Narrator:An-Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
" مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ عَلَى حُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُدْهِنِ فِيهَا كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا عَلَى سَفِينَةٍ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلاَهَا وَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَسْفَلَهَا فَكَانَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا يَصْعَدُونَ فَيَسْتَقُونَ الْمَاءَ فَيَصُبُّونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ فِي أَعْلاَهَا فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَعْلاَهَا لاَ نَدَعُكُمْ تَصْعَدُونَ فَتُؤْذُونَنَا فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا فَإِنَّا نَنْقُبُهَا مِنْ أَسْفَلِهَا فَنَسْتَقِي فَإِنْ أَخَذُوا عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ فَمَنَعُوهُمْ نَجَوْا جَمِيعًا وَإِنْ تَرَكُوهُمْ غَرِقُوا جَمِيعًا "
An-Nu'man bin Bashir narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:
"The parable of the one who upholds Allah's laws and the one who breaches them, is that of a people who drew lots on a ship at sea. Some of them got the upper part, and some of them the lower part. Those on the lower part ascended to get water, spilling it upon those upper part. So those in the upper part say: 'We will not leave you to come up here and bother us.' Then those on the lower part say: 'We should make a hole in the lower part, so we can get water.' If they take them by the hand and stop them, then they will save all of them, and if they leave them, they will all drown."'
Reported by At-Tirmidhi (No. 2173) and Ahmad (No. 17638).