Narrator:Abu Hurayrah
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم "
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلاَئِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ، يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ. قَالَ فَيَحُفُّونَهُمْ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا. قَالَ فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ وَهْوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ مَا يَقُولُ عِبَادِي قَالُوا يَقُولُونَ يُسَبِّحُونَكَ، وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ، وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيُمَجِّدُونَكَ. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ هَلْ رَأَوْنِي قَالَ فَيَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْكَ. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ وَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْنِي قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ رَأَوْكَ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ لَكَ عِبَادَةً، وَأَشَدَّ لَكَ تَمْجِيدًا، وَأَكْثَرَ لَكَ تَسْبِيحًا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَمَا يَسْأَلُونِي قَالَ يَسْأَلُونَكَ الْجَنَّةَ. قَالَ يَقُولُ وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهَا حِرْصًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا طَلَبًا، وَأَعْظَمَ فِيهَا رَغْبَةً. قَالَ فَمِمَّ يَتَعَوَّذُونَ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ مِنَ النَّارِ. قَالَ يَقُولُ وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْهَا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهَا فِرَارًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا مَخَافَةً. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ فَأُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ. قَالَ يَقُولُ مَلَكٌ مِنَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ فِيهِمْ فُلاَنٌ لَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا جَاءَ لِحَاجَةٍ. قَالَ هُمُ الْجُلَسَاءُ لاَ يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ "
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, Exalted, has angels who wander in the roads seeking those who remember Him. When they find some people remembering Allah, the Almighty, they call one another and say: 'Come to what you were looking for' and they encircle them with their wings filling the space between them and the lowest heaven. Their Lord asks them, and He knows best: 'What are My slaves saying?' They reply: 'They are exalting You, glorifying You, praising You, and extolling You.' He asks: 'Have they seen Me?' They reply: 'No, by Allah they have not seen You.' He asks: 'What if they see Me?' Thereupon they reply: 'If they were to see You, they would engage more devoutly in worshiping, extolling, and glorifying You.' He says: 'What do they ask of Me?' They say: 'They ask You for Your Paradise.' Allah says: 'Have they seen it?' They say: 'No Lord, by Allah they have not seen it.' He says: 'What if they see it?' They reply: 'Were they to see it, they would be more keen, more zealous in seeking it, and would wish more for it.’ He says: 'From what are they seeking refuge?' They (the angels) say: 'They are seeking refuge from Hell.' He asks: 'Have they seen it?' They say: 'No. By Allah they have not seen it.' He says: 'What if they see it?' They say: 'If they were to see it, they would be more fearful of it and flee faster from it.' He says: 'Bear witness that I have forgiven them.' One of the angels says: 'There is amongst them so-and-so who is not one of them. He only came for another purpose.' He says: 'They are the people by virtue of whom their companion will in no way be unfortunate.'" Another narration reads: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has angels, other than the keepers, who wander about seeking Dhikr sessions. Once they find it, they sit with them and surround them with their wings filling the space between them and the lowest heaven. When they [the people in the gathering] depart, the angels ascend and rise to heaven. Then Allah, the Almighty, asks them - though He knows best - 'From where have you come?' They say: 'We have come from a gathering of Your slaves on earth. They were exalting You, glorifying You, witnessing that there is no deity but You, praising You, and asking You.' He says: 'What do they ask of Me?' They say: 'They ask You Your Paradise.' He says: 'Have they seen My Paradise?' They say: 'No, Lord.' He says: 'What if they see My Paradise?' They say: 'They also ask You for protection.' He says: 'What do they ask Me protection from?' They say: 'From Your Hell, O Lord.' He says: 'Have they seen My Hellfire?' They say: 'No.' He says: 'What if they see My Hell?' They say: 'They ask for Your forgiveness.' Then He says: 'I have forgiven them, and I have bestowed upon them what they asked for,and I have granted them refuge from what they sought protection from.' They say: 'O Lord, among them is so-and-so, a frequent sinner, who was merely passing by and sat down with them.' He says: 'They are the people by virtue of whom their companion will in no way be unfortunate.’"
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 6408), Muslim (No. 2689) and Ahmad (No. 8614).