Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 814
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الأَشَجُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ وَرْدَانَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ ( وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً ) قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفِي كُلِّ عَامٍ فَسَكَتَ . فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفِي كُلِّ عَامٍ قَالَ " لاَ وَلَوْ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ لَوَجَبَتْ " . فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ : (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَسْأَلُوا عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ إِنْ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ ) . قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ عَلِيٍّ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ . وَاسْمُ أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عِمْرَانَ وَهُوَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ فَيْرُوزَ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us: Mansur ibn Wardan narrated to us, from Ali ibn Abd al-A'la, from his father, from Abu al-Bakhtari, from Ali ibn Abi Talib, who said: When the verse ‘Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all who can make their way to it’ was revealed, people asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, every year?’ He remained silent. They asked again, ‘Every year?’ He said, ‘No. Had I said yes, it would have become obligatory.’ Then Allah revealed: ‘Believers, do not ask about things which, if they were disclosed to you, would distress you.’
There are reports on this topic from Ibn Abbas and Abu Hurayrah. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Ali is hasan gharib through this route. Abu al-Bakhtari's name was Sa'id ibn Abi Imran, also known as Sa'id ibn Fayruz.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report says Hajj is not an annual obligation; the Prophet's silence preceded his clarification that saying yes would have made it obligatory.