كتاب صفة القيامة والجنة والنار
52  
Characteristics of the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hell
(15)
Chapter: The Likeness Of The Believer Is That Of A Date Palm
(15)
باب مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مَثَلُ النَّخْلَةِ ‏‏
Sahih Muslim 2811 b

Ibn Umar reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) one day said to his Companions:

Tell me about a tree which has resemblance with a believer. The people began to mention (different) trees of the forest. Ibn 'Umar said: It was instilled in my mind or in my heart and it stuck therein that it implied the date- palm tree. I made up my mind to make a mention of that but could not do that because of the presence of the elderly people there. When there was a hush amongst them (after they had expressed their views), Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: It Is the date-palm tree.
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الْغُبَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ أَبِي الْخَلِيلِ، الضُّبَعِيِّ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمًا لأَصْحَابِهِ ‏"‏ أَخْبِرُونِي عَنْ شَجَرَةٍ مَثَلُهَا مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَجَعَلَ الْقَوْمُ يَذْكُرُونَ شَجَرًا مِنْ شَجَرِ الْبَوَادِي ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَأُلْقِيَ فِي نَفْسِي أَوْ رُوعِيَ أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ فَجَعَلْتُ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَقُولَهَا فَإِذَا أَسْنَانُ الْقَوْمِ فَأَهَابُ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ فَلَمَّا سَكَتُوا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2811b
In-book reference : Book 52, Hadith 53
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 39, Hadith 6748
  (deprecated numbering scheme)