ANAS SAID:

THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH ﷺ WAS ONE OF THE BEST OF MEN IN CHARACTER. ONE DAY HE SENT ME TO DO SOMETHING, AND I SAID: I SWEAR BY ALLAH THAT I WILL NOT GO. BUT IN MY HEART I FELT THAT I SHOULD GO TO DO WHAT THE PROPHET OF ALLAH ﷺ HAD COMMANDED ME; SO I WENT OUT AND CAME UPON SOME BOYS WHO WERE PLAYING IN THE STREET. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH ﷺ WHO HAD COME UP BEHIND CAUGHT ME BY THE BACK OF THE NECK, AND WHEN I LOOKED AT HIM HE WAS LAUGHING. HE SAID: GO WHERE I ORDERED YOU, LITTLE ANAS. I REPLIED : YES, I AM GOING, APOSTLE OF ALLAH! ANAS SAID: I SWEAR BY ALLAH, I SERVED HIM FOR SEVEN OR NINE YEARS, AND HE NEVER SAID TO ME ABOUT A THING WHICH I HAD DONE: WHY DID YOU DO SUCH AND SUCH? NOR ABOUT A THING WHICH I LEFT: WHY DID NOT DO SUCH AND SUCH?

حَدَّثَنَا مَخْلَدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الشَّعِيرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَمَّارٍ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ - قَالَ قَالَ أَنَسٌ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ النَّاسِ خُلُقًا فَأَرْسَلَنِي يَوْمًا لِحَاجَةٍ فَقُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ لاَ أَذْهَبُ . وَفِي نَفْسِي أَنْ أَذْهَبَ لِمَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ . قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ حَتَّى أَمُرَّ عَلَى صِبْيَانٍ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ فِي السُّوقِ فَإِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَابِضٌ بِقَفَاىَ مِنْ وَرَائِي فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ فَقَالَ
" يَا أُنَيْسُ اذْهَبْ حَيْثُ أَمَرْتُكَ " . قُلْتُ نَعَمْ أَنَا أَذْهَبُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . قَالَ أَنَسٌ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ خَدَمْتُهُ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ أَوْ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ مَا عَلِمْتُ قَالَ لِشَىْءٍ صَنَعْتُ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا . وَلاَ لِشَىْءٍ تَرَكْتُ هَلاَّ فَعَلْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا .