I wanted to ask `Umar something but I did not find a chance, so I waited for two years. Then when we were in Marraz-Zahran, he went to relieve himself, then he came after relieving himself and I poured water for him, I said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, who are the two women who helped one another against the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)`? He said: `A`ishah and Hafsah. ` As mentioned in the Qur`an: `If you two (wives of the Prophet (ﷺ)) turn in repentance to Allâh. (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined to oppose what the Prophet (ﷺ) likes); but if you help one another against him (Muhammad (ﷺ)). then verily, Allâh is his Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector), and Jibril (Gabriel). and the righteous among the believers, and furthermore, the angels are his helpers` (surah at-Tahreem 66:3)

`This is the place of standing, and all of `Arafah is a place of standing.` Then he moved on at an unhurried pace, and the people started rushing right and left. He turned to them and said: `Calmly, O people; calmly, O people.” Then he came to al-Muzdalifah and put two prayers together, then he stood in al-Muzdalifah in a place called Quzah, with al-Fadl bin al-`Abbas riding behind him, and he said: “This is the place of standing and all of Muzdalifah is a place of standing.” Then he moved on at an unhurried pace and the people started rushing right and left. He turned to them and said: `Calmly, O people; calmly, O people.” he quoted the hadeeth at length.

Abu Moosa came to al-Hasan bin `Ali to visit him when he was sick. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Have you come to visit him or to gloat? He said: No. I have come to visit him because he is sick. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said to him: Since you have come to visit him because he is sick, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “If a man visits his Muslim brother when he is sick, he is walking amongst the fruits of Paradise until he sits down, and when he sits down he is covered with mercy. If it is morning, seventy thousand angels will send blessings upon him until evening, and if it is evening, seventy thousand angels will send blessings upon him until morning.`

We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at a funeral, and he said: `Who will go to Madinah and not leave any grave without levelling it, or any image without smearing it, or any idol without breaking it?` A man stood up and said: I will. Then he felt afraid of the people of Madinah, so he sat down. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: So I went, then I came back and said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I did not leave any grave in Madinah but I levelled it, or any image but I smeared it, or any idol but I broke it. He said: `Whoever goes back to doing any of that has disbelieved in what Allah revealed to Muhammad. O Ali, do not be a cause of division - or he said: a show-off - or a merchant, except a good merchant, for they are the ones who procrastinate in doing good deeds.”

On the day of al-Khandaq, `Umar bin Abi Salamah and I were in the fort where the wives of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) were, the fort of Hassan. He would lift me up and I would lift him up. When he lifted me up, I saw my father go past on his way to Quraizah, as he was fighting alongside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the day of al-Khandaq. He said: “Who will go to Banu Quraizah and fight them?” I said to him when he came back: “O my father, I recognized you when you were going to Banu Quraizah.” He said: “O my son, by Allah, the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) mentioned both his parents together for me when he said: May my father and mother be sacrificed for you.`

Angels came to the Prophet when he was asleep; and they said, “A comparison can be drawn with this friend of yours, so draw one.” One of them said, “He is asleep;” but another replied, “The eye sleeps while the heart is awake.” Then they said, “He may be likened to a man who built a house, prepared a feast in it, and sent one to issue invitations. Whoever responds to the one who invites him will enter the house and eat of the feast, but whoever does not respond will not enter the house or eat of the feast.” They said, “If you interpret it to him, he will understand it whereupon one said, “He is a sleep”, and another replied, “The eye sleeps while the heart is awake.” Then they said, “The house is paradise, the one who issues the invitation is Muhammad, he who obeys Muhammad has obeyed God, and he who disobeys Muhammad has disobeyed God. Muhammad is one who separates between people.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Jabir told how ‘Umar b. al-Khattab brought God’s messenger a copy of the Torah saying, “Messenger of God, this is a copy of the Torah.” When he received no reply he began to read to the obvious displeasure of God’s messenger, so Abu Bakr said, “Confound you ¹ do you not see how God’s messenger is looking?” So ‘Umar looked at God’s messenger’s face and said, “I seek refuge in God from the anger of God and His messenger. We are satisfied with God as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet.” Then God’s messenger said, “By Him in whose hand Muhammad’s soul is, were Moses to appear to you and you were to follow him and abandon me, you would err from the right way. Were he alive and came in touch with my prophetic mission he would follow me.” Darimi transmitted it. ¹ Literally, may the bereaved be bereaved of you.

