Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بْنُ حَمَّادٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الرِّبَاطِيُّ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، - قَالَ أَحْمَدُ كَتَبْنَاهُ مِنْ نُسْخَتِهِ وَهَذَا لَفْظُهُ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ إِسْحَاقَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُطْعِمٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ جُهِدَتِ الأَنْفُسُ وَضَاعَتِ الْعِيَالُ وَنُهِكَتِ الأَمْوَالُ وَهَلَكَتِ الأَنْعَامُ فَاسْتَسْقِ اللَّهَ لَنَا فَإِنَّا نَسْتَشْفِعُ بِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَنَسْتَشْفِعُ بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَيْحَكَ أَتَدْرِي مَا تَقُولُ " وَسَبَّحَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمَا زَالَ يُسَبِّحُ حَتَّى عُرِفَ ذَلِكَ فِي وُجُوهِ أَصْحَابِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ " وَيْحَكَ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُسْتَشْفَعُ بِاللَّهِ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ شَأْنُ اللَّهِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَيْحَكَ أَتَدْرِي مَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ عَرْشَهُ عَلَى سَمَوَاتِهِ لَهَكَذَا " . وَقَالَ بِأَصَابِعِهِ مِثْلَ الْقُبَّةِ عَلَيْهِ " وَإِنَّهُ لَيَئِطُّ بِهِ أَطِيطَ الرَّحْلِ بِالرَّاكِبِ " . قَالَ ابْنُ بَشَّارٍ فِي حَدِيثِهِ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَوْقَ عَرْشِهِ وَعَرْشُهُ فَوْقَ سَمَوَاتِهِ " . وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى وَابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ وَجُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالْحَدِيثُ بِإِسْنَادِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ هُوَ الصَّحِيحُ وَافَقَهُ عَلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْهُمْ يَحْيَى بْنُ مَعِينٍ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمَدِينِيِّ وَرَوَاهُ جَمَاعَةٌ عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ كَمَا قَالَ أَحْمَدُ أَيْضًا وَكَانَ سَمَاعُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى وَابْنِ الْمُثَنَّى وَابْنِ بَشَّارٍ مِنْ نُسْخَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي .
An A’rab(a nomadic Arab) came to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) and said: People suffering distress, the children are hungry, the crops are withered, and the animals are perished, so ask Allah to grant us rain, for we seek you as our intercessor with Allah, and Allah as intercessor with you. The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: Woe to you: Do you know what you are saying? Then the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) declared Allah’s glory and he continued declaring His glory till the effect of that was apparent in the faces of his Companions. He then said: Woe to you: Allah is not to be sought as intercessor with anyone. Allah’s state is greater than that. Woe to you! Do you know how great Allah is? His throne is above the heavens thus(indicating with his fingers like a dome over him), and it groans on account of Him as a saddle does because of the rider. Ibn Bashshar said in his version: Allah is above the throne, and the throne is above the heavens. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition. ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al- Muthana and Ibn Bashshar transmitted it from Ya’qub b. ‘Utbah and Jubair b. Muhammad b. Jubair from his father on the authority of his grandfather. Abu Dawud said: This tradition with the chain of Ahmad b. Sa’ad is sound. It has been approved by the body (of traditionists) , which includes Yahya b. Ma’in and ‘Ali b. al-Madani, and a group has transmitted it from Ibn Ishaq, as Ahmad also said. And so far as I have been informed ‘Abd al-A’la, Ibn al-Muthanna, and Ibn Bashshar had heard from the same copy(of the collection of tradition).