am. He then dismounted from his animal and released it, then followed him. The two of them worshipped Allah (عز وجل) together. They prayed to Allah that He would take them both at the same time — and they died [together]. [Ibn Mas'ud] said: If I were at Rumaylat Misr [a place in Egypt], I would show you their graves — by the very description the Messenger of Allah ﷺ described to us.''