وَعَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ عُبَادٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ جَالِسًا فِي مَسْجِدِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ أَثَرُ الْخُشُوعِ فَقَالُوا: هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ تَجَوَّزَ فِيهِمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ وَتَبِعْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّكَ حِينَ دَخَلْتَ الْمَسْجِدَ قَالُوا: هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ. قَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ لِمَ ذَاكَ؟ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَيْهِ وَرَأَيْتُ كَأَنِّي فِي رَوْضَةٍ - ذَكَرَ مِنْ سَعَتِهَا وَخُضْرَتِهَا - وَسَطَهَا عَمُودٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ أَسْفَلُهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَاهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ فِي أَعْلَاهُ عُرْوَةٌ فَقِيلَ لِيَ: ارْقَهْ. فَقُلْتُ: لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ فَأَتَانِي مِنْصَفٌ فَرَفَعَ ثِيَابِي مِنْ خَلْفِي فرقِيتُ حَتَّى كُنْتُ فِي أَعْلَاهُ فَأَخَذْتُ بِالْعُرْوَةِ فَقِيلَ: اسْتَمْسِكْ فَاسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي يَدِي فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: «تِلْكَ الرَّوْضَةُ الْإِسْلَامُ وَذَلِكَ الْعَمُودُ عَمُودُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَتِلْكَ العروة الْعُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى فَأَنْتَ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ وَذَاكَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ» . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ
Qais b. `Ubad said:
When I was sitting in the mosque of Medina a man entered with the mark of humility on his face and the people said this would be one pf the inhabitants of paradise. He prayed two rak'as, which he performed briefly, and when he went out, I followed him and said, "When you entered the mosque the people said this would be one of the inhabitants of paradise." He replied, "I swear by God that it is unfitting for anyone to say something he does not know; but I shall explain the matter to you. In the time of God's messenger, I had a vision which I told to him. I seemed to see myself in a garden (whose extent and verdure he mentioned) in the midst of which there was an iron pillar the bottom of which was in the earth and the top in the sky with a handle at the top. I was told to ascend it, and when I replied that I was unable a servant came to me, raised my clothing behind me, and I ascended till I reached the top of it. I then seized the handle and was told to hold tight, and when it was in my hand I awoke. I told it to the Prophet and he said, `That garden is Islam, that pillar is the pillar of Islam, and that handle is the surest handle[*], so you will keep to Islam till you die'." [Qais said] that man was `Abdallah b. Salam. *Cf. Quran, 2:256; 31:22. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 3813, 7014) and Muslim (No. 2484a). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 6210).