I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "Three men from among those who came before you set out on a journey until they sought shelter for the night in a cave. They entered it, and a boulder rolled down from the mountain and sealed the cave shut upon them.They said to one another, 'Nothing will save you from this boulder except that you call upon Allah by virtue of your righteous deeds.'One of them said, 'O Allah, I had two elderly parents, and I never gave the evening drink of milk to anyone, neither family nor servants, before them. One day, the search for something took me far away, and I did not return to them until they had fallen asleep. I milked their evening drink for them and found them sleeping, but I disliked giving the drink to my family or servants before them. So I waited, with the cup in my hand, watching for them to wake, until dawn broke. Then they woke and drank their evening milk. O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us of the distress we are in from this boulder.' The boulder shifted slightly, but not enough for them to escape."The Prophet ﷺ said, "The second one said, 'O Allah, I had a cousin who was the dearest of people to me. I wanted her for myself, but she refused me, until a year of hardship struck her. She came to me, and I gave her one hundred and twenty Dinars on the condition that she would yield herself to me. She agreed, but when I had her in my power, she said, It is not lawful for you to break the seal except by its rightful means. So I felt restrained from going through with it and turned away from her, though she was the dearest of people to me, and I left the gold I had given her. O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.' The boulder shifted further, but still they could not escape from it."The Prophet ﷺ said, "The third one said, 'O Allah, I hired some workers and paid them their wages, all except one man who left what was due to him and went away. I invested his wages until they grew into great wealth. After a time, he came to me and said, Servant of Allah, give me my wages.I said to him, All that you see of camels, cattle, sheep, and slaves is from your wages.He said, Servant of Allah, do not mock me.I said, I am not mocking you.So he took all of it and drove it away, leaving nothing of it behind. O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.' The boulder shifted, and they came out walking."
حدثنا أبو اليمان أخبرنا شعيب عن الزهري حدثني سالم بن عبد الله أن
سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول انطلق ثلاثة رهط ممن كان قبلكم حتى أووا المبيت إلى غار فدخلوه فانحدرت صخرة من الجبل فسدت عليهم الغار فقالوا إنه لا ينجيكم من هذه الصخرة إلا أن تدعوا الله بصالح أعمالكم فقال رجل منهم اللهم كان لي أبوان شيخان كبيران وكنت لا أغبق قبلهما أهلا ولا مالا فنأى بي في طلب شيء يوما فلم أرح عليهما حتى ناما فحلبت لهما غبوقهما فوجدتهما نائمين وكرهت أن أغبق قبلهما أهلا أو مالا فلبثت والقدح على يدي أنتظر استيقاظهما حتى برق الفجر فاستيقظا فشربا غبوقهما اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك ففرج عنا ما نحن فيه من هذه الصخرة فانفرجت شيئا لا يستطيعون الخروج قال النبي ﷺ وقال الآخر اللهم كانت لي بنت عم كانت أحب الناس إلي فأردتها عن نفسها فامتنعت مني حتى ألمت بها سنة من السنين فجاءتني فأعطيتها عشرين ومائة دينار على أن تخلي بيني وبين نفسها ففعلت حتى إذا قدرت عليها قالت لا أحل لك أن تفض الخاتم إلا بحقه فتحرجت من الوقوع عليها فانصرفت عنها وهي أحب الناس إلي وتركت الذهب الذي أعطيتها اللهم إن كنت فعلت ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه فانفرجت الصخرة غير أنهم لا يستطيعون الخروج منها قال النبي ﷺ وقال الثالث اللهم إني استأجرت أجراء فأعطيتهم أجرهم غير رجل واحد ترك الذي له وذهب فثمرت أجره حتى كثرت منه الأموال فجاءني بعد حين فقال يا عبد الله أد إلي أجري فقلت له كل ما ترى من أجرك من الإبل والبقر والغنم والرقيق فقال يا عبد الله لا تستهزئ بي فقلت إني لا أستهزئ بك فأخذه كله فاستاقه فلم يترك منه شيئا اللهم فإن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه فانفرجت الصخرة فخرجوا يمشون