وَعَن حَنْظَلَة بن الرّبيع الأسيدي
قَالَ: لَقِيَنِي أَبُو بكر فَقَالَ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ؟ قُلْتُ: نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا تَقُولُ؟ قُلْتُ: نَكُونُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ كَأَنَّا رَأْيُ عَيْنٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَافَسْنَا الْأَزْوَاجَ وَالْأَوْلَادَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ نَسِينَا كثيرا قَالَ أَبُو بكر: فو الله إِنَّا لَنَلْقَى مِثْلَ هَذَا فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ: نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «وَمَا ذَاكَ؟»
قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ نَكُونُ عِنْدَكَ تُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ كَأَنَّا رَأْيَ عَيْنٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ عَافَسْنَا الْأَزْوَاجَ وَالْأَوْلَادَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ نَسِينَا كَثِيرًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ تَدُومُونَ عَلَى مَا تَكُونُونَ عِنْدِي وَفِي الذِّكْرِ لَصَافَحَتْكُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةٌ وَسَاعَةٌ» ثَلَاث مَرَّات
Abu Bakr met me and asked, “How are you, Hanzala?” I replied, “Hanzala has become a hypocrite.”He said, “Praise be to God! What are you saying?” I replied, “We are with God’s messenger and he reminds us of hell and paradise making us almost seem to see them, then when we go out and leave God’s messenger we have dealings with our wives, our children and our properties and forget much.”
On hearing this Abu Bakr said, “I swear by God that I have the same kind of experience.” He and I then went to visit God’s messenger, and I said, “Hanzala has become a hypocrite, messenger of God.”
He asked what I meant by that and I replied, “Messenger of God, we are with you when you are reminding us of hell and paradise and making us almost seem to see them, then when we go out and leave you we have dealings with our wives, our children and our properties and forget much.”
God’s messenger replied, “By Him in whose hand my soul is, if you were to continue in what you have been engaged in with me and in remembering God, the angles would shake hands with you when you lie down and when you walk about; 1. but, Hanzala, there is a time for everything.” He said this three times. 1. i.e. when you are at leisure and when you are engaged in business.