حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: جَلَسْنَا إِلَى الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ يَوْمًا، فَمَرَّ بِهِ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: طُوبَى لِهَاتَيْنِ الْعَيْنَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ رَأَتَا رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، وَاللَّهِ لَوَدِدْنَا أَنَّا رَأَيْنَا مَا رَأَيْتَ، وَشَهِدْنَا مَا شَهِدْتَ. فَاسْتُغْضِبَ، فَجَعَلْتُ أَعْجَبُ، مَا قَالَ إِلاَّ خَيْرًا، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: مَا يَحْمِلُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى أَنْ يَتَمَنَّى مُحْضَرًا غَيَّبَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ؟ لاَ يَدْرِي لَوْ شَهِدَهُ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ فِيهِ؟ وَاللَّهِ، لَقَدْ حَضَرَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَقْوَامٌ كَبَّهُمُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ، لَمْ يُجِيبُوهُ وَلَمْ يُصَدِّقُوهُ، أَوَلاَ تَحْمَدُونَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذْ أَخْرَجَكُمْ لاَ تَعْرِفُونَ إِلاَّ رَبَّكُمْ، فَتُصَدِّقُونَ بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ نَبِيُّكُمْ صلى الله عليه وسلم، قَدْ كُفِيتُمُ الْبَلاَءَ بِغَيْرِكُمْ، وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ بُعِثَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى أَشَدِّ حَالٍ بُعِثَ عَلَيْهَا نَبِيٌّ قَطُّ، فِي فَتْرَةٍ وَجَاهِلِيَّةٍ، مَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّ دِينًا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الأَوْثَانِ، فَجَاءَ بِفُرْقَانٍ فَرَّقَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْبَاطِلِ، وَفَرَّقَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْوَالِدِ وَوَلَدِهِ، حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ لَيَرَى وَالِدَهُ أَوْ وَلَدَهُ أَوْ أَخَاهُ كَافِرًا، وَقَدْ فَتْحَ اللَّهُ قُفْلَ قَلْبِهِ بِالإِيمَانِ، وَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ إِنْ هَلَكَ دَخَلَ النَّارَ، فَلاَ تَقَرُّ عَيْنُهُ، وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ حَبِيبَهُ فِي النَّارِ، وَأنَّهَا لِلَّتِي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: {وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ}.
Jubayr ibn Nufayr said, "One day we were sitting when al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad when a man passed us. The man said, 'Blessing be to those two eyes which saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. By Allah, I wish that I had seen what you have seen and witnessed what you have witnessed!' This angered al-Miqdad and that surprised me as the man had said nothing but good things. Then he turned to them and said, 'What made the man desire to summon back what Allah has taken away? Does he not realise what his situation would be if he had seen him? By Allah, if certain people had been with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, Allah would have thrown them on their faces into Hellfire since they would neither have answered nor confirmed him? Do you not praise Allah Almighty since He brought you forth and you only know your Lord and confirm what your Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought? You see enough affliction in other people. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sent in the harshest state in which any Prophet was ever sent - in a gap (in the line of prophethood) and the time of Ignorance. They did not believe that the deen was better than worshipping idols. He brought the Discrimination by which it is possible to discriminate between the true and false, and which can part a father from his child. Then a man will think of his father, child or brother as an unbeliever. Allah has loosened the locks of his heart by faith and he knows that the other person will be destroyed in the Fire. Therefore his eye is not cool since he knows that the one he loves will be in the Fire. It is what Allah says, "Those who say, 'Our Lord, give us joy in our wives and children." (25:74)'"
Reported by Ahmad (No. 22693, 22694). Cited in Al-Adab al-Mufrad (No. 87).