كُنْتُ جَالِسًا فِي مَسْجِدِ الْمَدِينَةِ، فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ أَثَرُ الْخُشُوعِ، فَقَالُوا هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ. فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ تَجَوَّزَ فِيهِمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ، وَتَبِعْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّكَ حِينَ دَخَلْتَ الْمَسْجِدَ قَالُوا هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ. قَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ لِمَ ذَاكَ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَأَيْتُ كَأَنِّي فِي رَوْضَةٍ ـ ذَكَرَ مِنْ سَعَتِهَا وَخُضْرَتِهَا ـ وَسْطَهَا عَمُودٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ، أَسْفَلُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَعْلاَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ، فِي أَعْلاَهُ عُرْوَةٌ فَقِيلَ لَهُ ارْقَهْ. قُلْتُ لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ. فَأَتَانِي مِنْصَفٌ فَرَفَعَ ثِيَابِي مِنْ خَلْفِي، فَرَقِيتُ حَتَّى كُنْتُ فِي أَعْلاَهَا، فَأَخَذْتُ بِالْعُرْوَةِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ اسْتَمْسِكْ. فَاسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي يَدِي، فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ تِلْكَ الرَّوْضَةُ الإِسْلاَمُ، وَذَلِكَ الْعَمُودُ عَمُودُ الإِسْلاَمِ، وَتِلْكَ الْعُرْوَةُ عُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى، فَأَنْتَ عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ . وَذَاكَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ. وَقَالَ لِي خَلِيفَةُ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذٌ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا قَيْسُ بْنُ عُبَادٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ سَلاَمٍ، قَالَ وَصِيفٌ مَكَانَ مِنْصَفٌ.
While I was sitting in the Mosque of Medina, there entered a man (Abdullah bin Salam) with signs ofsolemnity over his face. The people said, "He is one of the people of Paradise." He prayed two lightrak`at and then left. I followed him and said, "When you entered the Mosque, the people said, 'He isone of the people of Paradise.' " He said, "By Allah, one ought not say what he does not know; and Iwill tell you why. In the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ) I had a dream which I narrated to him. I saw as if Iwere in a garden." He then described its extension and greenery. He added: In its center there was aniron pillar whose lower end was fixed in the earth and the upper end was in the sky, and at its upperend there was a (ring-shaped) hand-hold. I was told to climb it. I said, "I can't." "Then a servant cameto me and lifted my clothes from behind and I climbed till I reached the top (of the pillar). Then I gothold of the hand-hold, and I was told to hold it tightly, then I woke up and (the effect of) the handholdwas in my hand. I narrated al I that to the Prophet (ﷺ) who said, 'The garden is Islam, and the handholdis the Most Truth-worthy Hand-Hold. So you will remain as a Muslim till you die." The narratoradded: "The man was `Abdullah bin Salam."