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Ka‘b told on his father's authority that when death came to Ka‘b,( Ibn Majah in Jana'iz. 4 gives Ka'b b. Malik.) Umm Bishr, daughter of al-Bara’ b. Ma'rur visited him and said, “Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, if you meet so and so, give him a greeting from me." He replied, “God forgive you, Umm Bishr, I shall be too occupied to do that.” She said, “Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, have you not heard God’s messenger say that the souls of believers are in green birds which are suspended on and feed on (The Arabic uses ta'luqu followed by bi. Mirqat explains the meaning in the sense given above) the trees of paradise?” On his replying that he had, she said that that was what she meant. Ibn Majah and BaihaqI, in Kitab ul-ba‘th wannushur, transmitted it.

When we were in the Suffa (A kind of verandah at the mosque in Medina where certain poor people lived) God’s mes­senger came out and asked, “Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthān or al-‘Aqīq (Two wādis not far from Medina where camels were sold) and bring two large-humped she-camels without being guilty of sin or severing ties of relationship?” We replied, “Messenger of God, we would all like that.” He said, “Does not one of you go out in the morning to the mosque and teach or recite two verses of God’s Book? That is better for him than two she- camels, and three verses are better for him than three she-camels, and four verses are better for him than four she-camels, and so on than their numbers in camels.” Muslim transmitted it.

We came to a clan of the Arabs after leaving God's Messenger and they said, “We have been told that you have brought what is good from this man. Have you any medicine, or a charm, for we have a lunatic in chains?" When we replied that we had, they brought a lunatic in chains and I recited Fatihat al-Kitab over him three days morning and evening, collecting my saliva and then spitting it out, and he seemed as if he were set free from a bond. They gave me some payment, but I refused to accept it till I had asked the Prophet. When I did so he said, “Accept it*, for by my life, some accept it for a worthless charm, but you have done so for a genuine one." Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it. * Literally "eat”.

The Prophet used to spend time with Zainab daughter of Jahsh and that he once drank honey at her house, so Hafsa and she agreed that the one whom the Prophet visited first should say, “I notice that you have an odour of the gum of the mimosa.* Have you eaten some?” When he visited one of them and she said that to him he replied, “Don’t worry; I drank some honey at the house of Zainab daughter of Jahsh, but I swear that I shall not do it again. Do not tell anyone of that.” [He said this] desiring to please his wives, and then there came down, “O prophet, why do you hold to be forbidden what God has made lawful for you, desiring to please your wives? (Al-Qur’an 66:1). *Maghafir; plural of Mughfur, is here used. It is the gum of a kind of mimosa called ‘urfut, the odour of which is unpleasant. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Alqama b. Wa’il told on his father’s authority that a man from Hadramaut and man from Kinda came to the Prophet, the Hadrami saying, ‘‘Messenger of God, this man has seized land belonging to me,” and the Kindi saying, “It is my land and in my possession; he has no right to it.” The Prophet asked the Hadrami if he had any proof, but he replied that he had none, so he told him that he could have the other swear an oath. He replied, “Messenger of God, the man is a reprobate who would swear to anything and stick at nothing,” but he told him that that was his only recourse. The man went off to take an oath, and when he turned his back God’s Messenger said, “If he swears about his property to take it unjustly he will certainly find God turning away from him when he meets Him.” Muslim transmitted it.

Fatima daughter of al-Husain said on the authority of her grand-mother, Fatima the elder,* that when the Prophet entered the mosque he would pray for blessings and safety for himself and say, “My Lord, forgive me my sins, and open to me the gates of Thy mercy.” And when he went out he would pray for blessings and safety for himself and say, “My Lord, forgive me my sins, and open to me the gates of Thy abundance.” *The daughter of the Prophet who married ‘Ali. Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Ibn Majah transmitted it. In the version of the last two she said that when he entered the mosque, and also when he came out, he said, “In the name of God, and peace be upon God’s Messenger,” instead of “he would pray for blessings and safety for himself.” Tirmidhi said that its isnad is not connected, for Fatima daughter of al-Husain was not born in the lifetime of Fatima the elder.

