Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِي الْمُتَوَكِّلِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ غَرَزَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ غَرْزًا ثُمَّ غَرَزَ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ آخَرَ ثُمَّ غَرَزَ الثَّالِثَ فَأَبْعَدَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا هَذَا قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ هَذَا الْإِنْسَانُ وَهَذَا أَجَلُهُ وَهَذَا أَمَلُهُ يَتَعَاطَى الْأَمَلَ وَالْأَجَلُ يَخْتَلِجُهُ دُونَ ذَلِكَ.
English Translation
Abd al-Malik ibn Amr told us, Ali ibn Ali told us, from Abu al-Mutawakkil, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, planted a stake in front of himself, then planted another beside it, then planted a third one further away. Then he said: "Do you know what this is?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "This is the human being, and this is his term of life, and this is his hope. He pursues his hope while his term snatches him away before that."