Allah's Apostle I was delivering the Khutba (sermon) on a Friday when the people stood up, shouted and said, "O Allah's Apostle! There is no rain (drought), the trees have dried and the livestock are destroyed; Please pray to Allah for rain." So Allah's Apostle said twice, "O Allah! Bless us with rain." By Allah, there was no trace of cloud in the sky and suddenly the sky became overcast with clouds and it started raining. The Prophet came down the pulpit and offered the prayer. When he came back from the prayer (to his house) it was raining and it rained continuously till the next Friday. When the Prophet started delivering the Friday Khutba (sermon), the people started shouting and said to him, "The houses have collapsed and the roads are cut off; so please pray to Allah to withhold the rain." So the Prophet smiled and said, "O Allah! Round about us and not on us." So the sky became clear over Medina but it kept on raining over the outskirts (of Medina) and not a single drop of rain fell over Median. I looked towards the sky which was as bright and clear as a crown.

I went to Allah's Apostle while he was at Khaibar after it had fallen in the Muslims' hands. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Give me a share (from the land of Khaibar)."

One of the sons of Sa'id bin Al-'As said, "O Allah's Apostle! Do not give him a share." I said, "This is the murderer of Ibn Qauqal." The son of Said bin Al-As said, "Strange! A Wabr (i.e. guinea pig) who has come down to us from the mountain of Qaduim (i.e. grazing place of sheep) blames me for killing a Muslim who was given superiority by Allah because of me, and Allah did not disgrace me at his hands (i.e. was not killed as an infidel)." (The sub-narrator said "I do not know whether the Prophet gave him a share or not.")

Allah's Apostle delivered a sermon and said, "O people! You will be gathered before Allah barefooted, naked and not circumcised." Then (quoting Qur'an) he said:-- "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. A promise We have undertaken: Truly we shall do it.." (21.104) The Prophet then said, "The first of the human beings to be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Abraham. Lo! Some men from my followers will be brought and then (the angels) will drive them to the left side (Hell-Fire). I will say. 'O my Lord! (They are) my companions!' Then a reply will come (from Almighty), 'You do not know what they did after you.' I will say as the pious slave (the Prophet Jesus) said: And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them. When You took me up. You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to all things.' (5.117) Then it will be said, "These people have continued to be apostates since you left them."

We took the oath of allegiance to Allah's Apostle and he recited to us: 'They will not associate anything in worship with Allah,' and forbade us to bewail the dead. Thereupon a lady withdrew her hand (refrained from taking the oath of allegiance), and said, "But such-and-such lady lamented over one of my relatives, so I must reward (do the same over the dead relatives of) hers." The Prophet did not object to that, so she went (there) and returned to the Prophet so he accepted her pledge of allegiance.

'Umar asked about the decision of the Prophet (saws) about that (i.e. abortion). Haml b. Malik b. al-Nabhigah got up and said: I was between two women. One of them struck another with a rolling-pin killing both her and what was in her womb. So the Messenger of Allah (saws) gave judgement that the bloodwit for the unborn child should be a male or a female slave of the best quality and the she should be killed.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Nadr b. Shumail said: Mistah means a rolling-pin.

Abu Dawud said: Abu 'Ubaid said: Mistah means a pole from the tent-poles.

Zainab, the wife of `Abdullah said, "I was in the Mosque and saw the Prophet (p.b.u.h) saying, 'O women ! Give alms even from your ornaments.' " Zainab used to provide for `Abdullah and those orphans who were under her protection. So she said to `Abdullah, "Will you ask Allah's Apostle whether it will be sufficient for me to spend part of the Zakat on you and the orphans who are under my protection?" He replied "Will you yourself ask Allah's Apostle ?" (Zainab added): So I went to the Prophet and I saw there an Ansari woman who was standing at the door (of the Prophet ) with a similar problem as mine. Bilal passed by us and we asked him, 'Ask the Prophet whether it is permissible for me to spend (the Zakat) on my husband and the orphans under my protection.' And we requested Bilal not to inform the Prophet about us. So Bilal went inside and asked the Prophet regarding our problem. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked, "Who are those two?" Bilal replied that she was Zainab. The Prophet said, "Which Zainab?" Bilal said, "The wife of `Abdullah (bin Mas`ud)." The Prophet said, "Yes, (it is sufficient for her) and she will receive a double rewards (for that): One for helping relatives, and the other for giving Zakat."

