Do you not trust me, whereas I am the trustee of the One Who is in the heavens? News from the heavens comes to me morning and evening

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Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) from Yemen a piece of gold, that still had some of its dirt on it, in a tanned leather pouch. He said: He distributed it among four men: ‘Uyaynah ibn Badr, Aqra‘ ibn Hābis, Zayd al-Khayl, and the fourth one was either ‘Alqamah or ‘Āmir ibn at-Tufayl. A man from among his Companions said: We were more entitled to this than those. He said: This reached the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said: "Do you not trust me, whereas I am the trustee of the One Who is in the heavens? News from the heavens comes to me morning and evening." He said: Then a man with sunken eyes, prominent cheeks, an elevated forehead, a thick beard, a shaven head, and his lower garment tucked up stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, fear Allah. He said: "Woe to you! Am I not the worthiest among the people of the earth to fear Allah?" He said: Then the man left. Khālid ibn al-Walīd said: O Messenger of Allah, should I not strike his neck? He said: "No, perhaps he observes the prayer." Khālid said: And how many are those who pray, saying with their tongues what is not in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have not been commanded to pierce people's hearts or to split their bellies." He said: Then he looked at him as he was going away and said: "From the offspring of this man will emerge a people who recite the Book of Allah with fresh voices, yet it will not go beyond their throats. They will depart from the religion as an arrow passes through its target." And I believe he said: "If I live to see them, I will certainly kill them as the people of Thamūd were killed."

Authentic hadith - Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

Explanation

‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) from Yemen a piece of gold in a tanned leather pouch. The gold piece had not yet been refined from its dust. He said: He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divided it among four men: ‘Uyaynah ibn Badr al-Fazāri, Aqra‘ ibn Hābis al-Hanzhali, Zayd al-Khayl an-Nabhāni, and ‘Alqamah ibn ‘Ulāthah al-‘Āmiri. A man from among his Companions said: We were more entitled to this than those. He said: It reached the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said: "Do you not trust me, whereas I am the trustee of the One Who is in the heavens? News from the heavens comes to me morning and evening." He said: Then a man stood up, with deep-set eyes, prominent and high cheekbones, a raised forehead, a thick but not long beard, a shaved head, and with his lower garment raised and he said: O Messenger of Allah, fear Allah, thereupon he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Woe to you! Am I not the worthiest among the people of the earth to fear Allah?!" He said: Then the man left. Khālid ibn al-Walīd said: O Messenger of Allah, should I not strike his neck? He said: No, perhaps he observes the prayer. Khālid said: And how many are those who pray, saying with their tongues what is not in their hearts. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: I have not been commanded to pierce people's hearts or split their bellies; rather, I have been commanded to judge by the apparent aspects of their matters. He said: Then he looked at him as he was going away and said: From the offspring of this man and his companions, or from his tribe, will emerge a people skilled in reciting the Book of Allah with a beautiful voice, their tongues moist from frequent recitation. However, the Qur’an does not pass beyond their throats, and their hearts do not absorb it, so it does not reform them, and Allah neither raises it nor accepts it. They will leave Islam as swiftly and lightly as an arrow passes through its target. And I believe he said: If I live to see their emergence to fight the Muslims with the sword, I will certainly kill them as the people of Thamūd were killed.

Benefits from the Hadith

Forbearance and patience of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in the face of harm.
Establishing the Prophet's prophethood and that what he received was a revelation from Allah.
Treating people according to what appears from them, while their hidden aspects are entrusted to Allah.
Stressing the great significance of prayer, and that the people of prayer are not to be killed except for the right of Islam.
Pointing out the danger of the Khārijites, and that when they fight, it is legislated to fight them in order to prevent their harm.
An-Nawawi said: Encouraging fighting them and the merit of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in fighting them.
The importance of contemplating the Qur’an, understanding it, acting upon it, and holding fast to it.