Arabic (Original)
قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوبُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْعَبْلِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُبَيْدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ مَوْلَى الْحَكَمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَاصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو عَنْ أَبِي مُوَيْهِبَةَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا مُوَيْهِبَةَ إِنِّي قَدْ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَسْتَغْفِرَ لِأَهْلِ الْبَقِيعِ فَانْطَلِقْ مَعِي فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُ فَلَمَّا وَقَفَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ قَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا أَهْلَ الْمَقَابِرِ لِيَهْنِ لَكُمْ مَا أَصْبَحْتُمْ فِيهِ مِمَّا أَصْبَحَ فِيهِ النَّاسُ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا نَجَّاكُمْ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ أَقْبَلَتْ الْفِتَنُ كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يَتْبَعُ أَوَّلُهَا آخِرَهَا الْآخِرَةُ شَرٌّ مِنْ الْأُولَى قَالَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا مُوَيْهِبَةَ إِنِّي قَدْ أُوتِيتُ مَفَاتِيحَ خَزَائِنِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْخُلْدَ فِيهَا ثُمَّ الْجَنَّةَ وَخُيِّرْتُ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ وَبَيْنَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْجَنَّةِ قَالَ قُلْتُ بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي فَخُذْ مَفَاتِيحَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْخُلْدَ فِيهَا ثُمَّ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا أَبَا مُوَيْهِبَةَ لَقَدْ اخْتَرْتُ لِقَاءَ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْجَنَّةَ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرَ لِأَهْلِ الْبَقِيعِ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ فَبُدِئَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي وَجَعِهِ الَّذِي قَضَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ حِينَ أَصْبَحَ.
English Translation
Ya'qub narrated to me: My father narrated to me, from Muhammad b. Ishaq: Abdullah b. Umar al-Abli narrated to me: Ubayd b. Jubayr, freedman of al-Hakam b. Abi al-As, narrated to me, from Abdullah b. Amr, from Abu Muwayhibah, freedman of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent for me in the depth of the night and said, "O Abu Muwayhibah, I have been commanded to seek forgiveness for the people of al-Baqi'; come with me." So I went with him, and when he stood among them he said, "Peace be upon you, O people of the graves; may what you have reached this morning be a blessing to you, compared to what the people have reached this morning. If you knew what Allah has spared you from! The trials have come like segments of a dark night, the first following the last, the last worse than the first." He said: Then he turned to me and said, "O Abu Muwayhibah, I have been given the keys to the treasures of this world and eternal life in it, then Paradise; and I have been given the choice between that and meeting my Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and Paradise." I said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you — take the keys of this world and eternal life in it, then Paradise." He said, "No, by Allah, O Abu Muwayhibah, I have chosen to meet my Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and Paradise." Then he sought forgiveness for the people of al-Baqi' and returned; and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was struck that morning with the illness which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, had decreed for him.