Arabic (Original)
قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَطَاءٍ عَنْ نُعَيْمٍ الْمُجْمِرِ عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ أَخْدُمُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَقُومُ لَهُ فِي حَوَائِجِهِ نَهَارِي أَجْمَعَ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْعِشَاءَ الْآخِرَةَ فَأَجْلِسَ بِبَابِهِ إِذَا دَخَلَ بَيْتَهُ أَقُولُ لَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَحْدُثَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَاجَةٌ فَمَا أَزَالُ أَسْمَعُهُ يَقُولُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ حَتَّى أَمَلَّ فَأَرْجِعَ أَوْ تَغْلِبَنِي عَيْنِي فَأَرْقُدَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي يَوْمًا لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ خِفَّتِي لَهُ وَخِدْمَتِي إِيَّاهُ سَلْنِي يَا رَبِيعَةُ أُعْطِكَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ أَنْظُرُ فِي أَمْرِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أُعْلِمُكَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَفَكَّرْتُ فِي نَفْسِي فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا مُنْقَطِعَةٌ زَائِلَةٌ وَأَنَّ لِي فِيهَا رِزْقًا سَيَكْفِينِي وَيَأْتِينِي قَالَ فَقُلْتُ أَسْأَلُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِآخِرَتِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالْمَنْزِلِ الَّذِي هُوَ بِهِ قَالَ فَجِئْتُ فَقَالَ مَا فَعَلْتَ يَا رَبِيعَةُ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَشْفَعَ لِي إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَيُعْتِقَنِي مِنْ النَّارِ قَالَ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَمَرَكَ بِهَذَا يَا رَبِيعَةُ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَا وَاللَّهِ الَّذِي بَعَثَكِ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَكِنَّكَ لَمَّا قُلْتَ سَلْنِي أُعْطِكَ وَكُنْتَ مِنْ اللَّهِ بِالْمَنْزِلِ الَّذِي أَنْتَ بِهِ نَظَرْتُ فِي أَمْرِي وَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا مُنْقَطِعَةٌ وَزَائِلَةٌ وَأَنَّ لِي فِيهَا رِزْقًا سَيَأْتِينِي فَقُلْتُ أَسْأَلُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِآخِرَتِي قَالَ فَصَمَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ طَوِيلًا ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ فَأَعِنِّي عَلَى نَفْسِكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ.
English Translation
He said: Ya'qub told us: My father told us, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Ata' told me, from Nu'aym al-Mujmir, from Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b, who said: I used to serve the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and attend to his needs throughout the day, until the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed the last night prayer, then I would sit by his door when he entered his house, saying: Perhaps some need may arise for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I would keep hearing the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: Glory be to Allah, glory be to Allah, glory be to Allah and praise be to Him, until I grew weary and went back, or my eyes overcame me and I slept. He said: One day he said to me, on account of what he saw of my devotion to him and my service to him: Ask me, O Rabi'ah, and I will give you. He said: I said: Let me consider my situation, O Messenger of Allah, then I will inform you of that. He said: So I reflected within myself and realized that this world comes to an end and passes away, and that I have a provision in it that will suffice me and come to me. He said: So I said: I will ask the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for my Hereafter, for he holds with Allah, Mighty and Majestic, the station that he holds. He said: So I came, and he said: What have you decided, O Rabi'ah? I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah, I ask you to intercede for me with your Lord, that He may free me from the Fire. He said: Who commanded you to say this, O Rabi'ah? I said: No, by Him who sent you with the truth, no one commanded me to say it, but when you said Ask me and I will give you, and you hold with Allah the station that you hold, I considered my situation and realized that this world comes to an end and passes away, and that I have a provision in it that will come to me, so I said I will ask the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for my Hereafter. He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, remained silent for a long while, then said to me: I shall do so; so help me on your behalf by prostrating much.