Sūrat al-Layl

92

His saying, the Almighty: "By the night when it covers [everything]."

19355 - Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ṭihrānī narrated to us, Ḥafṣ ibn ʿUmar al-ʿAdanī narrated to us, al-Ḥakam ibn Abān narrated to us, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās: That a man had palm trees, and among them was a palm tree whose branches hung over the house of a righteous, poor man who had a family. When the man would come and enter his house and take the fruit from his palm tree, some of the fruit would fall, and the children of the poor man would take it. So he would climb down from his palm tree and snatch the fruit from their hands; and if one of them put the fruit in his mouth, he would put his finger into the boy's throat and pull the fruit from his throat. The man complained about this to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), and he informed him of what he was experiencing from the owner of the palm tree. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said to him: "Go." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) then met the owner of the palm tree and spoke to him. A man, who had been hearing the conversation from the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and from the owner of the palm tree, followed him. The man said: "O Messenger of Allāh, if I take the palm tree—and so the palm tree becomes mine—and I give it away, will you give me a palm tree in Paradise for it?" He said: "Yes." Then the man met the owner of the palm tree—and both of them had palm trees—and said to him: "I inform you that Muḥammad has given me a palm tree in Paradise for my palm tree that leans over the house of so-and-so." I said to him: "You have indeed given it," but the fruit of it pleased me. The man remained silent regarding him, then he said to him: "Do you see yourself [doing it] if you sell it?" He said: "No, unless I am given something for it, though I do not think I shall be given it." He said: "And what has tempted you regarding it?" He said: "I give you forty palm trees for it." He said: "Bear witness for me if you are truthful." So he ordered some people, called them, and said: "Bear witness that I have given him forty of my palm trees for his palm tree whose branches hang over the house of so-and-so." Then he said: "What do you say?" The owner of the palm tree said: "I have accepted." Then he said later: "There is no sale between me and you if we do not part." He said to him: "Allāh has released you from the bargain, and you are not a fool since I gave you forty palm trees for your leaning tree." The owner of the palm tree said: "I have accepted, provided that you give me the forty [trees] as I wish." He said: "You shall have them upon a trunk." Then he waited for a moment and said: "It is yours upon a trunk." He appointed witnesses for him and counted out for him forty palm trees upon a trunk, and they parted. The man went to the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allāh, the leaning palm tree in the house of so-and-so has become mine, so it is..."