The Messenger of Allah (saws), and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us, “Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul into him and who is commanded with four matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy (i.e., whether or not he will enter Paradise). By the One, other than Whom there is no deity, verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus enters it; and verily one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and thus he enters it.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a bedouin man wearing a robe with a border approached him until he stood before the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said, 'Your companion has debased every horseman and elevates every shepherd.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took hold of the folds of his robe and said, 'I see that you are wearing the clothes of someone who is without intelligence.' Then he went on, 'When the Prophet Nuh, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he told his son, "I will give you some instructions. I command you to things and I forbid you two things. I command you to say, 'There is no god but Allah.' If the seven heavens and the seven earths were a dark ring, they would be cut by 'There is no god but Allah' and 'Glory be to Allah and by His praise.' It is the prayer of every thing and by it everything has its provision. And I forbid you to associate others with and Allah and to be proud.'

Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that at-Tufayl ibn 'Amr asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Do you want a fortress and a citadel? The fortress of Daws." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refused it because of what Allah had stored up for the Ansar. At-Tufayl made hijra and a man of his people made hijra with him. The man fell ill and was in torment (or words to that effect) and he crawled over to a quiver, took out an arrow, sliced his veins and died. At-Tufayl saw him a dream and asked him, "What has been done to you?" He replied, "I was forgiven because of my hijra to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." He asked, "What happened to your hands?" He replied, "It was said, 'We will not put right in you that part of your hands which you destroyed.'" He said that at-Tufayl related that tot he Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet said, "O Allah, forgive his hands!" and he raised his hands when he said it.

We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169). He said: We asked about that and the Prophet (pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them (1) and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be. (1) i.e. at those who had been killed in the cause of Allah. It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Malik related to me from Humayd ibn Qays al-Makki that a son of al-Mutawakkil had a mukatab who died at Makka and left (enough to pay) the rest of his kitaba and he owed some debts to people. He also left a daughter. The governor of Makka was not certain about how to judge in the case, so he wrote to Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to ask him about it. Abd al-Malik wrote to him, "Begin with the debts owed to people, and then pay what remains of his kitaba. Then divide what remains of the property between the daughter and the master."

Malik said, "What is done among us is that the master of a slave does not have to give his slave a kitaba if he asks for it. I have not heard of any of the Imams forcing a man to give a kitaba to his slave. I heard that one of the people of knowledge, when someone asked about that and mentioned that Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, said, 'Give them their kitaba, if you know some good in them' (Sura 24 ayat 33) recited these two ayats, 'When you are free of the state of ihram, then hunt for game.' (Sura 5 ayat 3) 'When the prayer is finished, scatter in the land and seek Allah's favour.' " (Sura 62 ayat 10)

Malik commented, "It is a way of doing things for which Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic, has given permission to people, and it is not obligatory for them." Malik said, "I heard one of the people of knowledge say about the word of Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, 'Give them of the wealth which Allah has given you,' that it meant that a man give his slave a kitaba and then reduce the end of his kitaba for him by some specific amount."

Malik said, "This is what I have heard from the people of knowledge and what I see people doing here."

Malik said, "I have heard that Abdullah ibn Umar gave one of his slaves his kitaba for 35,000 dirhams, and then reduced the end of his kitaba by 5,000 dirhams."

Malik said, "What is done among us is that when a master gives a mukatab his kitaba, the mukatab's property goes with him but his children do not go with him unless he stipulates that in his kitaba."

Yahya said, "I heard Malik say that if a mukatab whose master had given him a kitaba had a slave- girl who was pregnant by him, and neither he nor his master knew that on the day he was given his kitaba, the child did not follow him because he was not included in the kitaba. He belonged to the master. As for the slave-girl, she belonged to the mukatab because she was his property."

Malik said that if a man and his wife's son (by another husband) inherited a mukatab from the wife and the mukatab died before he had completed his kitaba, they divided his inheritance between them according to the Book of Allah. If the slave paid his kitaba and then died, his inheritance went to the son of the woman, and the husband had nothing of his inheritance.

Malik said that if a mukatab gave his own slave a kitaba, the situation was looked at. If he wanted to do his slave a favour and it was obvious by his making it easy for him, that was not permitted. If he was giving him a kitaba from desire to find money to pay off his own kitaba, that was permitted for him.

