Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ عَنِ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي السَّلِيلِ عَنْ نُعَيْمِ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ الرِّيَاحِيِّ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ فَلَمْ أَجِدْهُ وَرَأَيْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ فَسَأَلْتُهَا فَقَالَتْ هُوَ ذَاكَ فِي ضَيْعَةٍ لَهُ فَجَاءَ يَقُودُ أَوْ يَسُوقُ بَعِيرَيْنِ قَاطِرًا أَحَدَهُمَا فِي عَجُزِ صَاحِبِهِ فِي عُنُقِ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا قِرْبَةٌ فَوَضَعَ الْقِرْبَتَيْنِ قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ مَا كَانَ مِنْ النَّاسِ أَحَدٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَلْقَاهُ مِنْكَ وَلَا أَبْغَضَ أَنْ أَلْقَاهُ مِنْكَ قَالَ لِلَّهِ أَبُوكَ وَمَا يَجْمَعُ هَذَا قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنِّي كُنْتُ وَأَدْتُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَكُنْتُ أَرْجُو فِي لِقَائِكَ أَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي أَنَّ لِي تَوْبَةً وَمَخْرَجًا وَكُنْتُ أَخْشَى فِي لِقَائِكَ أَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي أَنَّهُ لَا تَوْبَةَ لِي فَقَالَ أَفِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ ثُمَّ عَاجَ بِرَأْسِهِ إِلَى الْمَرْأَةِ فَأَمَرَ لِي بِطَعَامٍ فَالْتَوَتْ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَمَرَهَا فَالْتَوَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى ارْتَفَعَتْ أَصْوَاتُهُمَا قَالَ إِيهٍ دَعِينَا عَنْكِ فَإِنَّكُنَّ لَنْ تَعْدُونَ مَا قَالَ لَنَا فِيكُنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قُلْتُ وَمَا قَالَ لَكُمْ فِيهِنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ الْمَرْأَةُ ضِلَعٌ فَإِنْ تَذْهَبْ تُقَوِّمُهَا تَكْسِرْهَا وَإِنْ تَدَعْهَا فَفِيهَا أَوَدٌ وَبُلْغَةٌ فَوَلَّتْ فَجَاءَتْ بِثَرِيدَةٍ كَأَنَّهَا قَطَاةٌ فَقَالَ كُلْ وَلَا أَهُولَنَّكَ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي فَجَعَلَ يُهَذِّبُ الرُّكُوعَ وَيُخَفِّفُهُ وَرَأَيْتُهُ يَتَحَرَّى أَنْ أَشْبَعَ أَوْ أُقَارِبَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ مَعِي فَقُلْتُ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ فَقَالَ مَا لَكَ فَقُلْتُ مَنْ كُنْتُ أَخْشَى مِنْ النَّاسِ أَنْ يَكْذِبَنِي فَمَا كُنْتُ أَخْشَى أَنْ تَكْذِبَنِي قَالَ لِلَّهِ أَبُوكَ إِنْ كَذَبْتُكَ كِذْبَةً مُنْذُ لَقِيتَنِي فَقَالَ أَلَمْ تُخْبِرْنِي أَنَّكَ صَائِمٌ ثُمَّ أَرَاكَ تَأْكُلُ قَالَ بَلَى إِنِّي صُمْتُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ هَذَا الشَّهْرِ فَوَجَبَ لِي أَجْرُهُ وَحَلَّ لِي الطَّعَامُ مَعَكَ.
English Translation
Isma'il narrated to us, from al-Jurayri, from Abu as-Salil, from Nu'aym ibn Qa'nab ar-Riyahi, who said: I went to Abu Dharr but did not find him, and I saw his wife and asked her; she said: "He is over there at his small farm." He came leading, or driving, two camels, one tethered behind the other, with a waterskin on the neck of each, and he set down the two waterskins. I said: "O Abu Dharr, there was no one among people I desired more to meet than you, yet also none I dreaded more to meet than you." He said: "May your father be devoted to Allah! What brings these two feelings together?" I said: "I had buried [a daughter] alive in the pre-Islamic era, and in meeting you I hoped you would tell me that I have a repentance and a way out, yet I also feared in meeting you that you would tell me I have no repentance." He said: "Was it in the pre-Islamic era?" I said: "Yes." He said: "Allah has pardoned what is past." Then he turned his head toward his wife and ordered food for me; she resisted him, then he ordered her again and she resisted, until their voices were raised. He said: "Enough, leave us be; you women will never exceed what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, told us about you." I said: "And what did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, tell you about them?" He said: "'The woman is like a rib; if you try to straighten her, you will break her, but if you leave her, there remains some crookedness in her, yet she is usable.'" So she turned away and came back with a dish of crumbled bread as [plump] as a sand-grouse. He said: "Eat, and do not let me alarm you -- I am fasting." Then he stood to pray, and made the bowing brief and light, and I saw that he was taking care that I might eat my fill or nearly so. Then he came and put his hand with mine [to eat together], so I said: "Truly to Allah we belong and truly to Him we shall return!" He said: "What is wrong with you?" I said: "The one person I never feared would lie to me among all people, I did not expect that you would deceive me." He said: "May your father be devoted to Allah! Have I lied to you even once since I met you?" I said: "Did you not tell me you were fasting, yet now I see you eating?" He said: "Indeed, I fasted three days this month, so its reward became due for me, and it became lawful for me to eat food with you."