I heard the Prophet ﷺ say while standing on the pulpit, "Your time among the nations that came before you is like the time between the afternoon prayer and sunset.The people of the Torah were given the Torah, and they acted upon it until midday, when they grew weary, so they were given one qirat each.Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel, and they acted upon it until the afternoon prayer, when they too grew weary, so they were given one qirat each.Then you were given the Quran, and you acted upon it until sunset, so you were given two qirats each.The people of the Torah and the Gospel said, 'Our Lord, these people did less work yet received a greater reward.'He said, 'Have I wronged you in anything regarding your reward?'They said, 'No.'He said, 'That is My favor, which I bestow upon whomever I will.'"
حدثنا أبو اليمان حدثنا شعيب عن الزهري حدثني سالم بن عبد الله أن
سمعت النبي ﷺ وهو قائم على المنبر يقول ألا إن بقاءكم فيما سلف قبلكم من الأمم كما بين صلاة العصر إلى غروب الشمس أعطي أهل التوراة التوراة فعملوا بها حتى إذا انتصف النهار عجزوا فأعطوا قيراطا قيراطا وأعطي أهل الإنجيل الإنجيل فعملوا به حتى صلاة العصر ثم عجزوا فأعطوا قيراطا قيراطا ثم أعطيتم القرآن فعملتم به حتى غربت الشمس فأعطيتم قيراطين قيراطين فقال أهل التوراة والإنجيل ربنا هؤلاء أقل عملا وأكثر أجرا فقال هل ظلمتكم من أجركم من شيء فقالوا لا فقال فضلي أوتيه من أشاء
Its isnad is sahih. A similar meaning has already appeared through other routes at 4508, 5902-5904, and see also 5911, 5962.This isnad was narrated by Bukhari (13:377) from Hakam bin Nafi, who is Abu Yaman, with this same isnad. He also narrated it (2:32-33) through the route of Ibrahim bin Saad, and (13:425) through the route of Yunus, both of them from Zuhri from Salim.Regarding his statement, "Your remaining time compared to what has passed..." and so on, Hafiz said in Fath al-Bari (2:32), "Its apparent meaning suggests that the remaining span of this nation fell within the era of the past nations, but that is certainly not what is meant. Rather, its meaning is that the ratio of the duration of this nation to the duration of the nations that preceded it is like the ratio of the time between the Asr prayer and sunset to the rest of the day. It is as if he said, 'Your remaining time in relation to what has passed is such and such.' The gist of it is that the word 'in' here carries the meaning of 'in relation to,' with the noun that would complete the genitive construction, namely the word denoting 'ratio,' having been omitted."