Malik said that if a man had intercourse with a mukataba of his and she became pregnant by him, she had an option. If she liked she could be an umm walad. If she wished, she could confirm her kitaba. If she did not conceive, she still had her kitaba.

Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things among us about a slave who is owned by two men is that one of them does not give a kitaba for his share, whether or not his companion gives him permission to do so, unless they both write the kitaba together, because that alone would effect setting him free. If the slave were to fulfil what he had agreed on to free half of himself, and then the one who had given a kitaba for half of him was not obliged to complete his setting free, that would be in opposition to the words of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. 'If someone frees his share in a slave and has enough money to cover the full price of the slave, justly evaluated for him, he must give his partners their shares, so the slave is completely free . ' "

Malik said, "If he is not aware of that until the mukatab has met the terms or before he has met them the owner who has written him the kitaba returns what he has taken from the mukatab to him, and then he and his partner divide him according to their original shares and the kitaba is invalid. He is the slave of both of them in his original state."

Malik spoke about a mukatab who was owned by two men and one of them granted him a delay in the payment of the right which he was owed, and the other refused to defer it, and so the one who refused to defer the payment exacted his part of the due. Malik said that if the mukatab then died and left property which did not complete his kitaba, "They divide it according to what they are still owed by him. Each of them takes according to his share. If the mukatab leaves more than his kitaba, each of them takes what remains to them of the kitaba, and what remains after that is divided equally between them. If the mukatab is unable to pay his kitaba fully and the one who did not allow him to defer his payment has exacted more than his associate did, the slave is still divided equally between them, and he does not return to his associates the excess of what he has exacted, because he only exacted his right with the permission of his associate. If one of them remits what is owed to him and then his associate exacts part of what he is owed by him and then the mukatab is unable to pay, he belongs to both of them. And the one who has exacted something does not return anything because he only demanded what he was owed. That is like the debt of two men in one writing against one man. One of them grants him time to pay and the other is greedy and exacts his due. Then the debtor goes bankrupt. The one who exacted his due does not have to return any of what he took."

"The sun was eclipsed one day in the era of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), so Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) stood performing the ritual prayer, until he could hardly bow down, then he bowed down and could hardly raise his head, then he raised his head and could hardly prostrate himself, then he prostrated himself and could hardly raise his head, so he began to gasp and weep, saying: 'O my Lord, have You not promised me that You will not torment them while I am among them? O my Lord, have You not promised me that You will not torment them while they and we are appealing to You for forgiveness?' Then, once he had performed two cycles of ritual prayer, the sun became visible, so he stood up, praised Allah (Exalted is He) and extolled Him. Then he said: 'The sun and the moon are among the signs of Allah. They are not eclipsed because of someone’s death, nor because of his coming to life, so when they are eclipsed, you must seek refuge in the remembrance of Allah (Exalted is He)!'”

Harmala ibn 'Abdullah went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and stayed with him until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recognised him. He said, "When we set out, I told myself, 'By Allah, I will go to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so that I will have more knowledge. I went in the evening until I was in front of him. I asked, 'What do you command me to do?' He replied, 'Harmala, do what is correct and avoid the incorrect.' Then I went back to the caravan. Then I came back again until I was in my place near him. I asked, 'Messenger of Allah, what do you command me to do?' He replied, 'Harmala, do what is correct and avoid the incorrect. Find out what you like to hear people tell you when you are with them. When you leave me, behave in that manner. Find out what you dislike for people to day to you. When you leave me, avoid that.' When I returned, I thought that these two statements did not omit anything."

One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) [riding on the same mount] and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth. Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhi, reads: Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.

"I reclined across the cushion and Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) reclined lengthwise, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) slept until the middle of the night, or a little while before or after it. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) then woke up, wiped the sleep off his face, and recited the final ten verses of the Sura of the Family of ‘Imran [Al 'Imran]. Then he approached a suspended waterskin, performed the minor ritual ablution and performed it well, after which he performed the ritual prayer.” Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said: “I got up and stood by his side, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) placed his right hand on my head, gripped my right ear and twisted it. After this he performed two cycles of ritual prayer, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles..” He (Ma'an) said: “... six times, after which he performed an odd-numbered cycle. Then he reclined until the muezzin came to him, whereupon he got up and performed two abbreviated cycles. Then he went out and performed the early-morning ritual prayer".

