Narrator:Imrān ibn Husayn
عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ: إِنِّي كُنْتُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ جَاءَ قومٌ منْ بَني تميمٍ فَقَالَ: «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ» قَالُوا: بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا فَدَخَلَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ: «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ» . قَالُوا: قَبِلْنَا جِئْنَاكَ لِنَتَفَقَّهَ فِي الدِّينِ وَلِنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ مَا كَانَ؟ قَالَ: «كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ قَبْلَهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كلَّ شيءٍ» ثُمَّ أَتَانِي رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: يَا عِمْرَانُ أَدْرِكْ ناقتَكَ فقدْ ذهبتْ فانطلقتُ أطلبُها وايمُ اللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّهَا قَدْ ذَهَبَتْ وَلَمْ أَقُمْ. رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ
'Imran b. Husain said:
I was with God's messenger when some people of Tamim came to him. He said, "Receive the good news, B. Tamim," and they replied, "You have given us good news, so grant us something." Some of the people of the Yemen then entered and he said, "Receive the good news, people of the Yemen, since the B. Tamim have not accepted it." They replied, "We have accepted it. We have come to you to become versed in the religion and to ask you about what was the beginning of this matter." He said, "God existed and there was nothing before Him, His Throne being upon the water. He then created the heavens and the earth and inscribed everything in the memorial[*]." At that point a man came to me and said, "Catch up on your she-camel, `Imran," for it had gone away. I therefore went off to look for it, but I swear by God that I wish it had been lost and that I had not got up and left. *i.e., the Preserved Tablet. Bukhari transmitted it.
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 3190, 3191, 4365, 4386, 7418), At-Tirmidhi (No. 3951) and Ahmad (No. 18981, 19040, 19063). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 5698).