عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ، يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا، أَوْ يُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا، يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا»
Abu Hurayrah narrated that God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
1. Hasten to do good deeds before troubles come thick like patches of night darkness, 2. when a man may be a believer in the morning and becomes an unbeliever in the evening, or may be a believer in the evening, then become an unbeliever in the morning. 3. He sells his faith for some worldly gain.
Related by Muslim, 118.
Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr al-Dawsī embraced Islam in the year in which the Battle of Khaybar took place, i.e. Year 7 of the Hijri calendar. He was the Prophet’s companion who narrated the largest number of his hadiths, because he committed himself to remain close to the Prophet. He was keen to learn the Prophet’s hadiths and he remained for a long time in Madinah. He died in Year 58 AH, 678 CE.