It is related that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that 'Umar went with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a group to visit Ibn Sayyad. They found him playing with some children in the hills of Banu Maghala. Ibn Sayyad, who was approaching puberty, did not notice them until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, patted him with his hand and then said to him, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I testify that you are the Messenger of the unlettered.' Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He refuted it and said, 'I have believed in Allah and His Messengers.' Then he said to him, 'What dreams do you have?' Ibn Sayyad replied, 'Both truthful people and liars come to me.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You are in a state of confusion.' Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'I am concealing something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is just smoke.' He said, 'Shame on you! You will not go too far.' 'Umar said, 'Messenger of Allah, let me cut his head off?' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If it is him (i.e. the Dajjal), you will not be able to get the better of him. If it is not him, there is no point in killing him.'"

"What was said about me had been said, and I myself was unaware of it, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) got up and addressed the people. He recited the Tashahhud and after praising and expressing gratitude to Allah, as He deserved, he said: 'To proceed: O people! Give me your opinion regarding those people who made a forged story against my wife. By Allah, I do not know anything bad about her at all. By Allah, they accused her of being with a man about whom I have never known anything bad, and he never entered my house unless I was present there, and whenever I went on a journey, he went with me.' Sa'd bin Mu'adh [may Allah be pleased with him] got up and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (SAW)! Allow me to chop their heads off!' Then a man from Al-Khazraj, to whom the mother of Hassan bin Thabit was a relative, got up and said (to Sa'd): 'You have told a lie! By Allah, if those persons were from Al-Aws, you would not like to chop their heads.' It was probable that some evil would take place between Aws and Khazraj in the Masjid while I was unaware of that. In the evening of that day, I went out for some of my needs, and Umm Mistah was accompanying me. On our return, Umm Mistah stumbled and said: 'Let Mistah be ruined!' I said to her, 'O mother! Why do you abuse your son?' On that Umm Mistah became silent for a while, and stumbling again, she said: 'Let Mistah be ruined!' I said to her: 'O mother! Why do you abuse your son?' She stumbled for the third time and said: 'Let Mistah be ruined!' I said to her: 'O mother! Why do you abuse your son?' Upon that she said: 'By Allah! I do not abuse him except because of you.' I asked her: 'Concerning what of my affairs?' So she disclosed the whole story to me. I said: 'Has this really happened?' She replied: 'Yes, by Allah!' I returned to my house, so astonished, that I did not know for what purpose I had gone out. Then I became sick and said to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) 'Send me to my father's house.' So he sent a servant with me, and when I entered the house, I found Umm Ruman downstairs, while Abu Bakr was reciting something upstairs. My mother asked: 'What has brought you, O daughter?' She said: "I informed her and mentioned the whole story to her, but she did not feel as I did about it. She said: 'O my daughter! Do not worry much about this matter, for there is never a charming lady loved by her husband who has other wives, but that they feel jealous of her and speak badly of her.' But she did not feel the same about it as I did. I asked her: 'Does my father know about it?' She said 'Yes.' I asked: 'Does the Messenger of Allah (SAW) know about it too?' She said 'Yes, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) also knows about it.' Tears filled my eyes and I wept. Abu Bakr, who was reading upstairs, heard my voice, and came down asking my mother: 'What is the matter with her?' She said: 'She has heard what has been said about her.' On that Abu Bakr wept and said: 'I beseech you, by Allah, O my daughter, to go back to your home.' I went back to my home, and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had come to my house asking my maid-servant about me. The maid-servant said: 'By Allah! I do not know of any fault or defect in her character except that she sleeps and lets the sheep enter and eat her dough.' On that, some of the Prophet's Companions spoke harshly to her and said: 'Tell the truth to the Messenger of Allah (SAW).' Finally, they told her of the slander and she said: 'Subhan Allah! By Allah, I know nothing against her except what a goldsmith knows about a piece of pure gold.' Then this news reached the man who was accused, and he said: 'Subhan Allah! By Allah, I have never uncovered the private parts of any woman.' Later, that man was martyred in Allah's Cause. Then the next morning, my parents came to pay me a visit and they stayed with me until the Messenger of Allah (SAW) came to me, after he performed the 'Asr prayer. He came to me and while my parents were sitting around me on my right and my left. The Prophet (SAW) said the Tashahhud, praised and glorified Allah and said: 'Now then, O 'Aishah! If you have committed a bad deed, or you have wronged (yourself), then repent to Allah, as Allah accepts the repentance from His worshipers.' An Ansari woman had come and was sitting near the gate. I said to the Prophet (SAW): 'Isn't it improper that you speak in such a way in the presence of this lady?' The Messenger of Allah (SAW) then gave a piece of advice and I turned to my father and requested him to reply to him. My father said: 'What should I say?' Then I turned to my mother and asked her to answer him. She said: 'What should I say?' When my parents did not reply to the Prophet (SAW), I said the Tashahhud, praised and glorified Allah as His due, and I said: 'Then, by Allah! If I were to tell you that I have not done (this) and Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, is witness that I am telling the truth, that would not be of any use to me on your part, because you (people) have spoken about it and your hearts have absorbed it (as truth); and if I were to tell you that I have done this sin, and Allah knows that I have not done it, then you will say: 'She has confessed her guilt.' By Allah! I do not see a suitable example for me and you except the example of - and I could not remember Ya'qbus name - Yusuf's father when he said: So patience is most fitting. And it is Allah Whose help can be sought against that which you describe (12:18). She said: "It was at that time that Revelation came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and we remained silent. Then the Revelation was over, and I noticed the signs of happiness on his face while he was wiping (the sweat) from his forehead, and saying: 'Have the good tidings O 'Aishah! Allah has revealed your innocence.' At that time I was extremely angry. My parents said to me: 'Get up and go to him.' I said: 'By Allah, I will not do it,and will not thank him nor either of you, but I will thank Allah, Who has revealed my innocence. You have heard (this story) but neither of you have denied it, nor have you changed it (to defend me).'" 'Aishah used to say: "But as regards to Zainab bint Jahsh, Allah protected her because of her piety. She did not say anything except good (about me). But her sister, Hamnah was ruined among those who were ruined. Those who used to speak evil about me were Mistah, Hassan bin Thabit, and the hypocrite 'Abdullah bin Ubayy [bin Salul] and [it is he who] used to spread that news and tempt others to speak of it, and it was he and Hamnah who had the greater share therein. Abu Bakr took an oath that he would never do any favor for Mistah at all. Then Allah, Most High, revealed this Ayah: 'Let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth' [until the end of the Ayah] referring to Abu Bakr: 'to give their kinsmen, the poor, and those who left their homes for Allah's Cause.' - meaning Mistah - up to His saying: Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (24:22).' On that, Abu Bakr said: 'Yes, by Allah! O our Lord! We wish that You forgive us.' So he returned to what he had been doing."

