Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ مَرَّتَيْنِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزَّعْرَاءِ عَمْرُو بْنُ عَمْرٍو عَنْ عَمِّهِ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَعَّدَ فِيَّ النَّظَرَ وَصَوَّبَ وَقَالَ أَرَبُّ إِبِلٍ أَنْتَ أَوْ رَبُّ غَنَمٍ قَالَ مِنْ كُلٍّ قَدْ آتَانِي اللَّهُ فَأَكْثَرَ وَأَطْيَبَ قَالَ فَتُنْتِجُهَا وَافِيَةً أَعْيُنُهَا وَآذَانُهَا فَتَجْدَعُ هَذِهِ فَتَقُولُ صَرْمَاءَ ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ سُفْيَانُ بِكَلِمَةٍ لَمْ أَفْهَمْهَا وَتَقُولُ بَحِيرَةَ اللَّهِ فَسَاعِدُ اللَّهِ أَشَدُّ وَمُوسَاهُ أَحَدُّ وَلَوْ شَاءَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكَ بِهَا صَرْمَاءَ أَتَاكَ قُلْتُ إِلَى مَا تَدْعُو قَالَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَى الرَّحِمِ قُلْتُ يَأْتِينِي الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَنِي عَمِّي فَأَحْلِفُ أَنْ لَا أُعْطِيَهُ ثُمَّ أُعْطِيهِ قَالَ فَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ عَبْدَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا يُطِيعُكَ وَلَا يَخُونُكَ وَلَا يَكْذِبُكَ وَالْآخَرُ يَخُونُكَ وَيَكْذِبُكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَا بَلْ الَّذِي لَا يَخُونُنِي وَلَا يَكْذِبُنِي وَيَصْدُقُنِي الْحَدِيثَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ قَالَ كَذَاكُمْ أَنْتُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
English Translation
Sufyan b. Uyayna narrated to us twice, who said: Abu al-Za'ra' Amr b. Amr narrated to us, from his uncle Abu al-Ahwas, from his father, who said: "I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he looked me up and down, and said: 'Are you an owner of camels, or an owner of sheep?' I said: 'Of both - Allah has granted me abundantly and of good quality.' He said: 'Do they give birth to you with intact ears and eyes, and then you slit this one's ear and call her slit-eared? Then Sufyan spoke a word I did not understand, and you say: this is Allah's Bahira (a she-camel devoted and freed by pagan custom)? Yet the hand of Allah is stronger, and His blade is sharper, and if He willed to bring it to you already slit-eared, He would have brought it to you so.'" I said: "To what do you call?" He said: "To Allah and to ties of kinship." I said: "A man from among my cousins comes to me, and I swear I will not give to him, then I give to him." He said: "Then expiate for your oath, and do that which is better. Consider: if you had two slaves, one of whom obeys you and does not betray you and does not lie to you, and the other betrays you and lies to you" - He said: "I said: 'No, rather the one who does not betray me nor lie to me, and tells me the truth, is more beloved to me.'" He said: "That is how you are with your Lord, Mighty and Majestic."