I took a letter from Thumamah bin ‘Abd Allah bin Anas. He presumed that Abu Bakr had written it for Anas when he sent him (to Al Bahrain) as a collector of zakat. This (letter) was stamped with the stamp of the Messenger of Allah(saws) and was written by Abu Bakr for him(Anas). This letter goes “This is the obligatory sadaqah(zakat) which the Messenger of Allah(saws) imposed on Muslims which Allah commanded his Prophet(saws) to impose. Those Muslims who are asked for the proper amount must give it, but those who are asked for more than that must not give it. For less than twenty five Camels a goat is to be given for every five Camels. When they reach twenty five to thirty five, a she Camel in her second year is to be given. If there is no she Camel in her second year, a male Camel in its third year is to be given. When they reach thirty six to forty five, a she Camel in her third year is to be given. When they reach forty six to sixty , a she Camel in her fourth year which is ready to be covered by a stallion is to be given. When they reach sixty one to seventy five, a she Camel in her fifth year is to be given. When they reach seventy six to ninety, two she Camel in their third year are to be given. When they reach ninety one to a hundred and twenty, two she Camels in their fourth year are ready to be covered by a stallion are to be given. When they exceed a hundred and twenty, a she Camel in her third year is to be given for every forty and a she Camel in her fourth year for every fifty(Camels). In case the ages of the Camel vary in the payment of obligatory sadaqah(zakat) If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fifth year is payable does not possess one but possess one in her fourth year, that will be accepted from him along with two goats if he can conveniently give them, or else twenty dirhams. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fourth year is payable does not possess but possesses one in her fifth year, that will be accepted from him, and the collector must give him twenty dirhams or two goats. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fourth year is payable possesses only one in her third year, that will be accepted from him.”

Abu Dawud said From here I could not retain accurately from Musa as I liked “And he must give along with it two goats if he can conveniently give them, or else twenty dirhams. If anyone whose Camels reach ...

Once the Prophet went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She said that she had nothing except the mutton which Um 'Atiyya had sent to (Barirah) in charity. The Prophet said that it had reached its destination (i.e. it is no longer an object of charity.)

The Prophet said, "Had only ten Jews (amongst their chiefs) believe me, all the Jews would definitely have believed me."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said and from Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn Qusayt al-Laythi that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, ''Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'If a woman is divorced and has one or two periods and then stops menstruating, she must wait nine months. If it is clear that she is pregnant, that is that. If not, she must do an idda of three months after the nine, and then she is free to marry.' "

I asked Allah's Apostle. "We hunt with the help of these hounds." He said, "If you let loose your trained hounds after a game, and mention the name of Allah, then you can eat what the hounds catch for you, even if they killed the game. But you should not eat of it if the hound has eaten of it, for then it is likely that the hound has caught the game for itself. And if other hounds join your hound in hunting the game, then do not eat of it."

The Prophet vowed to keep aloof from his wives for a period of one month, and after the completion of 29 days he went either in the morning or in the afternoon to his wives. Someone said to him "You vowed that you would not go to your wives for one month." He replied, "The month is of 29 days."

Yahya related to me from Malik fromAbdullah ibn Abi Bakr that a mawla of Amir bint Abd ar-Rahman called Ruqayya told him that she once set out with Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman to go to Makka. She said, ''Amra entered Makka on the eighth of Dhu'l-Hijja, and I was with her. She did tawaf of the House, and say between Safa and Marwa, and then entered the back of the mosque. She asked me, 'Do you have a pair of scissors with you?' and I said, 'No.' She said, 'Then try and find some for me.' I went and looked for some and brought them back and she cut some hair from the tresses of her head.Then, on the day of sacrifice, she slaughtered a sheep."

It rained (because of the Prophet's invocation for rain) and the Prophet said, "Allah said, 'Some of My slaves have become disbelievers in Me, and some others, believers in Me.'"