I used to recite to ‘AbdurRahman bin ‘Awf, and he found me waiting for him. That was in Mina during the last Hajj performed by `Umar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf said: A man came to `Umar bin al-Khattab and said: So and so is saying: If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I will swear allegiance to So and so. ʼUmar (رضي الله عنه) said: I will stand before the people today and warn them against these people who want to deprive them of their rights, `Abdur-Rahman said: I said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, do not do that, for the Hajj season brings together the riffraff and rabble among the people, and most of the people who gather around and listen to you will be of that type. Is you stand before the people, I am afraid that you will say something that they will spread and not understand it properly or interpret it properly. Rather wait until you come to Madinah, for it is the land of Hijrah and the Sunnah, and you will meet the most knowledgeable and noble people there, and you can say what you want to say with confidence; they wilt understand what you say and will interpret it correctly, `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: If I reach Madinah safe and sound, I shall certainly talk to the people there in the first speech I deliver. When we came to Madinah at the end of Dhul-I-Iijah, it was a Friday. I set out early, ‘Umar did not care at what time he went out, because he did not pay attention to heat and cold and so on. I found Sa`eed bin Zaid at the right-hand corner of the minbar, he had got there before me. I sat down next to him, with my knee touching his knee, and it was not long before `Umar (رضي الله عنه)came. When I saw him, I said: He will certainly speak today on this minbar and say something that no one ever heard before. Sa`eed bin Zaid objected to that and said: What do you think he will say that no one said before? `Umar (رضي الله عنه)sat on the minbar, and when the mu`dhdhin fell silent, he stood up and praised and glorified Allah as He deserves, then he said: To proceed o people, I am going to tell you something that it has been decreed I should say. I do not know, perhaps it may signal my death. So whoever understands it and remembers it, let him narrate it to others wherever his mount takes him; whoever does not understand il, it is not permissible for him to tell lies about me. Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, sent Muhammad (ﷺ) with the truth and revealed the Book to him; among the things that were revealed to him was the verse of stoning [adulterers). We read it and understood it; the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stoned [adulterers] and we stoned adulterers] after him. But I fear that with the passage of time, some people will say: We do not find the verse of stoning in the Book of Allah, thus they will go astray by forsaking an obligation that Allah revealed. Stoning is the due punishment in the Book of Allah for those who commit zina, both men and women, if they have been married and if proof is established, or there is a pregnancy or a confession, And we used to recite: Do not claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, as it is disbelief (or ingratitude) on your part to claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, Verily the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Do not praise me excessively as `Eesa, the son of Maryam, was praised; rather I am the slave of Allah, so say, the slave of Allah and His Messenger.` I have heard that some among you are saying. If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I shall swear allegiance to So and so. No man should deceive himself by saying that the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr was given suddenly and it was is successful. There is no doubt that this is the case, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, saved the to 2 people from its bad consequences and there is no one among you today who has the qualities of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) What happened to us when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died was that ‘Ali, az-Zubair and those who were with them stayed behind in the house of Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and all the Ansar stayed behind and gathered in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, whilst the Muhajireen gathered around Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I said to him; O Abu Bakr, let us go to our brothers, the Ansar. So we set out, looking for them, then we were met by two righteous men who told us what the people had done, and said: where are you going, O Muhajireen? I said: We are looking for these brothers of ours, the Ansar, They said. You should not go near them; do whatever you have already decided, O Muhajireen. I said: By Allah, we will go to them. So we carried on until we came to them in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, where we found them gathered and among them was a man wrapped up [in a garment. I said: Who is this? They said: Sa`d bin `Ubadah. ! said: What is the matter with him? They said: He is sick. After we sat down, their spokesman stood up and praised and glorified Allah, may He glorified and exalted, as He deserves, then he said: To proceed. We are the supporters (Ansar) of Allah and the majority of the Muslim army. You, O Muhajireen, are a small group among us. Some of you came to us, wanting to deny who we are and prevent us from attaining a position of authority. When he fell silent, I wanted to present a speech that I had prepared and that I liked in front of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I used to avoid provoking him and he was more forbearing and more dignified than me. But Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) said: Wait a while. I did not like to make him angry, and he was more knowledgeable and more dignified than me. By Allah, he did not omit any word that I liked in the speech I had prepared but he said something like it or better, speaking spontaneously, until he finished speaking. Then he said: To proceed. Whatever you have mentioned about your achievements and virtues, is correct. The Arabs would not acknowledge the leadership of anyone except someone from this tribe of Quraish, for they are the best of the Arabs in lineage and location. I am pleased to suggest to you one of these two men, whichever of them you want. Then he took hold of my hand and the hand of Abu `Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, and I disliked nothing of what he had said apart from this, for by Allah, I would rather have my neck struck for no sin on my part than to become the leader of people among whom was Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) unless my own self suggested something at the time of death. One of the Ansar said: I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree [i.e., a noble]. [I suggest] a ruler from among us and a ruler from among you, O Quraish. - I the narrator said to Malik; What does ‘I am the post on which the cainc! with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree` mean? He said:It is as if he is saying, I am the smart one who has the answer. - Then there was a great deal of clamour and raised voices, to such an extent that I feared there would be a conflict, so I said: Hold out your hand, O Abu Bakr. So he held out his hand and I swore allegiance to him, and the Muhajireen swore allegiance to him, then the Ansar swore allegiance to him. Thus we surrounded Sa`d bin ‘Ubadah. One of them said: You have killed Sa`d i said: May Allah kill Sa’d! And `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: By Allah, we never encountered any problem greater than the swearing of allegiance to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) . We were afraid that if we left the people without having sworn allegiance to anyone, they might swear allegiance after we were gone, so we would either follow in their footsteps and swear allegiance to someone we were not pleased with, or we would disagree with them and that would cause trouble. If anyone swears allegiance to a leader without consulting the Muslims, there is no allegiance for him and no allegiance to the one who swore allegiance to him, lest both of them be killed. Malik said: Ibn Shihab told me, from `Urwah bin az-Zubair, that the men whom they met were `Uwaim bin Sa`idah and Ma`n bin `Adiyy. Ibn Shihab said. Sa`eed bin al-Musayyab told me that the one who said, I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree, was al-lubab bin al-Mundhir.