We were in the company of the Prophet at a place called Al-Qaha (which is at a distance of three stages of journey from Medina). Abu Qatada narrated through another group of narrators: We were in the company of the Prophet at a place called Al-Qaha and some of us had assumed Ihram while the others had not. I noticed that some of my companions were watching something, so I looked up and saw an onager. (I rode my horse and took the spear and whip) but my whip fell down (and I asked them to pick it up for me) but they said, "We will not help you by any means as we are in a state of Ihram." So, I picked up the whip myself and attacked the onager from behind a hillock and slaughtered it and brought it to my companions. Some of them said, "Eat it." While some others said, "Do not eat it." So, I went to the Prophet who was ahead of us and asked him about it, He replied, "Eat it as it is Halal (i.e. it is legal to eat it).

We did not know what we should say when we sat during prayer. The Messenger of Allah (saws) was taught (by Allah). He then narrated the tradition to the same effect. Sharik reported from Jami', from AbuWa'il on the authority of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud something similar.

He said: He used to teach us also some other words, but he did not teach them as he taught us the tashahhud: O Allah, join our hearts, mend our social relationship, guide us to the path of peace, bring us from darkness to light, save us from obscenities, outward or inward, and bless our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our wives, our children, and relent toward us; Thou art the Relenting, the Merciful. And make us grateful for Thy blessing and make us praise it while accepting it and give it to us in full.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) then said: Return to them (Hawazin) their women and their sons. If any of you withholds anything from this booty, we have six camels for him from the first booty which Allah gives us. The Prophet (saws) then approached a camel, and taking a hair from its hump said: O people, I get nothing of this booty, not even this (meanwhile raising his two fingers) but the fifth, and the fifth is returned to you, so hand over threads and needles. A man got up with a ball of hair in his hand and said: I took this to repair the cloth under a pack-saddle. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: You can have what belongs to me and to the Banu al-Muttalib. He said: If it produces the result that I now realise, I have no desire for it.

Abu Bakr bought a (camel's) saddle from `Azib, and I carried it for him. `Azib (i.e. my father) asked Abu Bakr regarding the journey of the migration of Allah's Apostle. Abu Bakr said, "Close observers were appointed by our enemies to watch us. So we went out at night and travelled throughout the night and the following day till it was noon, then we perceived a rock and went towards it, and there was some shade under it. I spread a cloak I had with me for Allah's Apostle and then the Prophet layed on it. I went out to guard him and all of a sudden I saw a shepherd coming with his sheep looking for the same, the shade of the rock as we did, I asked him, 'O boy, to whom do you belong?' He replied, 'I belong to so-and-so.' I asked him, 'Is there some milk in your sheep?' He replied in the affirmative. I asked him, 'Will you milk?' He replied in the affirmative. Then he got hold of one of his sheep. I said to him, 'Remove the dust from its udder.' Then he milked a little milk. I had a water-skin with me which was tied with a piece of cloth. I had prepared the water-skin for Allah's Apostle . So I poured some water over the milk (container) till its bottom became cold. Then I brought the milk to the Prophet and said, 'Drink, O Allah's Apostle.' Allah's Apostle drank till I became pleased. Then we departed and the pursuers were following us."

At the time of giving the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet one of the conditions was that we would not wail, but it was not fulfilled except by five women and they are Um Sulaim, Um Al-`Ala', the daughter of Abi Sabra (the wife of Mu`adh), and two other women; or the daughter of Abi Sabra and the wife of Mu`adh and another woman.