Yazid b. Ruman told on the authority of Salih b. al-Khawwat on the authority of one who prayed in time of danger along with God’s Messenger at the battle of Dhat ar-Riqa'* that a section formed a line along with him and a section faced the enemy. He led the section which was along with him in a rak'a, then remained standing while they finished the prayer by themselves. They then departed and drew up in line facing the enemy, and when the other party came he led them in the remaining rak'a of his prayer, after which he remained seated while they finished the prayer by themselves. He then led them in uttering the salutation. * This was during an expedition against some sections of Ghatafan in 4 A.H (Bukhari and Muslim.) Bukhari rendered it also by another line from al-Qasim from Salih b. al-Khawwat from Sahl b. Abu Hathma from the Prophet.

A client of ‘Uthman said that Umm Salama was presented with a piece of meat, and because the Prophet liked meat she told the servant to put it in the house as the Prophet might perhaps eat it. She put it in the window ledge in the house. A beggar came and stood at the door and said, “Give alms, may God bless you," and when they replied, “God bless you,"* the beggar went away. Then the Prophet entered and asked Umm Salama whether she had anything for him to eat. She replied that she had, and told the servant to go and bring God's messenger that meat, but when she went she found only a piece of flint in the window ledge. The Prophet then said, “That meat changed into flint because you did not give it to the beggar." Baihaqi transmitted it in Dalail an-nubuwa. * A pious remark used to indicate that there is no intention of giving anything. The most common phrase in such circumstances is Allah karim (God is generous).

I was a guest one night along with God's messenger and he ordered a haunch to be roasted, then took a broad knife and began to cut off slices for me. Bilal then came to tell him the time for prayer had come, and he threw down the knife saying, “What is the m atter with him! May his hands be covered with dust!”* My moustache was long, so he said, “I shall clip it for you over a tooth-stick,” or, “Clip it over a tooth-stick.” *Taribat yadahu. I have here translated the phrase literally, but cf. p. 658. It is not normally to be taken literally. In this tradition the Prophet is evidently displeased because the call to prayer has been made so soon, but it should not be understood that he is calling down a curse on Bilal. In its use here it may indicate some degree of displeasure, but nothing more. Tirmidhi transmitted it*

At the battle of Badr 'Utba b. Rabi'a came forward followed by his son and his brother and cried out, “Who will engage in single combat?” Some young men of the Helpers responded to his call, but when he asked them who they were and they told him he said, “I have no use for you; I want only my cousins on my father’s side.” God’s Messenger then said, “Get up, Hamza; get up, ‘Ali; get up, ‘Ubaida b. al-Harith.” Hamza went forward to ‘Utba, I went forward to Shaiba, and after two blows had been exchanged between ‘Ubaida and al-Walid they wounded one another severely; so we turned against al-Walid, and when we had killed him we carried ‘Ubaida away. Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

We went on an expedition with God’s Messenger against Hawazin, and while we were having a meal in the forenoon with God’s Messenger a man came on a red camel, and after he had made it kneel he began to look around. Now we were in a weak condition and in a poor way with regard to mounts, and some of us were on foot. He went out in a hurry and coming to his camel made it go and it went off quickly with him. I hastened out and catching the camel’s nose-rein I made it kneel, then drew my sword and struck the man on his head. I then brought the camel leading it with his saddle and weapons on it, and when God's Messenger and the people met me he asked who had killed the man. On their replying that it was the son of al-Akwa‘, he said, “He gets all his spoil.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Prophet sent Khalid b. al-Walid to the B. Hadhima and he summoned them to accept Islam. When they did not express their acceptance of Islam properly but began to say, “We have changed our religion, we have changed our religion,”* Khalid began to kill them and take prisoners, and he handed a prisoner to each one of us. But when a day came when Khalid ordered each of us to kill his prisoner, I said, “I swear by God that I will not kill my prisoner and that not one of my companions will kill his prisoner till we come to the Prophet.” When we mentioned the matter to him he raised his hands and said twice, “O God, I declare myself innocent in Thy sight of what Khalid has done.” *Here the verb saba'a is used. Bukhari transmitted it.

