حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ
أَنَّ رَجُلا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ كَانَ اسْمُهُ زَاهِرًا، وَكَانَ يُهْدِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، هَدِيَّةً مِنَ الْبَادِيَةِ، فَيُجَهِّزُهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّ زَاهِرًا بَادِيَتُنَا وَنَحْنُ حَاضِرُوهُ وَكَانَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحِبُّهُ وَكَانَ رَجُلا دَمِيمًا، فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَوْمًا وَهُوَ يَبِيعُ مَتَاعَهُ وَاحْتَضَنَهُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ وَهُوَ لا يُبْصِرُهُ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا؟
أَرْسِلْنِي فَالْتَفَتَ فَعَرَفَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَجَعَلَ لا يَأْلُو مَا أَلْصَقَ ظَهْرَهُ بِصَدْرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ عَرَفَهُ، فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَقُولُ: مَنْ يَشْتَرِي هَذَا الْعَبْدَ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِذًا وَاللَّهِ تَجِدُنِي كَاسِدًا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَكِنْ عِنْدَ اللهِ لَسْتَ بِكَاسِدٍ أَوْ قَالَ: أَنتَ عِنْدَ اللهِ غَالٍ»
“There was a man among the people of the desert — his name was Zahir — and he used to bring the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) a present from the desert, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would equip him when he wished to go out to battle.
‘The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): ‘Zahir is our desert, and we are his towns’. He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to love him, though he was a homely man, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came to him one day while he was selling his wares, and embraced him from behind so that he couldn’t see who it was.
So he said: ‘Who is this? Let go of me!’ Then he turned around and recognized the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Once he recognized the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), he kept his back pressed to the Prophet’s chest, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) proceeded to say: ‘Who will buy this slave?’
The man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, in that case, by Allah, you will find me an unsellable commodity!’ The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): ‘But you are not an unsaleable commodity in the view of Allah),’ or he said: ‘You are precious to Allah!’’”