Malik ibn Dinar reported: A rabbi among the tribes of Israel would be visited in his house by men and women, whom he would admonish and remind them of the days of Allah. One day, he saw some of his sons harassing women, so he said: Easy, my sons! Easy, my sons! He later fell from his bed and broke his spine, his wife miscarried, and his son was killed in the army. Allah Almighty revealed to His Prophet to tell this rabbi: I will never take you out of your hardship as a truthful one. Your anger for My sake was nothing more than to say, easy my sons!
Source: al-Zuhd li-Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal 526
عَنْ مَالِك بْن دِينَارٍ قَالَ كَانَ حَبْرٌ مِنْ أَحْبَارِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ يَغْشَى مَنْزِلَهُ الرِّجَالُ وَالنِّسَاءُ يَعِظُهُمْ فَيُذَكِّرُهُمْ بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ فَرَأَى بَعْضَ بَنِيهِ يَوْمًا غَمْزَ النِّسَاءَ فَقَالَ مَهْلًا يَا بُنَيَّ مَهْلًا يَا بُنَيَّ قَالَ فَسَقَطَ مِنْ سَرِيرِهِ وَانْقَطَعَ نُخَاعُهُ وَأَسْقَطَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ وَقُتِلَ بَنِيهُ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى نَبِيِّهِمْ أَنْ أَخْبِرْ فُلَانًا الْحَبْرَ أَنِّي لَا أُخْرِجُ مِنْ صُلْبِكَ صِدِّيقًا أَبَدًا مَا غَضَبُكَ لِي إِلَّا أَنْ قُلْتَ مَهْلًا يَا بُنَيَّ
526 الزهد لأحمد بن حنبل