The Prophet came to me the night my marriage was consummated and sat down on my bed as you (the sub-narrator) are sitting now, and small girls were beating the tambourine and singing in lamentation of my father who had been killed on the day of the battle of Badr. Then one of the girls said, "There is a Prophet amongst us who knows what will happen tomorrow." The Prophet said (to her)," Do not say this, but go on saying what you have spoken before."

The Prophet went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She replied that she had nothing except the mutton (piece) which Nusaiba (Um 'Atiyya) had sent to us (Barira) in charity." The Prophet said, "It has reached its place and now it is not a thing of charity but a gift for us."

My bed was beside the praying place (Musalla) of the Prophet and sometimes his garment fell on me while I used to lie in my bed.

The Prophet (saws) said: If anyone says in the morning or in the evening: "O Allah! Thou art my Lord; there is no god but Thee, Thou hast created me, and I am Thy servant and hold to Thy covenant and promise as much as I can; I seek refuge in Thee from the evil of what I have done: I acknowledge Thy favour to me, and I acknowledge my sin; pardon me, for none but Thee pardons sins, and dies during the daytime or during the night." he will go to Paradise.

Al-Hajjaj went to Ibn `Umar while I was present there. Al-Hajjaj asked Ibn `Umar, "How are you?" Ibn `Umar replied, "I am all right," Al-Hajjaj asked, "Who wounded you?" Ibn `Umar replied, "The person who allowed arms to be carried on the day on which it was forbidden to carry them (he meant Al-Hajjaj)."

That when the Ansar drew lots as to which of the emigrants should dwell with which of the Ansar, the name of `Uthman bin Mazun came out (to be in their lot). Um Al-Ala further said, "Uthman stayed with us, and we nursed him when he got sick, but he died. We shrouded him in his clothes, and Allah's Apostle came to our house and I said, (addressing the dead `Uthman), 'O Abu As-Sa'ib! May Allah be merciful to you. I testify that Allah has blessed you.' The Prophet said to me, "How do you know that Allah has blessed him?" I replied, 'I do not know O Allah's Apostle! May my parents be sacrificed for you.' Allah's Apostle said, 'As regards `Uthman, by Allah he has died and I really wish him every good, yet, by Allah, although I am Allah's Apostle, I do not know what will be done to him.' Um Al- Ala added, 'By Allah I shall never attest the piety of anybody after him. And what Allah's Apostles said made me sad." Um Al-Ala further said, "Once I slept and saw in a dream, a flowing stream for `Uthman. So I went to Allah's Apostle and told him about it, he said, 'That is (the symbol of) his deeds."

I asked Allah's Apostle, "We hunt with these hounds." He said, "If you send your trained hounds after a game and mention Allah's Name on sending, you can eat of what they catch for you. But if the hound eats of the game, then you must not eat of it, for I am afraid that the hound caught it for itself, and if another hound joins your hounds (during the hunt), you should not eat of the game."

My father was martyred on the day (of the Ghazwa) of Uhud and left six daughters and some debts to be paid. When the time of plucking the date-fruits came, I went to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! you know that my father was martyred on Uhud's day and owed much debt, and I wish that the creditors would see you." The Prophet said, "Go and collect the various kinds of dates and place them separately in heaps"' I did accordingly and called him. On seeing him, the creditors started claiming their rights pressingly at that time. When the Prophet saw how they behaved, he went round the biggest heap for three times and sat over it and said, "Call your companions (i.e. the creditors)." Then he kept on measuring and giving them, till Allah cleared all my father's debts. By Allah, it would have pleased me that Allah would clear the debts of my father even though I had not taken a single date to my sisters. But by Allah, all the heaps were complete, (as they were) and I looked at the heap where Allah's Apostle was sitting and noticed as if not a single date had been taken thereof.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Salih ibn Kaysan from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that Zayd ibn Khalid al- Juhani said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took the subh prayer with us at Hudaybiyya after it had rained in the night. When he had finished he went up to the people and said, 'Do you know what your Lord has said?' They said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'Some of my slaves have begun the morning believing in Me, and others have begun it rejecting Me. As for those who say, 'We were rained on by the overflowing favour of Allah and His mercy,' they believe in Me and reject the stars. But as for those who say, 'We were rained on by such and such a star, they reject Me and believe in the stars.' "