When God’s Messenger divided the portion of the relatives among the B. Hashim and the B. al-Muttalib, ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan and I came to him and said, "Messenger of God, these are our brethren of the B. Hashim whose superiority we do not deny because of the position in which God has placed you in relation to them, but tell us about our brethren of the B. al-Muttalib to whom you have given something while omitting us though our relationship is the same as theirs."* God’s Messenger replied, "The B. Hashim and the B. al- Muttalib are one body like this," and he intertwined his fingers. * Cf. Chapter 8a Shafi'i transmitted it, and there is something to the same effect in the version of Abu Dawud and Nasa'i. It says, "I and the B. al-Muttalib have not been separate in the pre-Islamic or in the Islamic period and they and we are one," intertwining his fingers.

Hudhaifa b. Asid al-Ghifari told that the Prophet once came on them when they were discussing and asked the subject of their discussion. On being told that they were discussing the last hour he said, "It will not come till you have seen ten signs before it." He then mentioned the smoke,[1] the dajjal, the beast,[2] the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the descent of Jesus, son of Mary, Gog and, Magog,[3] three subsidences, one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which a fire will issue from the Yemen and drive mankind to their place of assembly. A version says that a fire will issue from the lowest part of Aden and drive mankind to the place of assembly. A version has about the tenth [sign] "a wind will cast mankind into the sea." Cf. Quran, 44:10. Cf. Quran, 27:82. Cf. Quran, 18:94; 21:96. Muslim transmitted it.

AbdulMuttalib ibn Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith said that his father, Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith, and Abbas ibn al-Muttalib said to AbdulMuttalib ibn Rabi'ah and al-Fadl ibn Abbas: Go to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and tell him: Messenger of Allah, we are now of age as you see, and we wish to marry. Messenger of Allah, you are the kindest of the people and the most skilled in matchmaking. Our fathers have nothing with which to pay our dower. So appoint us collector of sadaqah (zakat), Messenger of Allah, and we shall give you what the other collectors give you, and we shall have the benefit accruing from it. Ali came to us while we were in this condition.

He said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: No, I swear by Allah, he will not appoint any of you collector of sadaqah (zakat).

Rabi'ah said to him: This is your condition; you have gained your relationship with the Messenger of Allah (saws) by marriage, but we did not grudge you that. Ali then put his cloak on the earth and lay on it.

He then said: I am the father of Hasan, the chief. I swear by Allah, I shall not leave this place until your sons come with a reply (to the question) for which you have sent them to the Prophet (saws).

AbdulMuttalib said: So I and al-Fadl went towards the door of the apartment of the Prophet (saws). We found that the noon prayer in congregation had already started. So we prayed along with the people. I and al-Fadl then hastened towards the door of the apartment of the Prophet (saws). He was (staying) with Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh, that day. We stood until the Messenger of Allah (saws) came. He caught my ear and the ear of al-Fadl.

He then said: Reveal what you conceal in your hearts. He then entered and permitted me and al-Fadl (to enter). So we entered and for a little while we asked each other to talk. I then talked to him, or al-Fadl talked to him (the narrator, Abdullah was not sure).

He said: He spoke to him concerning the matter about which our fathers ordered us to ask him. The Messenger of Allah (saws) remained silent for a moment and raised his eyes towards the ceiling of the room. He took so long that we thought he would not give any reply to us. Meanwhile we saw that Zaynab was signalling to us with her hand from behind the veil, asking us not to be in a hurry, and that the Messenger of Allah (saws) was (thinking) about our matter.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) then lowered his head and said to us: This sadaqah (zakat) is a dirt of the people. It is legal neither for Muhammad nor for the family of Muhammad. Call Nawfal ibn al-Harith to me. So Nawfal ibn al-Harith was called to him.

He said: Nawfal, marry AbdulMuttalib (to your daughter). So Nawfal married me (to his daughter).

The Prophet (saws) then said: Call Mahmiyyah ibn Jaz'i to me. He was a man of Banu Zubayd, whom the Messenger of Allah (saws) had appointed collector of the fifths.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Mahmiyyah: Marry al-Fadl (to your daughter). So he married him to her. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Stand up and pay the dower from the fifth so-and-so on their behalf. Abdullah ibn al-Harith did not name it (i.e. the amount of the dower).