'Ubayd ibn Hunayn related to him that Abu Musa said, "I asked permission three times to come in to 'Umar, but he did not give me permission and so I went away. He said, ''Abdullah, is it hard on you to be kept waiting at your door.' I said, 'I asked permission from you three times and you did not give me permission, so I went away (and we were commanded to do that).' 'Umar said, 'From whom did you hear this?' I replied, 'I heard it from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' 'Umar said, 'Did you hear something from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which I did not hear? If you do not bring me a clear proof, I will make an example of you!' Therefore I went to a group of Ansar who were sitting in the mosque. I asked them and they said, 'Does anyone doubt this?' I told them what 'Umar had said. They said, 'Only the youngest of us will go with you.' So Abu Sa'id al-Khudri - or Abu Mas'ud - went with me to 'Umar. He said, 'We went out with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he was going to Sa'd ibn 'Ubada. He gave the greeting, but Sa'd did not give permission. Then he greeted him a second time and then a third time, but Sa'd did not give him permission. So the Prophet said, 'We have done what we must.' Then he went back and Sa'd caught up to him and said, 'Messenger of Allah! By the One who sent you with the Truth, every time you greeted me, I heard and answered you, but I wanted to have a lot of greeting (peace) from you for me and the people of my house.'" Abu Musa said, "By Allah, I am a guardian of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." 'Umar said, "Yes, but I wanted to make sure."

The Prophet (SAW) used to teach us to seek Allah's Counsel in all matters, as he used to teach us a Surah from the Qur'an. He would say: When anyone of you has an important matter to decide, let him pray two Rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, and then say: Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi `ilmik, wa astaqdiruka biqudratik, wa as'aluka min faḍlika ‘l-`Aẓīm, fa'innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa ta`lamu wa lā a`lam, wa anta `allāmu ‘l-ghuyūb, Allāhumma in kunta ta`lamu anna hādha ‘l-amra - [then mention the thing to be decided] Khayrun lī fī dīnī wa ma`āshī wa `āqibati amrī - [or say] `ājilihi wa ājilih - faqdurhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh, wa in kunta ta`lamu anna hādha ‘l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa ma`āshī wa `āqibati 'amrī - [or say] `ājilihi wa 'ājilihi - faṣrifhu `annī waṣrifnī `anh, waqdur liya ‘l-khayra ḥaythu kān, thumma arḍinī bih. "O Allah, I seek the counsel of Your Knowledge, and I seek the help of Your Omnipotence, and I beseech You for Your Magnificent Grace. Surely, You are Capable and I am not. You know and I know not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter [then mention the thing to be decided] is good for me in my religion and in my life and for my welfare in the life to come, - [or say: in this life and the afterlife] - then ordain it for me and make it easy for me, then bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion and in my life and for my welfare in the life to come, - [or say: in this life and the afterlife] - then distance it from me, and distance me from it, and ordain for me what is good wherever it may be, and help me to be content with it." Whoever seeks the counsel of the Creator will not regret it and whoever seeks the advice of the believers will feel confident about his decisions, for Allah has said in the Qur'an: "And consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah." Reference: Al-Bukhari 7/162. and Aal-'Imran 3:159.