Allah's Apostle sent a group of Ansari men to kill Abu-Rafi`. One of them set out and entered their (i.e. the enemies) fort. That man said, "I hid myself in a stable for their animals. They closed the fort gate. Later they lost a donkey of theirs, so they went out in its search. I, too, went out along with them, pretending to look for it. They found the donkey and entered their fort. And I, too, entered along with them. They closed the gate of the fort at night, and kept its keys in a small window where I could see them. When those people slept, I took the keys and opened the gate of the fort and came upon Abu Rafi` and said, 'O Abu Rafi`. When he replied me, I proceeded towards the voice and hit him. He shouted and I came out to come back, pretending to be a helper. I said, 'O Abu Rafi`, changing the tone of my voice. He asked me, 'What do you want; woe to your mother?' I asked him, 'What has happened to you?' He said, 'I don't know who came to me and hit me.' Then I drove my sword into his belly and pushed it forcibly till it touched the bone. Then I came out, filled with puzzlement and went towards a ladder of theirs in order to get down but I fell down and sprained my foot. I came to my companions and said, 'I will not leave till I hear the wailing of the women.' So, I did not leave till I heard the women bewailing Abu Rafi`, the merchant pf Hijaz. Then I got up, feeling no ailment, (and we proceeded) till we came upon the Prophet and informed him."

"Allah's Apostle said to me, "Have you got married O Jabir?" I replied, "Yes." He asked "What, a virgin or a matron?" I replied, "Not a virgin but a matron." He said, "Why did you not marry a young girl who would have fondled with you?" I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! My father was martyred on the day of Uhud and left nine (orphan) daughters who are my nine sisters; so I disliked to have another young girl of their age, but (I sought) an (elderly) woman who could comb their hair and look after them." The Prophet said, "You have done the right thing."

The Prophet visited her (Juwairiya) on a Friday and she was fasting. He asked her, "Did you fast yesterday?" She said, "No." He said, "Do you intend to fast tomorrow?" She said, "No." He said, "Then break your fast." Through another series of narrators, Abu Aiyub is reported to have said, "He ordered her and she broke her fast."

Abu Dawud said : The woman had four folds of fat on her belly.

For the pasturing goats, he narrated the tradition similar to that transmitted by Sufyan bin Husain. This version adds “An old goat, one with defect in the eye or a male goat is not to be accepted in sadaqah(zakat) unless the collector wishes.”

The Prophet came to me while I was ill. He performed ablution and threw the remaining water on me (or said, "Pour it on him) " When I came to my senses I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have no son or father to be my heir, so how will be my inheritance?" Then the Verse of inheritance was revealed.

While I was sick, the Prophet entered upon me and asked for some water to perform ablution, and after he had finished his ablution, he sprinkled some water of his ablution over me, whereupon I became conscious and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have sisters." Then the Divine Verses regarding the laws of inheritance were revealed.

I was present at Khaybar along with my masters who spoke about me to the Messenger of Allah (saws). He ordered about me, and a sword was girded on me and I was trailing it. He was then informed that I was a slave. He, therefore, ordered that I should be given some inferior goods.

Abu Dawud said: This means that he (the Prophet) did not allot a portion of the spoils.

Abu Dawud said: Abu 'Ubaid said: As he (the narrator Abi al-Lahm) made eating meat unlawful on himself, he was called Abi al-Lahm (one who hates meat).

