Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى الْعَنَزِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَوْنٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ عُبَادٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي نَاسٍ فِيهِمْ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ فِي وَجْهِهِ أَثَرٌ مِنْ خُشُوعٍ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ . فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ يَتَجَوَّزُ فِيهِمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ فَدَخَلَ مَنْزِلَهُ وَدَخَلْتُ فَتَحَدَّثْنَا فَلَمَّا اسْتَأْنَسَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّكَ لَمَّا دَخَلْتَ قَبْلُ قَالَ رَجُلٌ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ لِمَ ذَاكَ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَيْهِ رَأَيْتُنِي فِي رَوْضَةٍ - ذَكَرَ سَعَتَهَا وَعُشْبَهَا وَخُضْرَتَهَا - وَوَسْطَ الرَّوْضَةِ عَمُودٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ أَسْفَلُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَعْلاَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ فِي أَعْلاَهُ عُرْوَةٌ . فَقِيلَ لِي ارْقَهْ . فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ . فَجَاءَنِي مِنْصَفٌ - قَالَ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ وَالْمِنْصَفُ الْخَادِمُ - فَقَالَ بِثِيَابِي مِنْ خَلْفِي - وَصَفَ أَنَّهُ رَفَعَهُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ بِيَدِهِ - فَرَقِيتُ حَتَّى كُنْتُ فِي أَعْلَى الْعَمُودِ فَأَخَذْتُ بِالْعُرْوَةِ فَقِيلَ لِيَ اسْتَمْسِكْ . فَلَقَدِ اسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي يَدِي فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " تِلْكَ الرَّوْضَةُ الإِسْلاَمُ وَذَلِكَ الْعَمُودُ عَمُودُ الإِسْلاَمِ وَتِلْكَ الْعُرْوَةُ عُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى وَأَنْتَ عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ " . قَالَ وَالرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ .
I was in the company of some persons, amongst whom some were the Companions of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) in Medina, that there came a person whose face depicted the fear (of Allah). Some people said: He is a person from amongst the people of Paradise; he is a person from amongst the people of Paradise. He observed two short rak'ahs of prayer and then went out. I followed him and he got into his house and I also got in and we began to converse with each other. And when he became familiar (with me) I said to Him: When you entered (the mosque) before (your entrance in the house) a person said so and so (that you are amongst the people of Paradise), whereupon he said: It is not meet for anyone to say anything which he does not know. I shall (now) tell you why they (say) this. I saw a dream during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and narrated it to him. I seemed to be in a garden [he described its vastness, its rich fructification and its verdure]; in the midst of it, there stood an iron pillar, with its base in the earth and its summit in the sky: and upon its summit there was a handhold. It was said to me: Climb up this (pillar). I said to him (visitant in the dream): I am unable to do it. Thereupon a helper came to me, and he (supported) me (by catching hold of my) garment from behind and thus helped me with his hand and so I climbed up till I was at the summit of the pillar, and grasped the handhold. It was said to me: Hold it tightly. It was at this that I woke up when (the handhold) was in the grip) of my hand. I narrated it (the dream) to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), whereupon he said: That garden implies al-Islam and that pillar implies the pillar of Islam. And that handhold is the firmest faith (as referred to in the Qur'an). And you will remain attached to Islam until you shall die. And that man was 'Abdullah b. Salim.