ʿAbdullah used to give a religious talk to the people on every Thursday. Once a man said, "O Aba ʿAbdur-Rahman! (By Allah) I wish if you could preach us daily." He replied, "The only thing which prevents me from doing so, is that I hate to bore you, and no doubt I take care of you in preaching by selecting a suitable time just as the Prophet ﷺ used to do with us, for fear of making us bored."

كَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يُذَكِّرُ النَّاسَ فِي كُلِّ خَمِيسٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّكَ ذَكَّرْتَنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ يَمْنَعُنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ وَإِنِّي أَتَخَوَّلُكُمْ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ كَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِهَا مَخَافَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

While we were waiting for ʿAbdullah (bin Masʿud). Yazid bin Muawiya came. I said (to him), "Will you sit down?" He said, "No, but I will go into the house (of Ibn Masʿud) and let your companion (Ibn Masʿud) come out to you; and if he should not (come out), I will come out and sit (with you)." Then ʿAbdullah came out, holding the hand of Yazid, addressed us, saying, "I know that you are assembled here, but the reason that prevents me from coming out to you, is that Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to preach to us at intervals during the days, lest we should become bored."

لاَ وَلَكِنْ أَدْخُلُ فَأُخْرِجُ إِلَيْكُمْ صَاحِبَكُمْ وَإِلاَّ جِئْتُ أَنَا فَجَلَسْتُ فَخَرَجَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَهْوَ آخِذٌ بِيَدِهِ فَقَامَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنِّي أَخْبَرُ بِمَكَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُ يَمْنَعُنِي مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَيْكُمْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ فِي الأَيَّامِ كَرَاهِيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, we love your talk and so we yearn (to listen to you) and earnestly desire that you should deliver us lecture every day. Thereupon he said: There is nothing to hinder me in giving you talk (every day) but the fact that you may be bored. Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not deliver sermons on certain days (fearing that we might be bored).

كَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يُذَكِّرُنَا كُلَّ يَوْمِ خَمِيسٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، إِنَّا نُحِبُّ حَدِيثَكَ وَنَشْتَهِيهِ وَلَوَدِدْنَا أَنَّكَ حَدَّثْتَنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ۔ فَقَالَ: مَا يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمْ إِلاَّ كَرَاهِيَةُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ فِي الأَيَّامِ كَرَاهِيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا۔

[AI] "Shall I not go and see? If he is at home, perhaps I can bring him to you." He came to us and stood over us, saying, "I have been informed of your whereabouts. I am not coming to you out of reluctance; on the contrary, the Prophet ﷺ used to admonish and advise us in the past, and this was not burdensome to us."

أَلَا أَذْهَبُ فَأَنْظُرَ ؟ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الدَّارِ لَعَلِّي أَنْ أُخْرِجَهُ إِلَيْكُمْ فَجَاءَنَا فَقَامَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَيُذْكَرُ لِي مَكَانُكُمْ فَمَا آتِيكُمْ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ لَقَدْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ كَرَاهِيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

[AI] Abdullah used to come to us and say, "I want to inform you about your location. The only thing that prevents me from coming to you is my dislike for the fact that I might become your master. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah used to visit us with advice, which we disliked, during certain days."

كَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْنَا فَيَقُولُ إِنِّي لَأُخْبَرُ بِمَكَانِكُمْ وَمَا يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أَخْرُجَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا كَرَاهِيَةُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺكَانَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ كَرَاهِيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

[AI] He said, "Indeed, I want to inform your group, but I am prevented from meeting with you out of fear that your messengerﷺ used to admonish us during his days, fearing harm upon us."

أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنِّي لَأُخْبَرُ بِجَمَاعَتِكُمْ فَيَمْنَعُنِي الْخُرُوجَ إِلَيْكُمْ خَشْيَةُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا فِي الْأَيَّامِ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ خَشْيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

[AI] He said: "I inform you that I want to join your group, but I am prevented from coming to you out of fear that your Messengerﷺ used to rebuke us in the past with admonishments, in order to protect us."

أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنِّي لَأُخْبَرُ بِجَمَاعَتِكُمْ فَيَمْنَعُنِي الْخُرُوجَ إِلَيْكُمْ خَشْيَةُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا فِي الْأَيَّامِ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ خَشْيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا

قَالَ كُنَّا بِبَابِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ نَنْتَظِرُهُ فَأَبْطَأَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ أَنَا أُخْرِجُهُ لَكُمْ فَدَخَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ بِمَكَانِكُمْ مَا يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أَخْرَجَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ أَمِلَّكُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ كَرَاهَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ لَا نَعْلَمُهُ يُرْوَى عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي وَائِلٍ عَنْهُ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ

[AI] Abdullah, I will inform you of your position. There is nothing preventing me from coming to you except my reluctance to burden you. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to advise us reluctantly during these days, out of concern for us.

عَبْدُ اللهِ إِنِّي لَأُخْبَرُ بِمَوْضِعِكُمْ فَمَا يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أَخْرُجَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا كَرَاهِيَةُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ كَرَاهِيَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا