Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 31
sahih

It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira:

We were sitting around the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Abu Bakr and Umar were also there among the audience. In the meanwhile the Messenger of Allah got up and left us, He delayed in coming back to us, which caused anxiety that he might be attacked by some enemy when we were not with him; so being alarmed we got up. I was the first to be alarmed. I, therefore, went out to look for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and came to a garden belonging to the Banu an-Najjar, a section of the Ansar went round it looking for a gate but failed to find one. Seeing a rabi' (i. e. streamlet) flowing into the garden from a well outside, drew myself together, like a fox, and slinked into (the place) where God's Messenger was. He (the Prophet) said: Is it Abu Huraira? I (Abu Huraira) replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He (the Prophet) said: What is the matter with you? replied: You were amongst us but got up and went away and delayed for a time, so fearing that you might be attacked by some enemy when we were not with you, we became alarmed. I was the first to be alarmed. So when I came to this garden, I drew myself together as a fox does, and these people are following me. He addressed me as Abu Huraira and gave me his sandals and said: Take away these sandals of mine, and when you meet anyone outside this garden who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being assured of it in his heart, gladden him by announcing that he shall go to Paradise. Now the first one I met was Umar. He asked: What are these sandals, Abu Huraira? I replied: These are the sandals of the Messenger of Allah with which he has sent me to gladden anyone I meet who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being assured of it in his heart, with the announcement that he would go to Paradise. Thereupon 'Umar struck me on the breast and I fell on my back. He then said: Go back, Abu Huraira, So I returned to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and was about to break into tears. 'Umar followed me closely and there he was behind me. The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be on him) said: What is the matter with you, Abu Huraira? I said: I happened to meet 'Umar and conveyed to him the message with which you sent me. He struck me on my breast which made me fall down upon my back and ordered me to go back. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: What prompted you to do this, 'Umar? He said: Messenger of Allah, my mother and father be sacrificed to you, did you send Abu Huraira with your sandals to gladden anyone he met and who testified that there is no god but Allah, and being assured of it in his heart, with the tidings that he would go to Paradise? He said: Yes. Umar said: Please do it not, for I am afraid that people will trust in it alone; let them go on doing (good) deeds. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Well, let them.

حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ الْحَنَفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كَثِيرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ كُنَّا قُعُودًا حَوْلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَعَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ فِي نَفَرٍ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ بَيْنِ أَظْهُرِنَا فَأَبْطَأَ عَلَيْنَا وَخَشِينَا أَنْ يُقْتَطَعَ دُونَنَا وَفَزِعْنَا فَقُمْنَا فَكُنْتُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ فَزِعَ فَخَرَجْتُ أَبْتَغِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ حَائِطًا لِلأَنْصَارِ لِبَنِي النَّجَّارِ فَدُرْتُ بِهِ هَلْ أَجِدُ لَهُ بَابًا فَلَمْ أَجِدْ فَإِذَا رَبِيعٌ يَدْخُلُ فِي جَوْفِ حَائِطٍ مِنْ بِئْرٍ خَارِجَةٍ - وَالرَّبِيعُ الْجَدْوَلُ - فَاحْتَفَزْتُ كَمَا يَحْتَفِزُ الثَّعْلَبُ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا شَأْنُكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ كُنْتَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا فَقُمْتَ فَأَبْطَأْتَ عَلَيْنَا فَخَشِينَا أَنْ تُقْتَطَعَ دُونَنَا فَفَزِعْنَا فَكُنْتُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ فَزِعَ فَأَتَيْتُ هَذَا الْحَائِطَ فَاحْتَفَزْتُ كَمَا يَحْتَفِزُ الثَّعْلَبُ وَهَؤُلاَءِ النَّاسُ وَرَائِي فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَأَعْطَانِي نَعْلَيْهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ اذْهَبْ بِنَعْلَىَّ هَاتَيْنِ فَمَنْ لَقِيتَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ هَذَا الْحَائِطِ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مُسْتَيْقِنًا بِهَا قَلْبُهُ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ ‏"‏ فَكَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ لَقِيتُ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ مَا هَاتَانِ النَّعْلاَنِ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ هَاتَانِ نَعْلاَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَنِي بِهِمَا مَنْ لَقِيتُ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مُسْتَيْقِنًا بِهَا قَلْبُهُ بَشَّرْتُهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ ‏.‏ فَضَرَبَ عُمَرُ بِيَدِهِ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَىَّ فَخَرَرْتُ لاِسْتِي فَقَالَ ارْجِعْ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَجْهَشْتُ بُكَاءً وَرَكِبَنِي عُمَرُ فَإِذَا هُوَ عَلَى أَثَرِي فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ مَا لَكَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ لَقِيتُ عُمَرَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِالَّذِي بَعَثْتَنِي بِهِ فَضَرَبَ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَىَّ ضَرْبَةً خَرَرْتُ لاِسْتِي قَالَ ارْجِعْ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا عُمَرُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّي أَبَعَثْتَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ بِنَعْلَيْكَ مَنْ لَقِيَ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مُسْتَيْقِنًا بِهَا قَلْبُهُ بَشَّرَهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ نَعَمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَلاَ تَفْعَلْ فَإِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ يَتَّكِلَ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهَا فَخَلِّهِمْ يَعْمَلُونَ ‏.‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ فَخَلِّهِمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 1, Hadith 54
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 1, Hadith 50 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The grace of Allah upon His servants is great and His mercy encompasses all things. His mercy necessitates that whoever dies believing in monotheism will enter Paradise, so a Muslim should know its meaning in a way that contradicts ignorance, for it is the key to Paradise. In this hadith, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Companions were sitting around the Prophet (ﷺ) with Abu Bakr, Umar, and others. The Prophet (ﷺ) got up and left them. He was late to the extent that they were worried that he might be attacked by some of his enemies while they were not with him. The companions were alarmed and started to look for him. Abu Hurairah was the first to be alarmed and look for him. He came to a garden owned by some tribes of Medina. When he did not find its door, he entered through a hollow in the wall, through which a stream of water was running. After he entered, the Prophet (ﷺ) gave him his shoes as a visible sign and asked him to give glad tidings of Paradise to whoever dying while certainly believing in Allah alone. A Muslim must firmly believe in this testimony without any type of doubt cast by devils or humans and act upon its required meaning. The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the heart in this context to confirm the importance of sincerity in monotheism. Once came out, Abu Hurairah met Omar who asked him about the sandals so Abu Hurairah related to him the whole story. As a result, Omar hit Abu Hurairah’s chest so he fell on his back. Omar did not want to hurt Abu Hurairah but he wanted to prevent him from reporting this hadith to people. He was afraid that people may have stuck to this testimony alone and neglected the rest of the Islamic rites. Both returned to the Prophet (ﷺ) who asked Omar about what happened with Abu Hurairah. Omar told him the whole details and asked him about the authenticity of the report that Abu Hurairah told him. Omar justified his reaction that he was afraid that people may have stuck to this testimony alone and neglected the rest of the Islamic rites. He proposed that Abu Hurairah would not inform people about this hadith, which the Prophet (ﷺ) approved. As a matter of fact, the reward mentioned in that hadith would be applicable until the Day of Resurrection. This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the Companions’ keenness and love for the Prophet (ﷺ), (2) It shows how leaders have to care about their followers’ rights and benefits and prevent what may harm them, (3) It is better to associate the important news with proof confirming it, (4) It mentions a great tiding to the people of monotheism, (5) A leader has to listen to his followers’ arguments. If the follower has the right, the leader has to stick to his opinion. Otherwise, the leader has to clear up any misunderstanding that the follower may have, (6) It is evidence of Omar’s firmness, wisdom, and understanding, (7) It shows the virtue of Abu Hurairah..
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