Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2444
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى الْحِمْصِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ، عَنْ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ عُلَىٍّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ عُلَىِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُتْبَةَ بْنَ النُّدَّرِ، يَقُولُ كُنَّا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَرَأَ طسم حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ قِصَّةَ مُوسَى قَالَ " إِنَّ مُوسَى صلى الله عليه وسلم أَجَّرَ نَفْسَهُ ثَمَانِيَ سِنِينَ أَوْ عَشْرًا عَلَى عِفَّةِ فَرْجِهِ وَطَعَامِ بَطْنِهِ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn al-Musaffa al-Himsi narrated to us: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid narrated to us, from Maslamah ibn Ali, from Said ibn Abi Ayyub, from al-Harith ibn Yazid, from Ali ibn Rabah, who said: I heard Utbah ibn al-Nudr say: We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he recited Ta-Sin. When he reached the story of Moses, he said, “Moses ﷺ hired himself out for eight or ten years in exchange for preserving his chastity and providing his food.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic gives an alternative duration, eight or ten years, which is retained. The expression عفة فرجه وطعام بطنه is rendered as protection of chastity and provision of food.