Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَمْزَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَالِمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَ صَاحِبِ فَرْقِ الأَرُزِّ فَلْيَكُنْ مِثْلَهُ " . قَالُوا وَمَنْ صَاحِبُ فَرْقِ الأَرُزِّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثَ الْغَارِ حِينَ سَقَطَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْجَبَلُ فَقَالَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمُ اذْكُرُوا أَحْسَنَ عَمَلِكُمْ قَالَ " وَقَالَ الثَّالِثُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي اسْتَأْجَرْتُ أَجِيرًا بِفَرْقِ أَرُزٍّ فَلَمَّا أَمْسَيْتُ عَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ حَقَّهُ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ وَذَهَبَ فَثَمَّرْتُهُ لَهُ حَتَّى جَمَعْتُ لَهُ بَقَرًا وَرِعَاءَهَا فَلَقِيَنِي فَقَالَ أَعْطِنِي حَقِّي . فَقُلْتُ اذْهَبْ إِلَى تِلْكَ الْبَقَرِ وَرِعَائِهَا فَخُذْهَا فَذَهَبَ فَاسْتَاقَهَا " .
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If any of you can become like the man who had a faraq of rice, he should become like him. They (the people) asked: Who is the man who had a faraq of rice with him, Messenger of Allah ? Thereupon he narrated the story of the cave when a hillock fell on them (three persons), each of them said: Mention any best work of yours. The narrator said: The third of them said: O Allah, you know that I took a hireling for a faraq of rice. When the evening came, I presented to him his due (i.e. his wages). But he refused to take it and went away. I then cultivated it until I amassed cows and their herdsmen for him. He then met me and said: Give me my dues. I said (to him): Go to those cows and their herdsmen and take them all. He went and drove them away.