It is narrated from Sayyiduna Qatadah bin al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah Almighty loves a servant, He protects him from the world (and its pollutions), just as one of you protects his sick person from water (so that it does not harm him)." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it; and the practical explanation of this hadith lies in the incident which Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Aslam (the slave of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I fell seriously ill during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), so he called a physician for me. That physician placed me on such a strict diet that, because of the severity of the diet, I used to suck on date stones.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty protects His believing servant from the world (and its pollutions), while He loves him, just as you protect your sick person from food and drink (so that it does not harm him), fearing for him." The narrator narrated it from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), while in the hadith of Umarah bin Ghaziyyah it is narrated from Sayyiduna Qatadah bin al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him); and in my view both chains are sahih (authentic). And Allah knows best.