Muhammad bin Muslim from Abu Ja’far (a.s.) that he said:
“One day the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) was sitting in the courtyard of the Kaaba and it was the day when Mecca had been conquered. In the meantime a delegation came to him and saluted him. “To which tribe do you belong?” “We are a delegation from Bakr bin Wail tribe,” they replied. “Do have any news about Quss bin Saidatul Iyadi?” the Messenger asked. “Yes, O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.),” they replied. “What happened to him?” asked the Prophet. They said, “He has passed away.” The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) said: “All the praise is for the One Who gives death and life. Every soul has to taste death. As if I can see Quss bin Saidatul Iyadi in the market of Ukaz atop a camel and telling people: Assemble here, and when you are assembled, keep quiet; and when you are quiet, listen and when you listen, try to understand; and when you understand, remember it and consider it truth. Know that one that lives, ultimately dies and loses the life and one who loses life never comes back. Doubtlessly there are hidden secrets in the heavens and lessons for the earth. There is a high roof upon the sky and the earth is a cradle spread out. The planets are in motion and the night is rotating and the sea water is moving in waves. Quss swears that all this is not play and sport and there are astonishing facts behind it. Because I can see that people die and they do not return. Are they satisfied with the place they are in; and that is why they continue to stay there? Or leaving this world they have gone to sleep? Quss takes an oath that can never be minor, that there is a religion with Allah which is better than the religion you follow. After that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) said: May Allah have mercy on Quss, on Judgment Day he shall be raised up alone like a nation. Then he said: Is there anyone among you who can accurately quote some of his couplets? Someone said; I have heard him recite the following couplets:
In those who have gone before us in the past centuries there are edifying insights.
When I took note of different circumstances I could not find any special cause of death.
I saw my people that the young and old, all move towards it.
Those who go away do not return to me and neither those who have survived will continue to live.
Therefore I became certain that I would also have to go where the others have gone.
Such was the level of the wisdom and recognition (Marefat) of Quss bin Saidatul Iyadi that whenever a person from Iyad tribe came to visit the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) he used to ask him about the wise sayings of Quss and listened to them with all the attention.”