Volume 8, Book 73, Number 5:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
Volume 8 – 1330 / 1700
SAHIH BUKHARI VOLUME 8 > BOOK 73: GOOD MANNERS AND FORM (AL-ADAB)
Allah’s Apostle said, “While three persons were traveling, they were overtaken by rain and they
took shelter in a cave in a mountain. A big rock fell from the mountain over the mouth of the cave
and blocked it. They said to each other. ‘Think of such good (righteous) deeds which, you did for Al –
lah’s sake only, and invoke Allah by giving reference to those deeds so that Allah may relieve you
from your difficulty. one of them said, ‘O Allah! I had my parents who were very old and I had small
children for whose sake I used to work as a shepherd. When I returned to them at night and milked
(the sheep), I used to start giving the milk to my parents first before giving to my children. And one
day I went far away in search of a grazing place (for my sheep), and didn’t return home till late at
night and found that my parents had slept. I milked (my livestock) as usual and brought the milk
vessel and stood at their heads, and I disliked to wake them up from their sleep, and I also disliked to
give the milk to my children before my parents though my children were crying (from hunger) at
my feet.
So this state of mine and theirs continued till the day dawned. (O Allah!) If you considered that I
had done that only for seeking Your pleasure, then please let there be an opening through which we
can see the sky.’ So Allah made for them an opening through which they could see the sky. Then the
second person said, ‘O Allah! I had a she-cousin whom I loved as much as a passionate man love a
woman. I tried to seduce her but she refused till I paid her one-hundred Dinars So I worked hard till
I collected one hundred Dinars and went to her with that But when I sat in between her legs (to have
sexual intercourse with her), she said, ‘O Allah’s slave! Be afraid of Allah ! Do not deflower me ex –
cept legally (by marriage contract). So I left her O Allah! If you considered that I had done that only
for seeking Your pleasure then please let the rock move a little to have a (wider) opening.’
So Allah shifted that rock to make the opening wider for them. And the last (third) person said ‘O
Allah ! I employed a laborer for wages equal to a Faraq (a certain measure: of rice, and when he had
finished his job he demanded his wages, but when I presented his due to him, he gave it up and re –
fused to take it. Then I kept on sowing that rice for him (several times) till managed to buy with the
price of the yield, some cows and their shepherd Later on the laborer came to me an said. ‘(O Allah’s
slave!) Be afraid o Allah, and do not be unjust to me an give me my due.’ I said (to him). ‘Go and take
those cows and their shepherd. So he took them and went away. (So, O Allah!) If You considered that
I had done that for seeking Your pleasure, then please remove the remaining part of the rock.’ And so
Allah released them (from their difficulty).”