Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ ضَمْضَمِ بْنِ زُرْعَةَ قَالَ شُرَيْحُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ مَرِضَ ثَوْبَانُ بِحِمْصَ وَعَلَيْهَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ قُرْطٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ فَلَمْ يَعُدْهُ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى ثَوْبَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْكَلَاعِيِّينَ عَائِدًا فَقَالَ لَهُ ثَوْبَانُ أَتَكْتُبُ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ اكْتُبْ فَكَتَبَ لِلْأَمِينِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ قُرْطٍ مِنْ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ لِمُوسَى وَعِيسَى مَوْلًى بِحَضْرَتِكَ لَعُدْتَهُ ثُمَّ طَوَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَالَ لَهُ أَتُبَلِّغُهُ إِيَّاهُ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فَانْطَلَقَ الرَّجُلُ بِكِتَابِهِ فَدَفَعَهُ إِلَى ابْنِ قُرْطٍ فَلَمَّا قَرَأَهُ قَامَ فَزِعًا فَقَالَ النَّاسُ مَا شَأْنُهُ أَحَدَثَ أَمْرٌ فَأَتَى ثَوْبَانَ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَعَادَهُ وَجَلَسَ عِنْدَهُ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَامَ فَأَخَذَ ثَوْبَانُ بِرِدَائِهِ وَقَالَ اجْلِسْ حَتَّى أُحَدِّثَكَ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ لَيَدْخُلَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا لَا حِسَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا عَذَابَ مَعَ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا.
English Translation
Abu al-Yaman narrated to us, Isma'il ibn 'Ayyash narrated to us, from Damdam ibn Zur'ah, Shurayh ibn 'Ubayd said: Thawban fell ill in Hims while 'Abdullah ibn Qurt al-Azdi was its governor, but he did not visit him. A man from the Kala'iyyin entered upon Thawban to visit him, and Thawban said to him: "Can you write?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Write." So he wrote: "To the trustworthy one, 'Abdullah ibn Qurt, from Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). To proceed: Had Musa and 'Isa had a freed slave in your vicinity, you would have visited him." Then he folded the letter and said to him: "Will you deliver it to him?" He said: "Yes." So the man went with his letter and delivered it to Ibn Qurt. When he read it, he stood up in alarm. The people said: "What is the matter? Has something happened?" He went to Thawban and entered upon him, visited him, and sat with him for a while. Then he stood up, and Thawban took hold of his cloak and said: "Sit down so I may narrate to you a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I heard him saying: 'Seventy thousand from my ummah shall enter Paradise without reckoning and without punishment, and with every thousand, another seventy thousand.'"