The Prophet ﷺ was sitting out in the open one day with the people when a man came to him and asked, "What is faith?"He replied, "Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Book, the meeting with Him, His messengers, and to believe in the final resurrection."The man asked, "Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?"He replied, "Islam is to worship Allah without associating any partner with Him, to establish the prescribed prayer, to pay the obligatory zakat, and to fast Ramadan."The man asked, "Messenger of Allah, what is excellence?"He replied, "It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, for though you do not see Him, He surely sees you."The man asked, "Messenger of Allah, when is the Hour?"He replied, "The one being asked knows no more about it than the one asking. But I will tell you of its signs. When a slave-girl gives birth to her mistress, that is one of its signs. When the barefoot and naked become the leaders of the people, that is one of its signs. When the herdsmen of black camels compete in raising tall buildings, that is one of its signs. It is among five things that none knows but Allah."Then he recited, "Indeed, Allah has knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware" [Luqman 31:34].Then the man turned and left. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Bring the man back to me." They went to bring him back, but they saw no one.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, "That was Jibreel. He came to teach the people their religion."
كان النبي ﷺ بارزا يوما للناس، فأتاه رجل فقال: ما الإيمان؟ قال: الإيمان أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته، وكتابه، ولقائه، ورسله، وتؤمن بالبعث الآخر. قال يا رسول الله: ما الإسلام؟ قال: الإسلام أن تعبد الله ولا تشرك به، وتقيم الصلاة المكتوبة وتؤدي الزكاة المفروضة، وتصوم رمضان. قال يا رسول الله: ما الإحسان؟ قال: أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه فإنك إن لا تراه فإنه يراك. قال يا رسول الله: متى الساعة؟ قال: ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل، ولكن سأحدثك عن أشراطها إذا ولدت الأمة ربها فذاك من أشراطها، وإذا كانت العراة الحفاة رؤوس الناس فذاك من أشراطها، وإذا تطاول رعاة الإبل البهم في البنيان، فذاك من أشراطها، في خمس لا يعلمهن إلا الله، ثم تلا: {إن الله عنده علم الساعة وينزل الغيث ويعلم ما في الأرحام وما تدري نفس ماذا تكسب غدا وما تدري نفس بأي أرض تموت إن الله عليم خبير} ثم أدبر الرجل، فقال رسول الله ﷺ: ردوا علي الرجل فأخذوا ليردوه فلم يروا شيئا! فقال رسول الله ﷺ: هذا جبريل جاء ليعلم الناس دينهم.
Bukhari reported it in the Book of Tafsir (4777), and Muslim in the Book of Faith (9), both through the route of Abu Hayan, from Abu Zura bin Amr bin Jareer, from Abu Hurairah, who related it. The wording given is that of Muslim, and Bukhari's wording is similar.Muslim also reported it (10) from Zuhayr bin Harb, who said, Jareer narrated to us, from Umara, that is, Ibn Qaqa, from Abu Zura, with the same chain. He added at the beginning of the hadith that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Ask me," but they were too in awe of him to ask. Then a man came and sat by his knees and said, "O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?" He then related it in a similar way, and added, when mentioning faith, his saying, "and that you believe in divine decree in its entirety." The rest of the hadith is similar to what was mentioned before.Regarding the saying of Allah Most High, "and He sends down the rain", the rain here means the specific rainfall that brings abundant, beneficial good, by which the vegetation of the earth grows. Knowledge of this rain belongs to Allah Most High alone. What is it that grows because of it, and what does not grow because of it? When does this rain fall, and in what measure does it fall? How much of it is beneficial, and how much of it is harmful? This comprehensive and general knowledge belongs exclusively to Allah Most High, and the fact that a person may come to know some particular details of this unseen matter does not negate the rule that Allah's knowledge of this unseen matter is all-encompassing.