I prayed with the Prophet (SAW) and (noticed that) whenever he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and whenever he came to a verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah against it." [Reported by Al-Khamsah, and at-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan (good)].

Salim, the mawla of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, said, "When Ibn 'Umar was greeted, he returned it with increase. I came upon him sitting down and said, 'Peace be upon you,' and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.' Then I came another time and said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah,; and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.' Then I came to him another time and said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,' and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and the bet of His prayers.'"

"Fatimah came to the Prophet (saas) to ask him for a servant, and he said: 'I do not have anything to give you.' So she went back, but after that he came to her and said: 'Is what you asked for dearer to you, or something better than that?' 'Ali said to her: 'Say: something better than that.' So she said it. He said: 'Say: Allahumma Rabbas-samawatis-Sab'i wa Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azim, Rabbana wa Rabba Kulli shay'in, munzil at-Tawrati wal-Injili wal-Qur'anil-'Azim. Antal-Awwalu fa laysa qablaka shay', wa Antal-Akiru fa laysa ba'daka shay', Antaz-Zahiru fa laysa fawqaka shay', wa Antal-Batinu fa laysa dunaka shay', Iqdi 'annad-daina wa aghnina minal-faqr (O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Mighty Throne, Our Lord, and the Lord of Everything, Revealer of the Tawrah, the Injil and the Magnificent Qur'an. You are the First and there is nothing after You; You are the Last and there is nothing after You. You are the Most High, and there is nothing above You, and You are the Most Near and there is nothing nearer than You. Settle our debts and make us free of want).'"

“When the Messenger of Allah (saw) fell ill with the sickness that would be his last” – (One of the narrators) Abu Mu’awiyah said: “When he was overcome by sickness” – “Bilal came to tell him that it was time for prayer. He said, ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is a tender-hearted man, and when he takes your place he will weep and not be able to do it. Why do you not tell ‘Umar to lead the people in prayer?’ He said: ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer; you are (like) the female companions of Yusuf.’” She said: “So we sent word to Abu Bakr, and he led the people in prayer. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) began to feel a little better, so he came out to the prayer, supported by two men with his feet making lines along the ground. When Abu Bakr realized that he was there, he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (saw) gestured to him to stay where he was. Then (the two men) brought him to sit beside Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr was following the lead of the Prophet (saw) and the people were following Abu Bakr.”

"The Messenger of Allah came out of one of his apartments one day and entered the mosque, where he saw two circles, one reciting Qur'an and supplicating to Allah, and the other learning and teaching. The Prophet said: 'Both of them are good. These people are reciting the Qur'an and supplicating to Allah, and if He wills He will give them, and if He wills He will withhold from them. And these people are learning and teaching. Verily I have been sent as a teacher.' Then he sat down with them."

"I was with the Prophet on a journey, and he wanted to relieve himself. He said to me: 'Go to those two small date-palm trees and tell them: "The Messenger of Allah orders you to come together.'" So they came together and he concealed himself behind them, and relieved himself. Then he said to me: 'Go to them and tell them: "Go back, each one of you, to your places.'" So I said that to them and they went back."

He heard Abu Hurairah say: "A man came to the Messenger of Allah and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we travel by sea and carry a small amount of water with us. If we use it for ablution, we will become thirsty. Can we perform ablution with seawater?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Its water is a means of purification, ad its dead meat is permissible. (i.e. the fish found dead in the sea).'"

"The Messenger of Allah came out to us with water dripping from his head, and he led us in prayer wearing a single garment, placing its one end on the right shoulder, and the other end on the other shoulder. When he finished praying, 'Umar bin Khattab said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, did you lead us in prayer wearing a single garment? He said: 'Yes, I perform prayer in it, and in it I (i.e. I had sexual intercourse in it)."

Her mother Umm Salamah said: "Umm Sulaim came to the Prophet and asked him about a woman who sees in her dream something like a man sees. He said: 'Yes, if she sees water (discharge), let her take a bath.' I said: 'You have embarrassed the women. Do women experience wet dreams?' The Prophet said: 'May your hands be rubbed with dust, how else does her child resemble her?'"

