حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ السَّعْدِيُّ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِيَحْيَى - قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، - يَعْنُونَ ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ - أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دِينَارٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ، اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةً لاَ يَسْقُطُ وَرَقُهَا وَإِنَّهَا مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِ فَحَدِّثُونِي مَا هِيَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ فِي شَجَرِ الْبَوَادِي ‏.‏ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ ثُمَّ قَالُوا حَدِّثْنَا مَا هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِعُمَرَ قَالَ لأَنْ تَكُونَ قُلْتَ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا ‏.‏

Ibn Umar reported

We were'in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) that he said: Tell me of a tree which has resemblance to a Muslim and the leaves of which do not wither. Ibrahim said that perhaps Imam Muslim had stated like this: It constantly bears fruit but I have, however, seen [It does not bear fruit constantly]. Ibn Umar said: It crossed my mind that it could be the date-palm tree, but as I saw Aba Bakr and Umar observe silence, I did not deem it fit that I should speak or I should say something. 'Umar said: Had you said so, it would have been dearer to me than such and such thing.