حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بِشْرٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا قَبِيصَةُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ رَبَاحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ قَالَ: لَقِيَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخَذَ بِمَنْكِبِي مِنْ وَرَائِي، قَالَ: أَمَا إِنِّي أُحِبُّكَ، قَالَ: أَحَبَّكَ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتَنِي لَهُ، فَقَالَ: لَوْلاَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: إِذَا أَحَبَّ الرَّجُلُ الرَّجُلَ فَلْيُخْبِرْهُ أَنَّهُ أَحَبَّهُ مَا أَخْبَرْتُكَ، قَالَ: ثُمَّ أَخَذَ يَعْرِضُ عَلَيَّ الْخِطْبَةَ قَالَ: أَمَا إِنَّ عِنْدَنَا جَارِيَةً، أَمَا إِنَّهَا عَوْرَاءُ.
Mujahid said, "One of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, met me and took hold of my shoulder from behind. He said, 'I love you,' and he went on to say, 'The One for whose sake I love you loves you.' He continued, 'If it had not been that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When a man has love for another man, he should tell him that he loves him," I would not have told you.'"
Cited in Al-Adab al-Mufrad (No. 543).