Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ عَلَى حُدُودِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالرَّاتِعِ فِيهَا وَالْمُدَّهِنِ فِيهَا مَثَلُ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا عَلَى سَفِينَةٍ فَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَاهَا وَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَسْفَلَهَا وَأَوْعَرَهَا وَإِذَا الَّذِينَ أَسْفَلَهَا إِذَا اسْتَقَوْا مِنْ الْمَاءِ مَرُّوا عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِمْ فَآذَوْهُمْ فَقَالُوا لَوْ أَنَّا خَرَقْنَا فِي نَصِيبِنَا خَرْقًا فَاسْتَقَيْنَا مِنْهُ وَلَمْ نَمُرَّ عَلَى أَصْحَابِنَا فَنُؤْذِيَهُمْ فَإِنْ تَرَكُوهُمْ وَمَا أَرَادُوا هَلَكُوا وَإِنْ أَخَذُوا عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ نَجَوْا جَمِيعًا.
English Translation
Ishaq b. Yusuf told us: Zakariyya b. Abi Za'ida told us, from al-Sha'bi, from al-Nu'man b. Bashir, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "The likeness of one who observes the limits of Allah Most High, and one who transgresses within them, and one who compromises regarding them, is that of a people who drew lots for places on a ship. Some of them got its upper part, and some got its lower part, its roughest part. Those in the lower part, whenever they wanted to draw water, would pass by their companions and disturb them, so they said, 'What if we made a hole in our own portion and drew water from it, without passing by our companions and disturbing them?' If the others leave them to do as they intended, they will perish; but if they take hold of their hands, they will all be saved."