Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى حَدَّثَنَا قُدَامَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَتْنِي جَسْرَةُ بِنْتُ دَجَاجَةَ أَنَّهَا انْطَلَقَتْ مُعْتَمِرَةً فَانْتَهَتْ إِلَى الرَّبَذَةِ فَسَمِعَتْ أَبَا ذَرٍّ يَقُولُ قَامَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً مِنْ اللَّيَالِي فِي صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ فَصَلَّى بِالْقَوْمِ ثُمَّ تَخَلَّفَ أَصْحَابٌ لَهُ يُصَلُّونَ فَلَمَّا رَأَى قِيَامَهُمْ وَتَخَلُّفَهُمْ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى رَحْلِهِ فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَوْمَ قَدْ أَخْلَوْا الْمَكَانَ رَجَعَ إِلَى مَكَانِهِ فَصَلَّى فَجِئْتُ فَقُمْتُ خَلْفَهُ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيَّ بِيَمِينِهِ فَقُمْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ جَاءَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَقَامَ خَلْفِي وَخَلْفَهُ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيْهِ بِشِمَالِهِ فَقَامَ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ فَقُمْنَا ثَلَاثَتُنَا يُصَلِّي كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مِنَّا بِنَفْسِهِ وَيَتْلُو مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتْلُوَ فَقَامَ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ يُرَدِّدُهَا حَتَّى صَلَّى الْغَدَاةَ فَبَعْدَ أَنْ أَصْبَحْنَا أَوْمَأْتُ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنْ سَلْهُ مَا أَرَادَ إِلَى مَا صَنَعَ الْبَارِحَةَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ بِيَدِهِ لَا أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُحَدِّثَ إِلَيَّ فَقُلْتُ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّي قُمْتَ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ وَمَعَكَ الْقُرْآنُ لَوْ فَعَلَ هَذَا بَعْضُنَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ قَالَ دَعَوْتُ لِأُمَّتِي قَالَ فَمَاذَا أُجِبْتَ أَوْ مَاذَا رُدَّ عَلَيْكَ قَالَ أُجِبْتُ بِالَّذِي لَوْ اطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ طَلْعَةً تَرَكُوا الصَّلَاةَ قَالَ أَفَلَا أُبَشِّرُ النَّاسَ قَالَ بَلَى فَانْطَلَقْتُ مُعْنِقًا قَرِيبًا مِنْ قَذْفَةٍ بِحَجَرٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَبْعَثْ إِلَى النَّاسِ بِهَذَا نَكَلُوا عَنْ الْعِبَادَةِ فَنَادَى أَنْ ارْجَعْ فَرَجَعَ وَتِلْكَ الْآيَةُ { إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ } حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ حَدَّثَنَا قُدَامَةُ الْبَكْرِيُّ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَقَالَ يَنْكُلُوا عَنْ الْعِبَادَةِ.
English Translation
Yahya told us, Qudamah ibn Abd Allah told us, Jasrah bint Dajajah told me, that she set out on Umrah and arrived at al-Rabadhah, and heard Abu Dharr say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood one night for the night prayer, and he prayed with the people, then some of his companions stayed behind to pray more. When he saw them standing and staying behind, he went off to his dwelling. Then when he saw that the people had vacated the place, he returned to his place and prayed. So I came and stood behind him, and he gestured to me with his right hand, so I stood on his right. Then Ibn Mas'ud came and stood behind me and behind him, and he gestured to him with his left hand, so he stood on his left. So the three of us stood, each man of us praying by himself and reciting from the Qur'an whatever Allah willed him to recite. Then he stood reciting one verse from the Qur'an, repeating it, until he prayed the dawn prayer. After we had reached morning, I gestured to Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud to ask him what he meant by what he did the night before. Ibn Mas'ud gestured with his hand: "I will not ask him about anything until he tells me himself." So I said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, you stood with one verse from the Qur'an while you have the whole Qur'an with you — if one of us had done this we would have been blamed for it." He said: "I supplicated for my nation." He said: "So what were you answered, or what was given back to you?" He said: "I was answered with that which, if many of them were to become aware of it even for a glimpse, they would abandon prayer." He said: "Shall I not give the people the glad tidings?" He said: "Yes." So I set off hurrying, close to a stone's throw away, when Umar said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you send this to the people, they will neglect worship." So he called out: "Come back!" So I came back. And that is the verse: {If You punish them, they are indeed Your servants, and if You forgive them, indeed You are the Almighty, the Wise}. Marwan told us, Qudamah al-Bakri told us, and he mentioned something similar, and said "they will neglect worship."