While a man was walking through a barren land, he heard a voice coming out of a cloud
Authentic hadithعن أبي هريرة عن النبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "بينما رجلٌ يمشي بفلاةٍ من الأرضِ، فسمع صوتًا في سحابةٍ: اسقِ حديقةَ فلانٍ. فتنحَّى ذلك السحابُ، فأفرغ ماءَه في حرةٍ، فإذا شَرْجَةٌ من تلك الشِّرَاجِ قد استوعبتْ ذلك الماءَ كلَّه، فتتَّبع الماءَ، فإذا رجلٌ قائمٌ في حديقته يُحوِّلُ الماءَ بمسحاته، فقال له: يا عبدَ اللهِ؛ ما اسمُك؟، قال: فلانٌ للاسم الذي سمعَ في السحابة، فقال له: يا عبدَ اللهِ؛ لم تسألني عن اسمي؟، فقال: إني سمعت صوتًا في السحابِ الذي هذا ماؤه، يقول: اسق حديقةَ فلانٍ لاسمِك، فما تصنعُ فيها؟، قال: أما إذ قُلتَ هذا فإني أنظرُ إلى ما يخرُجُ منها، فأتصدَّقُ بثُلثِه، وآكُلُ أنا وعيالي ثُلثًا، وأرُدُّ فيها ثُلثه".
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "While a man was walking through a barren land, he heard a voice coming out of a cloud, saying: 'Irrigate the garden of so-and- so.' Thereupon, the cloud drifted in a certain direction and discharged its water over a rocky plain. The streamlets flowed into a channel. This man followed the channel until it reached a garden and he saw the owner of the garden standing in its center, working with his spade to change the course of the water. He asked him: ‘O slave of Allah, what is your name?’ He told his name, which was the same that he heard from the cloud. The owner of the garden then asked him: ‘O slave of Allah, why did you ask my name?’ He replied: ‘I heard a voice from a cloud which poured down this water, saying: "Irrigate the garden of so-and-so." I would like to know what you do with it.’ He said: ‘Now that you asked me, I will tell you. I estimate the produce of the garden and distribute one-third of it in charity, spend one-third on myself and my family, and invest one-third back into the garden.’”
Explanation
While a man was walking through a barren land, he heard a voice coming out of a cloud, saying: “Irrigate the garden of so-and-so.” Thereupon, the cloud drifted in a certain direction and discharged its water over a rocky plain. The streamlets flowed into a channel. This man followed the channel until it reached a garden and he saw the owner of the garden standing in its center, working with his spade to change the course of the water. He asked him: “O slave of Allah, what is your name?” He told his name, which was the same as he heard from the cloud. The owner of the garden then asked him: “O slave of Allah, why did you ask my name?” He replied: “I heard a voice from a cloud which poured down this water, saying: 'Irrigate the garden of so-and-so.' I would like to know the good you do with your garden that made you deserve such an honor.” He said: “Now that you asked me, I will tell you. I estimate the produce of the garden and distribute one-third of it in charity, spend one-third on myself and my family, and invest one-third back into the garden, for cultivation and development.”
Source · Narrated by Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).