Sunan Ibn Majah 63

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

'Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Waki' narrated to us, from Kahmas ibn al-Hasan, from 'Abdullah ibn Buraydah, from Yahya ibn Ya'mar, from Ibn 'Umar, from 'Umar, who said: We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a man came, with intensely white clothes and intensely black hair. No trace of travel could be seen on him, and none of us knew him. He sat before the Prophet, brought his knees against his knees, and placed his hands on his thighs. Then he said: Muhammad, what is Islam? He replied: To testify that there is no deity but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah; to establish prayer, give zakah, fast Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the House. He said: You have spoken truly. We were amazed: he asked him and then affirmed him. He said: Muhammad, what is faith? He replied: To believe in Allah, His angels, His messengers, His books, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil. He said: You have spoken truly. We were amazed: he asked him and then affirmed him. He said: Muhammad, what is excellence? He replied: To worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He sees you. He asked: When is the Hour? He replied: The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking. He asked: What are its signs? He replied: That a slave woman gives birth to her mistress. Waki' said: meaning that non-Arabs give birth to Arabs. And that you will see barefoot, unclothed, destitute shepherds competing in building tall structures. Then the Prophet met me three days later and said: Do you know who the man was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: That was Gabriel; he came to you to teach you the defining features of your religion.