'Aisha arranged a marriage for a female relative of hers among the Ansar. The Messenger of Allah came and said: Have you taken the girl (to her husbands house)?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “Have you sent someone with her to sing?” She said: “No.” The Messenger of Allah said: “The Ansar are People with romantic feelings. Why don't you send someone with her to say: 'We have come to you, we have come to you, may Allah bless you and us?'”

Jamilah bint Salul came to the Prophet (SAW) and said: "By Allah, I do not find any fault with Thabit regarding his religion nor his behavior, but I hate disbelief after becoming Muslim and I cannot stand him. "The Prophet (SAW) said to her: 'WiIl you give him back his garden?" She said: "Yes." So the Messenger of Allah (SAW) told him to take back his garden from her and no more than that.

there was a man at the time of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) whose mental faculties were lacking, and he used to buy and sell. His family came to the Prophet (SAW) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, stop him.” So The Prophet (SAW) called him, and told him not to do that. He said: “O Messenger of Allah (SAW), I cannot bear to be away from business.” He said, “If you engage in a transaction then say: “Take it (i.e., the goods) and don't cheat (me).' ”

he used to lease out some land that belonged to him, for cultivation. Then someone came to him and told him that Rafi' bin Khadij said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had forbidden leasing out land for cultivation. Ibn 'Umar went, and I went with him, until he met him in Balat, and asked him about that, and he told him that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had forbidden leasing out land for cultivation. So 'Abdullah stopped lessening out land.

“O Muhammad, you are ill. He said: ‘Yes.’ He said: Bismillahi arqika, min kulli shay’in yu’dhika, min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘aynin aw hasidin. Allahu yashfika, bismillahi arqika (In the Name of Allah I perform Ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye, may Allah heal you. In the Name of Allah I perform Ruqyah for you).

“I heard ‘Ubadah bin Samit say: ‘Jibra’il (as) came to the Prophet (saw) when he was suffering from fever and said: ‘Bismillahi arqika, min kulli shay’in yu’dhika, min hasadi hasidin, wa min kulli ‘aynin, Allahu yashfika (In the Name of Allah I perform Ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you; from the envy of the envier and from every evil eye, may Allah heal you).’”

“We set out until we came to the Messenger of Allah (saw), and we gave him our oath of allegiance and performed prayer behind him. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at a man who was not settling his spine when he bowed and prostrated. When the Prophet (saw) finished the prayer, he said: ‘O Muslims, there is no prayer for the one who does not settle his spine when bowing and prostrating.’”

“You are the most deserving of that, you were the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (saw).” But he refused and said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: ‘Whoever leads the people and gets it right, the prayer will be for him and for them, but if he falls short, then that will be counted against him but not against them.”

“When the Prophet (SAW) died, there was a man in Al-Madinah who used to make a niche in the grave and another who used to dig graves without a niche. They said: ‘Let us pray Istikharah to our Lord and call for them both, and whichever of them comes first, we will let him do it.’ So they were both sent for, and the one who used to make the niche-grave came first, so they made a niche-grave for the Prophet (SAW).”

“When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) died, they differed as to whether his grave should have a niche or a ditch in the ground, until they spoke and raised their voices concerning that. Then ‘Umar said: ‘Do not shout in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), living or dead,’ or words to that effect. So they sent for both the one who made a niche and the one who dug graves without a niche, and the one who used to make a niche came and dug a grave with a niche for the Messenger of Allah (SAW), then he (SAW) was buried.”

“A man came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) at the first pillar and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which Jihad is best?’ but he kept quiet. When he saw the second Pillar, he asked again, and he kept quiet. When he stoned ‘Aqabah Pillar, he placed his foot in the stirrup, to ride, and said: ‘Where is the one who was asking?’ (The man) said: ‘Here I am, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘A word of truth spoken to an unjust ruler.’”

“And perform prayers at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful.” [11:114] The man said: “O Messenger of Allah, is this (the Verse) just for me?” He said: “It is for whoever acts upon it among my nation.”

“We came back (from a campaign) with the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he said: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no person who believes then stands firm, but he will be caused to enter Paradise. I hope that they will not enter it until you and those who are righteous among your offspring will enter it and take up your dwelling places therein. And my Lord has promised me that seventy thousand of my nation will enter Paradise without being brought to account.’”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim ibn Dinar from Said ibn al-Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade the sale with uncertainty in it.

