Sahih al-Bukhari

Sahih al-Bukhari 6144

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنِي نَافِعٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَخْبِرُونِي بِشَجَرَةٍ مَثَلُهَا مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِ، تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا، وَلاَ تَحُتُّ وَرَقَهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ وَثَمَّ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَتَكَلَّمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَلَمَّا خَرَجْتُ مَعَ أَبِي قُلْتُ يَا أَبَتَاهْ وَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ‏.‏ قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَقُولَهَا لَوْ كُنْتَ قُلْتَهَا كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا‏.‏ قَالَ مَا مَنَعَنِي إِلاَّ أَنِّي لَمْ أَرَكَ وَلاَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ تَكَلَّمْتُمَا، فَكَرِهْتُ‏.‏

Translation

Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “Tell me of a tree that resembles a Muslim: it gives its fruit at every season by the permission of its Lord, and its leaves do not fall.” I thought it was the date palm, but I did not want to speak while Abu Bakr and Umar were there. When they did not speak, the Prophet said, “It is the date palm.” After I left with my father, I said, “Father, I thought it was the date palm.” He asked, “What kept you from saying so? Had you said it, it would have been dearer to me than such-and-such.” I replied that I had not seen him or Abu Bakr speak, and so I held back.