The Prophet ﷺ was struck by pain one night and began to groan and toss about on his bed.Ayesha remarked, "If one of us did this, you would hold it against him."The Prophet ﷺ replied, "The righteous are tested severely. No misfortune befalls a believer, even the prick of a thorn or anything greater, without an offense being wiped away from him because of it, and a degree being raised for him by it."
أن النبي ﷺ طرقه وجع، فجعل يشتكي ويتقلب على فراشه. فقالت عائشة: لو صنع هذا بعضنا لوجدت عليه! فقال النبي ﷺ: إن الصالحين يشدد عليهم، وإنه لا يصيب مؤمنا نكبة من شوكة فما فوق ذلك إلا حطت به عنه خطيئة، ورفع بها درجة.
Imam Ahmad narrated it (25264) from Hisham bin Saeed, who said, Muawiya - meaning Ibn Salam - informed us, he said, I heard Yahya bin Abu Kathir say, Abu Qilaba informed me, that Abdul-Rahman bin Shayba informed him, that Ayesha informed her, and he mentioned it.Haythami cited it in Majma (2/192) and said, "Ahmad narrated it, and its narrators are trustworthy." I say, it is as he said, and its chain is sahih. Abdul-Rahman bin Shayba is the Abdi, the Makki. Ibn Hibban (2919) and Hakim (1/365-366) both graded it sahih, both of them by way of Yahya bin Abu Kathir, with the same wording. Hakim said, "Sahih according to the standard of the two Shaykhs." But Abdul-Rahman bin Shayba the Abdi is not among the narrators of the two Shaykhs, though he is trustworthy.In Sahih Ibn Hibban it reads "Abdullah bin Nasib" instead of Abdul-Rahman bin Shayba. Ibn Hibban said, "Yahya bin Abu Kathir erred in his statement 'Abdullah bin Nasib.' It is actually Abdullah bin Harith, the relative of Ibn Sirin. He dropped 'Harith' from it and said 'Abdullah bin Nasib.'" This Abdullah bin Harith is also trustworthy, among the narrators accepted by the whole community. If Ibn Hibban's statement is correct, then Abdullah bin Harith would be a corroborator of Abdul-Rahman bin Shayba.Musaddad narrated it, as found in Matalib (2453), and Hannad in Zuhd (1/241), both of them from the hadith of Abu Ahwas, who said, Ashath bin Salim narrated to us, from Abu Burda, from one of the Mothers of the Believers, with similar wording. Its chain is sahih, and perhaps the unnamed woman is Ayesha.