God’s messenger remained in Medina nine years, during which he had not performed the hajj, then made a public announcement in the tenth year to the effect that God’s messenger was about to perform the hajj. Large numbers came to Medina, and we went out with him. When we reached Dhul Hulaifa, Asma’ daughter of ‘Umais, gave birth to Muhammad b. Abu Bakr and sent to God’s messenger asking what she was to do. He replied, “Bathe, bandage your private parts with a cloth, and put on the ihram.” God’s messenger then prayed in the mosque, and after he had mounted al-Qaswa' and his she-camel stood erect with him on its back at al-Baida’, he raised his voice declaring God’s unity and saying, “Labbaik, O God, labbaik labbaik; Thou hast no partner; labbaik; praise and grace are Thine and the dominion; Thou hast no partner.” Jabir said : We did not express our intention of performing anything but the hajj, being unaware of the ‘umra [at that season], but when we came with him to the House he touched the corner and made seven circuits, running three of them and walking four. Then going forward to the station of Abraham, he recited, “And take the station of Abraham as a place of prayer.” (Qur’an 2:125)He then prayed two 'rak'as, having the station between him and the House. A version says that he recited in the two rak'as,. “Say, He is God, One,” and, “Say, O infidels.” (Qur’an 112, and 109) He then returned to the corner and touched it, after which he went out by the gate to as-Safa, on coming near to which he recited. “As-Safa and al-Marwa are among the signs appointed by God,” (Qur’an 2:158) adding, “I begin with what God began with.” So he went first to as-Safa, and mounting it till he could see the House, he faced the qibla, declared God's unity, proclaimed His greatness, and said, “There is no god but God alone who has no partner; to Him belongs the dominion, to Him praise is due, and He is omnipotent; there is no god but God alone who alone has fulfilled His promise, helped His servant and routed the confederates." He then made supplication in the course of that, saying such words three times. He next descended and walked towards al-Marwa, and when his feet came down into the bottom of the valley he ran, and when he began to ascend he walked till he reached al-Marwa. There he did as he had done at as-Safa, and when he came to al-Marwa for the last time, he called out, he being on al-Marwa and the people below him, saying, “If I had known before what I have come to know afterwards regarding my religion, I would not have brought sacrificial animals but made it an 'umra ; so if any of you has no sacrificial animals he,may take off the ihram and treat it as an ‘umra. Suraqa b. Malik b.Jush'um then got up and asked, “Messenger of God, does this apply to the present year, or does it apply for ever?" God’s messenger intertwined his fingers and said twice, “The ‘umra has become incorporated in the hajj," adding “No, but for ever and ever." ‘Ali came from the Yemen with the Prophet’s sacrificial animals and he asked him what he had said when he undertook the duty of performing the hajj. He replied that he had said, “0 God, I am putting on the ihram for the same purpose as Thy messenger has put it on." He said, “I have with me the sacrificial animals, so do not put off the ihram.” [Jabir] said: The total of those sacrificial animals brought by ‘Ali from the Yemen and of those brought by the Prophet was a hundred. Then all the people, except the Prophet and those who had with them sacrificial animals, removed the ihram and clipped their hair. When yaum at-tarwiya (The 8th of Dhul Hijja, the day when pilgrims leave Mecca and go to Mina. The name is commonly explained as meaning that this was the day when the pilgrims provided themselves with a supply of water for the arid journey before them) came they went towards Mina having put on the ihram for the hajj, and the Prophet rode and prayed there the noon, afternoon, sunset, evening and dawn prayers. After that he waited a little till the sun rose, and gave orders for a tent of hair to be set up for him at Namira (A place or a hill near ‘Arafa). God’s messenger then set out, and Quraish did not doubt that he would observe a halt at the sacred site (At al-Muzdalifa, al-Mash'ar al-haram, a hill sacred to the god Ouzah in pre-lslamic times), as Quraish used to do in the pre-Islamic period ; but he passed on till he came to ‘Arafa and found that the tent had been set up for him at Namira. There he dismounted, and when the sun had passed the meridian he ordered al- Qaswa’ to be brought, and when it was saddled for him he went down into the valley and addressed the people, saying, “Your lives and your property must be respected by one another like the sacredness of this day of yours in this month of yours in this town of yours. Everything pertaining to the pre-Islamic period has been put under my feet, and claims for blood-vengeance belonging to the pre-lslamic period have been abolished. The first of those murdered among us whose blood-vengeance I remit is the son of Rabi'a b. al-Harith (Rabi’a was a grandson of 'Abd al-Muttalib. The name of the child who had been killed is variously given as Adam, Tammam and Iyas. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr says Adam is a mistake, but does not commit himself to either of the other two names) who was suckled among the B. Sa'd and killed by Hudhail. The usury of the pre-Islamic period is abolished, and the first of our usury I abolish is that of ‘Abbas b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib, for it is all abolished. Show fear towards God regarding women, for you have got them under God’s security, and have the right to intercourse with them by God's word. They must not bring into your houses anyone whom you dislike, but if they do that beat them, though not severely. You are responsible for providing them with their food and clothing in a fitting manner. I have left among you something, i.e. God’s Book, by which, if you hold to it, you will never again go astray. You will be asked about me, so what will you say?" They replied, “We testify that you have conveyed and fulfilled the message and given counsel. ” Then raising his forefinger towards the sky and pointing it at the people, he said, “O God, be witness ; O God, be witness,” saying it three times. Bilal then uttered the call to prayer, and the iqama, and he prayed the noon prayer; he then uttered the iqama and he prayed the afternoon prayer, engaging in no prayer between the two. He then mounted his camel and came to the place of standing, making his she-camel al-Qaswa’ turn its back to the rocks and having the path taken by those who went on foot (The Arabic is Habl al-mushat, which is variously explained as above, or as ‘the concourse of horse on foot', or as the name of a place.) in front of him. He faced the qibla and remained standing till sunset when the yellow light had somewhat gone and the disc of the sun had disappeared. He took Usama up behind him and went quickly till he came to al-Muzdalifa, where he prayed the sunset and the evening prayer with one adhan and two iqamas without saying ‘Glory be to God' between them. He then lay down till dawn and prayed the dawn prayer with an adhan and an iqama when the morning light was clear. He then mounted al-Qaswa’ and when he came to the sacred site he faced the qibla, supplicated God, declared His greatness, His uniqueness and His unity, and kept standing till the daylight was very clear. He then went quickly before the sun rose, taking al-Fadl b. ‘Abbas behind him, and came to the valley of Muhassir (Between al-Muzdalifa and Mini). He urged the camel a little and following the middle road which comes out at the greatest jamra (Jamra, originally a pebble, is applied to a heap of stones, of which there are three in the valley of Mina. One of the rites of the hajj is to throw small stones at them), he came to the jamra which is beside the tree. At this he threw seven small pebbles (Literally, 'pebbles that are thrown’: used to indicate small pebbles about the size of a date-stone), saying “God is most great” each time he threw a pebble. He threw them from the bottom of the valley, then went to the place of sacrifice and sacrificed sixty-three victims with his own hand. Then he gave some to ‘Ali who sacrificed the remainder, and he shared with him in his sacrificial animals. After that he ordered that a piece of flesh from each victim should be put in a pot, and when it was cooked the two of them ate some of it and drank some of its broth. Then God’s messenger mounted, and going quickly to the House, prayed the noon prayer in Mecca. He came to the B. ‘Abd al-Muttalib who were supplying water at Zamzam and said, “Draw water, B. ‘Abd al-Muttalib. Were it not that people would take from you the right to draw water, I would draw it along with you.” So they handed him a bucket and he drank from it. Muslim transmitted it.