We used to participate in the holy battles led by Allah's Apostle and we had nothing (no wives) with us. So we said, "Shall we get ourselves castrated?" He forbade us that and then allowed us to marry women with a temporary contract (2) and recited to us: -- 'O you who believe ! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but commit no transgression.' (5.87)

Once Sa`da bint Zam`a went out at night for some need, and `Umar saw her, and recognizing her, he said (to her), "By Allah, O Sa`da! You cannot hide yourself from us." So she returned to the Prophet and mentioned that to him while he was sitting in my dwelling taking his supper and holding a bone covered with meat in his hand. Then the Divine Inspiration was revealed to him and when that state was over, he (the Prophet was saying: "O women! You have been allowed by Allah to go out for your needs."

Fatima the daughter of the Prophet sent someone to Abu Bakr (when he was a caliph), asking for her inheritance of what Allah's Apostle had left of the property bestowed on him by Allah from the Fai (i.e. booty gained without fighting) in Medina, and Fadak, and what remained of the Khumus of the Khaibar booty. On that, Abu Bakr said, "Allah's Apostle said, "Our property is not inherited. Whatever we leave, is Sadaqa, but the family of (the Prophet) Muhammad can eat of this property.' By Allah, I will not make any change in the state of the Sadaqa of Allah's Apostle and will leave it as it was during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle, and will dispose of it as Allah's Apostle used to do." So Abu Bakr refused to give anything of that to Fatima. So she became angry with Abu Bakr and kept away from him, and did not task to him till she died. She remained alive for six months after the death of the Prophet. When she died, her husband `Ali, buried her at night without informing Abu Bakr and he said the funeral prayer by himself. When Fatima was alive, the people used to respect `Ali much, but after her death, `Ali noticed a change in the people's attitude towards him. So `Ali sought reconciliation with Abu Bakr and gave him an oath of allegiance. `Ali had not given the oath of allegiance during those months (i.e. the period between the Prophet's death and Fatima's death). `Ali sent someone to Abu Bakr saying, "Come to us, but let nobody come with you," as he disliked that `Umar should come, `Umar said (to Abu Bakr), "No, by Allah, you shall not enter upon them alone " Abu Bakr said, "What do you think they will do to me? By Allah, I will go to them' So Abu Bakr entered upon them, and then `Ali uttered Tashah-hud and said (to Abu Bakr), "We know well your superiority and what Allah has given you, and we are not jealous of the good what Allah has bestowed upon you, but you did not consult us in the question of the rule and we thought that we have got a right in it because of our near relationship to Allah's Apostle ." Thereupon Abu Bakr's eyes flowed with tears. And when Abu Bakr spoke, he said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is to keep good relations with the relatives of Allah's Apostle is dearer to me than to keep good relations with my own relatives. But as for the trouble which arose between me and you about his property, I will do my best to spend it according to what is good, and will not leave any rule or regulation ...

Hilal ibn Yasaf said: I came to ar-Raqqah (a place in Syria). One of my companions said to me: Do you want to see any of the Companions of the Prophet (saws)? I said: A good opportunity. So we went to Wabisah.

I said to my friend: Let us first see his mode of living. He had a cap with two ears stuck (to his head), and wearing a brown silken robe. He was resting on a staff during prayer. We asked him (about resting on the staff) after salutation; He said: Umm Qays daughter of Mihsan said to me that when the Messenger of Allah (saws) became aged and the flesh grew increasingly on him, he took a prop at his place of prayer and rested on it.

Abu Talhah said “When the Apostle of Allaah(saws) prevailed on any people, he stayed three nights in the field. Ibn Al Muthanna said “When he prevailed over people, he liked to stay three nights in the field.”

Abu Dawud said “Yahya bin Sa’id used to object to this tradition for this is not from his early traditions because his memory was spoiled at the age of forty five. He narrated this tradition in the last days of his age.”

Abu Dawud said “ It is said that Waki ‘ recived this tradition from him when his memory was spoiled.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that one time Abdullah ibn Umar wanted to sacrifice an animal at Madina. Nafi said, "He told me to buy him an excellent horned ram, then to sacrifice it on the Day of Sacrifice in the place where the people prayed." Nafi continued, "I did so and when the ram was sacrificed, it was carried to Abdullah ibn Umar who shaved his head. He was ill, and did not attend the Id with the people." Nafi added, "Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, 'Shaving the head is not obligatory for someone who sacrifices an animal.' Ibn Umar would do so however."