وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ النَّاسِ خُلُقًا فَأَرْسَلَنِي يَوْمًا لِحَاجَةٍ فَقُلْتُ: وَاللَّهِ لَا أَذْهَبُ وَفِي نَفْسِي أَنْ أَذْهَبَ لِمَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَخَرَجْتُ حَتَّى أَمُرَّ عَلَى صِبْيَانٍ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ فِي السُّوقِ فَإِذَا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ قَبَضَ بِقَفَايَ مِنْ وَرَائِي قَالَ: فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ فَقَالَ: «يَا أُنَيْسُ ذَهَبْتَ حَيْثُ أَمَرْتُكَ؟» . قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ أَنَا أَذْهَبُ يَا رَسُول الله. رَوَاهُ مُسلم
He said:
God's messenger was one of the best of men in character. One day he sent me to do something, and I said, "I swear by God that I will not go." But in my heart, I felt I should go to do what God's messenger had commanded me; so, I went out and came upon some boys who were playing in the street. All of a sudden God's messenger who had come up behind caught me by the back of the neck, and when I looked at him, he was laughing. He said, "Did you go where I ordered you, little Anas?" and I replied, "Yes, I am on my way, messenger of God." Muslim transmitted it.
Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 5802).