وَعَنْ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ: «ذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ كَالْمُقَاتِلِ خَلْفَ الْفَارِّينَ وَذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ كَغُصْنٍ أَخْضَرَ فِي شَجَرٍ يَابِس»
وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «مَثَلُ الشَّجَرَةِ الْخَضْرَاءِ فِي وَسَطِ الشَّجَرِ وَذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ مَثَلُ مِصْبَاحٍ فِي بَيْتٍ مُظْلِمٍ وَذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ يُرِيهِ اللَّهُ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ وَذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ يُغْفَرُ لَهُ بِعَدَدِ كُلِّ فَصِيحٍ وَأَعْجَمٍ» . وَالْفَصِيحُ: بَنُو آدَمَ وَالْأَعْجَمُ: الْبَهَائِم. رَوَاهُ رزين
Malik said he heard God’s messenger used to say, “The one who makes mention of God among those who are negligent is like one who goes on fighting after others have fled; the one who makes mention of God among those who are negligent is like a green branch upon a withered tree; (A version has, “Like a green tree amidst the trees”); the one who makes mention of God among those who are negligent is like a lamp in a dark house; the one who makes mention of God among those who are negligent will be shown by God during his lifetime his resting-place in paradise; and the one who makes mention of God among those who are negligent will be forgiven as many sins as the number of those who have the faculty of speech (fasih) and those who are destitute of it (a'jam)” Fasih refers to human beings and a'jam to animals. Razin transmitted it.
Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 2282).