حدثنا الحسن بن عبد الله بن سعيد العسكري، قال: حدثنا أبو بكر محمد بن الحسن بن دريد، قال: أخبرنا أبو حاتم، عن العتبي - يعني محمد بن عبيد الله - عن أبيه، قال: وأخبرنا عبد الله بن شبيب البصري، قال: حدثنا زكريا بن يحيى المنقري، قال: حدثنا العلاء بن الفضل (٣)، عن أبيه، عن جده، قال: قال قيس بن عاصم: وفدت مع جماعة من بني تميم إلى النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) فدخلت وعنده الصلصال بن الدلهمس (٤)، فقلت: يا نبي الله، عظنا موعظة ننتفع بها، فإنا قوم نعمر (٥)  في البرية. فقال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): (يا قيس، إن مع العز ذلا، وإن مع الحياة موتا، وإن مع الدنيا آخرة، وإن لكل شئ حسيبا، وعلى كل شئ رقيبا، وإن لكل حسنة ثوابا، ولكل سيئة عقابا، ولكل أجل كتابا، وإنه لا بد لك - يا قيس - من قرين يدفن معك وهو حي، وتدفن معه وأنت ميت، فإن كان كريما أكرمك، وإن كان لئيما أسلمك، ثم لا يحشر إلا معك، ولا تبعث إلا معه، ولا تسأل إلا عنه، فلا تجعله إلا صالحا، فإنه إن صلح أنست به، وإن فسد لا تستوحش إلا منه، وهو فعلك. فقال: يا نبي الله، أحب أن يكون هذا الكلام في أبيات من الشعر، نفخر به على من يلينا من العرب، وندخره. فأمر النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) من يأتيه بحسان. قال: فأقبلت أفكر فيما أشبه هذه العظة من الشعر، فاستتب لي القول قبل مجئ حسان، فقلت: يا رسول الله، قد حضرتني أبيات أحسبها توافق ما تريد. فقلت لقيس (١): تخير خليطا من فعالك إنما * * قرين الفتى في القبر ما كان يفعل ولا بد بعد الموت من أن تعده * * ليوم ينادى المرء فيه فيقبل فإن كنت مشغولا بشئ فلا تكن * * بغير الذي يرضى به الله تشغل فلن يصحب الانسان من بعد موته * * ومن قبله إلا الذي كان يعمل ألا إنما الانسان ضيف لاهله * * يقيم قليلا بينهم ثم يرحل (٢)
Al-Hasan b. `Abdullah b. Sa`id al-`Askari narrated to us. He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Durayd narrated to us. He said: Abu Hatim narrated to us from al-`Utba - meaning Muhammad b. `Ubaydallah from his father. And `Abdullah b. Shabib al-Basri narrated to us. He said: Zakariyya b. Yahya al-Manqari narrated to us. He said al-`Alaa’ b. al-Fadl narrated to us from his father from his grandfather.  He said: Qays b. `Asim said: I set out with a group from Bani Tamim to the Prophet (s). So, I entered, and al-Salsal b. Al-Dalhamas was with him. So, I said: “O Prophet of Allah! Give us a proverb by which we may benefit from, for we are a community that is established in the wilderness.” So, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “O Qays! Surely, with glory, there is humiliation. With life, there is death. And, surely, with this world, there is the Hereafter. And, surely, with everything there is a reckoning, and with everything there is an observance. And, surely, with every good deed there is a reward, and with every sin there is a penalty, and with every matter a time. It is necessary, O Qays, that something will follow you and be buried with you while you are alive, and you will be buried with it when you are dead. If it is noble, it will make you noble. If it is wretched, it will cause you to surrender. It will not be resurrected except that it is with you, and you will not be resurrected except with it. You will not be asked about anything except for it; so, do not make it anything but righteous. Surely, if it is dealt with righteously, you will be relieved by it, but if it is corrupted, then you will only be lonely due to it. That thing is your actions.”  So, he said: “O Prophet of Allah! I would love these words to be in stanzas of poetry so that we may make it a source of pride over those humiliate us among the Arabs.” So, the Prophet (s) sent for someone to bring Hassaan [b. Thabit].  He said: Then I began thinking of poetry that resembled this proverb, so I remembered a saying before Hassaan came. I said: “O Messenger of Allah! I remembered stanzas that I consider agreeing with what you want.” So, I (the narrator) said to Qays: “Choose a companion from your deeds, so it may accompany you in the grave of what you have prepared. You have no alternative after death but to be prepared, for the day on which you are called to him to accept, engage not in the affairs of this world in which there is not Allah’s contentment. Man will not have a companion after his death and even before death but his own deeds. Surely, man is only a guest of his own household. He would spend a short while with them before he departs.”