Malik said, "An example of one type of uncertain transaction and risk is that a man intends the price of a stray animal or escaped slave to be fifty dinars. A man says, 'I will take him from you for twenty dinars.' If the buyer finds him, thirty dinars goes from the seller, and if he does not find him, the seller takes twenty dinars from the buyer."

Malik said, "There is another fault in that. If that stray is found, it is not known whether it will have increased or decreased in value or what defects may have befallen it. This transaction is greatly uncertain and risky."

Malik said, "According to our way of doing things, one kind of uncertain transaction and risk is selling what is in the wombs of females - women and animals - because it is not known whether or not it will come out, and if it does come out, it is not known whether it will be beautiful or ugly, normal or disabled, male or female. All that is disparate. If it has that, its price is such-and-such, and if it has this, its price is such-and-such."

Malik said, "Females must not be sold with what is in their wombs excluded. That is that, for instance, a man says to another, 'The price of my sheep which has much milk is three dinars. She is yours for two dinars while I will have her future offspring.' This is disapproved because it is an uncertain transaction and a risk."

Malik said, "It is not halal to sell olives for olive oil or sesame for sesame oil, or butter for ghee because muzabana comes into that, because the person who buys the raw product for something specified which comes from it, does not know whether more or less will come out of that, so it is an uncertain transaction and a risk."

Malik said, "A similar case is the selling of ben-nuts for ben-nut oil. This is an uncertain transaction because what comes from the ben-nut is ben-oil. There is no harm in selling ben-nuts for perfumed ben because perfumed ben has been perfumed, mixed and changed from the state of raw ben-nut oil."

Malik, speaking about a man who sold goods to a man on the provision that there was to be no loss for the buyer, (i.e. if the buyer could not re-sell the goods they could go back to the seller), said, "This transaction is not permitted and it is part of risk. The explanation of why it is so, is that it is as if the seller hired the buyer for the profit if the goods make a profit. If he sells the stock at a loss, he has nothing, and his efforts are not compensated. This is not good. In such a transaction, the buyer should have a wage according to the work that he has contributed. Whatever there is of loss or profit in those goods is for and against the seller. This is only when the goods are gone and sold. If they do not go, the transaction between them is null and void."

Malik said, "As for a man who buys goods from a man and he concludes the sale and then the buyer regrets and asks to have the price reduced and the seller refuses and says, 'Sell it and I will compensate you for any loss.' There is no harm in this because there is no risk. It is something he proposes to him, and their transaction was not based on that. That is what is done among us."

AbulJawza' said: A man who attended the company of the Prophet (saws) narrated to me (it is thought that he was Abdullah ibn Amr): The Prophet (saws) said to me: Come to me tomorrow; I shall give you something, I shall give you something, I shall reward you something, I shall donate something to you. I thought that he would give me some present.

He said (to me when I came to him): When the day declines, stand up and pray four rak'ahs. He then narrated something similar.

This version adds: Do not stand until you glorify Allah ten times, and praise Him ten times, and exalt Him ten times, and say, "There is no god but Allah" ten times. Then you should do that in four rak'ahs. If you are the greatest sinner on earth, you will be forgiven (by Allah) on account of this (prayer).

I asked: If I cannot pray this the appointed hour, (what should I do)? He replied: Pray that by night or by day (at any time).

Abu Dawud said: Habban b. Hilal is the maternal uncle of Hilal al-Ra'i.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by al-Mustamir b. al-Riyyan from Ibn al-Jawza' from 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr without referring to the Prophet (saws), - narrated as a statement of 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr himself (mauquf). This has also been narrated by Rawh b. al-Musayyab, and Ja'far b. Sulaiman from 'Amr b. Malik al-Nakri from Abu al-Jauza' from Ibn 'Abbas as his own statement (and not the statement of the Prophet). But the version of Rawh has the words: "The tradition of the Prophet (saws)."

A man came to the Prophet (saws) and said: How do you fast, Messenger of Allah? The Messenger of Allah (saws) became angry at what he said.

When Umar observed this (his anger), he said: We are satisfied with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet. We seek refuge in Allah from the anger of Allah, and from the anger of His Apostle. Umar continued to repeat these words till his anger cooled down. He then asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who observes a perpetual fast?

