By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in Dhikr, the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your paths but, Hanzhalah, time and time
Authentic hadithعن أبي ربعي حنظلة بن الربيع الأسيدي الكاتب- رضي الله عنه- أحد كتاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: لقيني أبو بكر رضي الله عنه فقال: كيف أنت يا حنظلة؟ قلت: نافق حنظلة! قال: سبحان الله ما تقول؟! قلت: نكون عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يُذَكِّرُنَا بالجنة والنار كأنا رَأْىَ عَيْنٍ فإذا خرجنا من عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عَافَسْنَا الأزواج والأولاد وَالضَّيْعَاتِ نسينا كثيرا، قال أبو بكر رضي الله عنه : فوالله إنا لنلقى مثل هذا، فانطلقت أنا وأبو بكر حتى دخلنا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم . فقلت: نافق حنظلة يا رسول الله! فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : «وما ذاك؟» قلت: يا رسول الله، نكون عندك تذكرنا بالنار والجنة كأنا رأي العين فإذا خرجنا من عندك عافسنا الأزواج والأولاد والضيعات نسينًا كثيرًا. فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : «والذي نفسي بيده، لو تدومون على ما تكونون عندي، وفي الذِّكْر، لصافحتكم الملائكة على فرشكم وفي طُرُقِكُمْ، لكن يا حنظلة ساعة وساعة» ثلاث مرات.
Abu Rib‘i Hanzhalah ibn Ar-Rabī‘ al-Usaydi, one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) reported: I met Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and he said: 'How are you?' I said: 'Hanzhalah has turned into a hypocrite.' He said: 'Glory be to Allah, what are you saying?' I said: 'When we are in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he reminds us of Paradise and Hellfire as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we depart from his company, we attend to our wives, children, and business, and we forget much of that.' Abu Bakr said: 'By Allah, we do experience the same.' So I and Abu Bakr went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hanzhalah has turned into a hypocrite.' Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'And how is that?' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, you remind us of Hellfire and Paradise as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, then when we depart from you we attend to our wives, children, and business, and we forget much of that.' Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your paths but, Hanzhalah, time (should be devoted to prayer and meditation) and time (should be devoted to worldly affairs).' He said this thrice."
Explanation
Hanzhalah told Abu Bakr As-Siddīq that his spiritual state when he was with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was different from his state otherwise. When they (the Companions) were with the Prophet, they remembered Allah and the Hereafter, but when they became engaged with their children, wives, and worldly affairs, they had a different state of mind. So Hanzhalah feared that that was hypocrisy. Indeed, hypocrisy is to display a state other than what is on the inside. So when they told the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) of that, he told them that if they continued to be in the state they felt while they were with him, the angels would greet them by shaking their hands in whichever state they were in. However, moderation is required; an hour for the Lord and an hour for one's family and life.
Source · Narrated by Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).