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "Two men from the east stood up and spoke, and people were amazed at their eloquence. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Some eloquence is sorcery,' or he said, 'Part of eloquence is sorcery.' "

We went out with Allah's Apostle in the year of Al-Hudaibiya. One night it rained and Allah's Apostle led us in the Fajr prayer and (after finishing it), turned to us and said, "Do you know what your Lord has said?" We replied, "Allah and His Apostle know it better." He said, "Allah said:-- "(Some of) My slaves got up believing in Me, And (some of them) disbelieving in Me. The one who said: We have been given Rain through Allah's Mercy and Allah's Blessing and Allah's Bounty, then he is a believer in Me, and is a disbeliever in the star. And whoever said: We have been given rain because of such and- such star, then he is a believer in the star, and is a disbeliever in Me."

Some clothes were presented to Allah's Apostle as a gift and there was a black Khamisa with it. The Prophet asked (his companions), "To whom do you suggest we give this Khamisa?" The people kept quiet. Then he said, "Bring me Um Khalid," So I was brought to him and he dressed me with it with his own hands and said twice, "May you live so long that you will wear out many garments." He then started looking at the embroidery of that Khamisa and said, "O Um Khalid! This is Sana!" (Sana in Ethiopian language means beautiful.) 'Is-haq, a sub-narrator, said: A woman of my family had told me that she had seen the Khamisa worn by Um Khalid.

The Prophet took an oath that he would not enter upon some of his wives for one month. But when twenty nine days had elapsed, he went to them in the morning or evening. It was said to him, "O Allah's Prophet! You had taken an oath that you would not enter upon them for one month." He replied, "The month can be of twenty nine days."

My uncle brought me (to Medina) in the pre-Islamic days. He sold me to al-Hubab ibn Amr, brother of AbulYusr ibn Amr. I bore a child, AbdurRahman ibn al-Hubab, to him and he (al-Hubab) then died.

Thereupon his wife said: I swear by Allah, now you will be sold (as a repayment) for his loan.

So I came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: Messenger of Allah! I am a woman of Banu Kharijah Qays ibn Aylan. My uncle had brought me to Medina in pre-Islamic days. He sold me to al-Hubab ibn Amr, brother of AbulYusr ibn Amr. I bore AbdurRahman ibn al-Hubab to him. His wife said: I swear by Allah, you will be sold for his loan.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Who is the guardian of al-Hubab?

He was told: His brother, AbulYusr ibn Amr. He then sent for him and said: Set her free; when you hear that some slaves have been brought to me, came to me, and I shall compensate you for her.

She said: They set me free, and when some slaves were brought to the Messenger of Allah (saws), he gave them a slave in compensation for me.

I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Marry my sister, the daughter of Abu Sufyan." He said, "Do you like that?" I said, "Yes, for even now I am not your only wife; and the most beloved person to share the good with me is my sister." The Prophet said, "But that is not lawful for me (i.e., to be married to two sisters at a time.)" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! By Allah, we have heard that you want to marry Durra, the daughter of Abu Salama." He said, "You mean the daughter of Um Salama?" I said, "Yes." He said, "By Allah ! Even if she were not my stepdaughter, she would not be lawful for me to marry, for she is my foster niece, for Thuwaiba has suckled me and Abu Salama; so you should neither present your daughters, nor your sisters to me."

(the daughter of Abu Talib) I visited Allah's Apostle in the year of the Conquest of Mecca and found him taking a bath, and his daughter, Fatima was screening him. When I greeted him, he said, "Who is it?" I replied, "I am Um Hani, the daughter of Abu Talib." He said, "Welcome, O Um Hani ! " When the Prophet had finished his bath, he stood up and offered eight rak`at of prayer while he was wrapped in a single garment. When he had finished his prayer, I said, "O Allah's Apostle! My maternal brother assumes (or claims) that he will murder some man whom I have given shelter, i.e., so-and-so bin Hubaira." Allah's Apostle said, "O Um Hani! We shelter him whom you have sheltered." Um Hani added, "That happened in the forenoon."