He replied: May he not fast or break his fast. Musaddad said in his version: He has neither fasted nor broken his fast. The narrator, Ghaylan, doubted the actual wordings.

He asked: What is the position of one who fasts two days and does not fast one day?

He said: Is anyone able to do that? He asked: What is the position of one who fasts every second day (i.e. fasts one day and does not fasts the next day)?

He (the Prophet) said: This is the fast that David observed.

He asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who fasts one day and breaks it for two days? He replied: I wish I were given the power to observe that. Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The observance of three days' fast every month and of one Ramadan to the other (i.e. the fast of Ramadan every year) is (equivalent to) a perpetual fast. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura' may atone for the sins of the preceding year.

Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith ibn al-Mustaliq, fell to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, or to her cousin. She entered into an agreement to purchase her freedom. She was a very beautiful woman, most attractive to the eye.

Aisha said: She then came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) asking him for the purchase of her freedom. When she was standing at the door, I looked at her with disapproval. I realised that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would look at her in the same way that I had looked.

She said: Messenger of Allah, I am Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith, and something has happened to me, which is not hidden from you. I have fallen to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, and I have entered into an agreement to purchase of my freedom. I have come to you to seek assistance for the purchase of my freedom.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Are you inclined to that which is better? She asked: What is that, Messenger of Allah? He replied: I shall pay the price of your freedom on your behalf, and I shall marry you.

She said: I shall do this. She (Aisha) said: The people then heard that the Messenger of Allah (saws) had married Juwayriyyah. They released the captives in their possession and set them free, and said: They are the relatives of the Messenger of Allah (saws) by marriage. We did not see any woman greater than Juwayriyyah who brought blessings to her people. One hundred families of Banu al-Mustaliq were set free on account of her.

Abu dawud said: This evidence shows that a Muslim ruler may marry a slave woman himself.

Subay' ibn Khalid said: I came to Kufah at the time when Tustar was conquered. I took some mules from it. When I entered the mosque (of Kufah), I found there some people of moderate stature, and among them was a man whom you could recognize when you saw him that he was from the people of Hijaz.

I asked: Who is he? The people frowned at me and said: Do you not recognize him? This is Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, the companion of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Then Hudhayfah said: People used to ask the Messenger of Allah (saws) about good, and I used to ask him about evil. Then the people stared hard at him.

He said: I know the reason why you dislike it. I then asked: Messenger of Allah, will there be evil as there was before, after this good which Allah has bestowed on us?

He replied: Yes. I asked: Wherein does the protection from it lie? He replied: In the sword. I asked: Messenger of Allah, what will then happen?

He replied: If Allah has on Earth a caliph who flays your back and takes your property, obey him, otherwise die holding onto the stump of a tree.

I asked: What will come next? He replied: Then the Antichrist (Dajjal) will come forth accompanied by a river and fire. He who falls into his fire will certainly receive his reward, and have his load taken off him, but he who falls into his river will have his load retained and his reward taken off him.

I then asked: What will come next? He said: The Last Hour will come.

Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: I mentioned the story of Ma'iz ibn Malik to Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatadah. He said to me: Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn AbuTalib said to me: Some men of the tribe of Aslam whom I do not blame and whom you like have transmitted to me the saying of the Messenger of Allah (saws): Why did you not leave him alone?

He said: But I did not understand this tradition. So I went to Jabir ibn Abdullah and said (to him): Some men of the tribe of Aslam narrate that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said when they mentioned to him the anxiety of Ma'iz when the stones hurt him: "Why did you not leave him alone?' But I do not know this tradition.

He said: My cousin, I know this tradition more than the people. I was one of those who had stoned the man. When we came out with him, stoned him and he felt the effect of the stones, he cried: O people! return me to the Messenger of Allah (saws). My people killed me and deceived me; they told me that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would not kill me. We did not keep away from him till we killed him. When we returned to the Messenger of Allah (saws) we informed him of it.

He said: Why did you not leave him alone and bring him to me? and he said this so that the Messenger of Allah (saws) might ascertain it from him. But he did not say this to abandon the prescribed punishment. He said: I then understood the intent of the tradition.