عنْ أَبِي الْمُنْذِر أُبيِّ بنِ كَعبٍ رضي اللّه عنه قال: كَان رجُلٌ لا أَعْلمُ رجُلًا أَبْعَدَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ مِنْهُ، وكَانَ لا تُخْطِئُهُ صلاةٌ فَقِيل لَه، أَوْ فقُلْتُ لهُ: لَوْ اشْتَريْتَ حِمارًا ترْكَبُهُ في الظَّلْماءِ، وفي الرَّمْضَاءِ فَقَالَ: ما يسُرُّنِي أَنَّ منْزِلِي إِلَى جَنْب الْمسْجِدِ، إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُكْتَب لِي ممْشَايَ إِلَى الْمَسْجد، ورُجُوعِي إِذَا رجعْتُ إِلَى أَهْلِي، فقالَ رسول اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم: «قَدْ جَمَعَ اللّهُ لكَ ذلِكَ كُلَّهُ» رواه مسلم. • وفي روايةٍ: «إِنَّ لَكَ مَا احْتَسَبْت».
Abu al-Mundhir Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There was a man — I do not know of anyone who lived farther from the mosque than he did — yet he never missed a prayer. It was said to him — or I said to him: "Why do you not buy a donkey to ride in the darkness and over the scorching ground?" He said: "I would not want my house to be right next to the mosque. I want my walking to the mosque and my return to my family to be recorded for me." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Allah has gathered all of that for you." Narrated by Muslim. In another narration: "You shall have what you intended."
الشرح · explanation
لا تُخطِئُه صلاة: لا تفوته صلاة مع الجماعة في المسجد. الظلماء: أي الليلة الشديدة الظلمة وقت صلاة الفجر والعشاء. الرمْضَاء: الأَرْضُ الَّتِي أَصَابَهَا الْحرُّ الشَّديدُ. احتسبت: عملتُه لوجه اللّه تعالى.
"He never missed a prayer" means he never missed a congregational prayer in the mosque. "The darkness" refers to the extreme darkness of night, at the time of Fajr and Isha prayers. "The scorching ground" (al-ramda') refers to ground that has been struck by intense heat. "What you intended" (ihtasabta) means what you did seeking the pleasure of Allah, the Most High.
الدروس · lessons
كلّما كان الإنسان أصدق إخلاصًا للّه عزّ وجلّ، وأقوى اتباعًا لرسوله صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم كان أكثر أجرًا وأعظم مثوبةً. أنّ للنية أثرًا كبيرًا في صحة الأعمال، وأثرًا كبيرًا في ثوابها، وأنّ الإنسان يؤجر على فعله بحسب قصده ونيته. أنّ المؤمن الصادق يتلذذ بالأعمال والعبادات التي يقوم بها. اهتمام الصحابة بصلاة الجماعة وتَحمّلهم المتاعب في سبيل الأجر والثواب في ذهابهم وإيابهم. أقرّ النبيّ صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم الرجل على ترك شراء الدابّة طلبًا لزيادة الثواب . البعد ليس مقصودًا، لكن من كان بعيدًا كتب له أجر ممشاه، فإذا كان قصد المكلّف إيقاع المشقّة على نفسه، فيكون قد خالف مقاصد الشريعة.
The more sincere a person's devotion to Allah, the Almighty, and the more closely he follows His Messenger (peace be upon him), the greater his reward and the more immense his recompense. Intention has a tremendous impact on the validity of deeds and a tremendous impact on their reward; a person is rewarded for his actions according to his purpose and intention. The sincere believer takes pleasure in the acts of worship he performs. The Companions were devoted to congregational prayer and bore hardships for the sake of earning reward in their going and coming. The Prophet (peace be upon him) approved of the man's decision not to buy a mount, in order to increase his reward. Distance from the mosque is not an end in itself, but for one who lives far away, his walking is recorded for him. If a person deliberately seeks to impose hardship on himself, he would be contradicting the objectives of Islamic law.