Explanation of the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he said

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The Shaykh : And we studied tonight the fifty-seventh hadith in my copy, which is an authentic hadith, and it is his saying:
And from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

I entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and he was suffering from a fever, so I touched him with my hand, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, you are indeed suffering from a severe fever, so he said: Yes, I am suffering from a fever as two men among you would suffer, I said: That is because you have two rewards, he said: Yes, no Muslim is afflicted with harm from illness or otherwise except that Allah removes his sins thereby as a tree removes its leaves

دخلت على النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وهو يُوعك، فمسَسْتُه بيدي، فقلت: يا رسول الله إنك لَتُوعك وعكا شديداً، فقال : أجل ، إني أُوعك كما يُوعك رجلان منكم، قلت : ذلك لأن لك أجرين، قال : أجل ما من مسلمٍ يُصيبه أذى من مرضٍ فما سواه إلا حطَّ الله به سيِّئاته كما تحطُّ الشجرةُ ورقَها

It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
This is the wording of the hadith in the two Sahihs, and the context is from Imam Muslim, except that there is a drop and a little distortion in my copy, so whoever has a copy should correct it. For example, he says here:

I entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and touched him

دخلتُ على النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فمسَسْتُه

Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 35:82

, and the correct is:

and he was suffering from a fever, so I touched him

وهو يُوعك فمسَسْتُه

, the phrase:

and he was suffering from a fever

وهو يوعك

is missing.
Likewise, after his saying:

so I touched him

فمسَسْتُه

in *Sahih Muslim*:

with My hand

بيدي

, and it is missing from this copy.
Likewise, among the clear errors that contradict the styles of the Salaf is his saying:

I said: That is because you have two rewards

قلت : ذلك بأن لك أجرين

Sunan ad-Darimi 20:64

, here it came:

because you have two rewards

بأن لكم أجرين

instead of

for you

لك

, it came in the plural form, and this has no basis in al-Bukhari or in Muslim.
Then the last phrase:

his minor sins are obliterated just as leaves fall

إلا حطَّ الله به سيِّئاته كما تحط الشجرة

Sahih Muslim 2571a

, here it came with the taa, and although the meaning is the same, but the narration is with the taa, here:

removes

تحتُّ

, and what is in *Sahih Muslim* and also *al-Bukhari*:

as a tree sheds its leaves

كما تحطُّ الشجرةُ ورقَها

Sahih al-Bukhari 5667

.
As for his saying:

and he was suffering from a fever

وهو يُوعك

: the fever is the heat, so Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he was afflicted with a fever, and the heat intensified upon him, until Ibn Mas'ud felt the heat of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) skin in his hand when he placed it on him, and therefore he said to him: You are indeed suffering from a severe fever, so he (peace be upon him) confirmed that for him by saying:

Yes

أجل

meaning: Yes.

Yes, I suffer as much as two men of you.

إنِّي أُوعك كما يُوعك رجلان منكم

Riyad as-Salihin 914

His affliction is multiplied so that his reward is multiplied, and this is the case whenever the affliction is multiplied upon a person and he is patient with it, his reward is multiplied, until as came in some of the preceding hadiths:

He walks upon the earth without a single sin upon him.

يمشي على وجه الأرض وليس عليه خطيئة

, if the illness becomes severe for a person and he is patient with it with beautiful patience, his reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is that He forgives all his sins, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Yes, I am afflicted with a fever just as two of you would be. I said: Is that because you have two rewards? He said: Yes, no Muslim is struck by any harm from an illness or otherwise, except that Allah expiates his sins thereby, just as a tree sheds its leaves.

أجل إني أُوعك كما يُوعك رجلان منكم، قلت : ذلك بأنَّ لك أجرين، قال : أجل، ما من مسلمٍ يُصيبه أذى من مرضٍ كما سواه إلا حطَّ الله به سيِّئاته كما تحطُّ الشجرةُ ورقَها

This generality, meaning:

his minor sins are obliterated just as leaves fall (in autumn)

حطَّ الله به سيِّئاته كما تحطُّ الشجرةُ ورقَها

Sahih Muslim 2571a

, is the limit of excellence from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for His servant, and this only happens when the affliction becomes severe upon him and he is patient with it, which is the good patience.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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