Hadith Details

Discover timeless wisdom from the authentic teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Read this hadith in Arabic and English, share it with others, or explore related narrations from the same chapter.

Sunan Ibn Majah

كتاب الزهد

Zuhd

Chapter 37Hadith 4172

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏"‏ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ يَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلاَّ بِشَرِّ مَا يَسْمَعُ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا فَقَالَ يَا رَاعِي أَجْزِرْنِي شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَاهُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَقَالَ فِيهِ ‏"‏ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا شَاةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“The likeness of the one who sits and listen to wisdom then only speaks of the bad things that he had heard, is that of a man who comes to a shepherd and says: “O shepherd, give me one of your sheep to slaughter,” and (the shepherd) says: “Go and grab the ear of the best of them.” Then he goes and grabs the ear of the sheepdog.’” Another chain reports a similar hadith.

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Where does this hadith come from?
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When Allah wants two hearts to meet, what is the hadith?
A widely quoted teaching states that when Allah wants two people to meet, He makes their paths converge — often summarized as when He wants two hearts to meet, they will meet. Muslims frequently reflect on this narration as a reminder of divine decree (qadar), trust in Allah's plan, and patience regarding relationships and life events. Always verify wording and grading with qualified scholars and authentic sources.