Arabic (Original)
Ḥadīth | Ṭabarānī (الطبراني) tabarani:8851 حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ كَانَ قَرْيَتَانِ إِحْدَاهُمَا صَالِحَةٌ وَالْأُخْرَى ظَالِمَةٌ فَخَرَجَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمَةِ يُرِيدُ الْقَرْيَةَ الصَّالِحَةَ فَأَتَاهُ الْمَوْتُ حَيْثُ شَاءَ اللهُ فَاخْتَصَمَ فِيهِ الْمَلَكُ وَالشَّيْطَانُ فَقَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَاللهِ مَا عَصَانِي قَطُّ فَقَالَ الْمَلَكُ إِنَّهُ قَدْ خَرَجَ يُرِيدُ التَّوْبَةَ فَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمَا أَنْ يُنْظَرَ إِلَى أَيِّهِمَا أَقْرَبُ فَوَجَدُوهُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى الْقَرْيَةِ الصَّالِحَةِ بِشِبْرٍ فَغُفِرَ لَهُ قَالَ مَعْمَرٌ وَسَمِعْتُ مَنْ يَقُولُ «قَرَّبَ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ الْقَرْيَةَ الصَّالِحَةَ»
English Translation
Ibn Mas'ud said: There were two villages, one righteous and the other unjust. A man left the unjust village heading toward the righteous one, but death came to him wherever Allah willed. The angel and the devil disputed over him. The devil said: 'By Allah, he never disobeyed me.' The angel said: 'He had set out intending repentance.' It was judged between them that they should measure which village he was closer to. They found him closer to the righteous village by a hand-span, so he was forgiven. Ma'mar said: I heard some say: 'Allah brought the righteous village closer to him.'