"The Messenger of Allah (saw) addressed us, and most of his speech had to do with telling us about Dajjal. He warned about him, and among the things he said was: 'There will not be any tribulation on earth, since the time Allah created the offspring of Adam, that will be greater than the tribulation of Dajjal. Allah has not sent any Prophet but he warned his nation about Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last of the nations. He will undoubtedly appear among you. If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim, and if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must fend for himself and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. He will emerge from Al-Khallah, between Sham and Iraq, and will wreak havoc right and left. O slaves of Allah, remain steadfast. I will describe him to you in a manner in which none of the Prophets has described him before me. He will start by saying "I am a Prophet," and there is no Prophet after me. Then a second time he will say: "I am your Lord." But you will not see your Lord until you die. He is one-eyed, and your Lord is not one-eyed, and written between his eyes is Kafir. Every believer will read it, whether he is literate or illiterate. Part of his Fitnah will be that he will have with him Paradise and Hell, but his Hell will be a Paradise and his Paradise a Hell. Whoever is tested with his fire (hell), let him seek the help of Allah and recite the first Verses of Al-Kahf, then it will be cool and safe for him, as the fire was for Ibrahim. Part of his Fitnah will be that he will say to a Bedouin: "What do you think, if I resurrect your father and mother for you, will you bear witness that I am your Lord?" He will say: "Yes." Then two devils will appear to him in the form of his father and mother and will say: "O my son, follow him, for he is your Lord." And part of his Fitnah will be that he will overpower a single soul and kill him, then he will cut him with a saw until he falls in two pieces. Then he will say: "Look at this slave of mine; I will resurrect him now, then he will claim that he has a Lord other than me." Then Allah will resurrect him and the evil one will say to him: "Who is your Lord?" and he will say: "Allah is my Lord, and you are the enemy of Allah, you are Dajjal. By Allah, I have never had more insight about you than I have today." (An addition) Abul-Hasan Tanafisi said: "Muharibi told us: 'Ubaidullah bin al-Walid Al-Wassafi told us, from 'Atiyyah, that Abu Sa'eed said: "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'That man will be the highest in status in my nation in Paradise'" -  He said: "Abu Sa'eed said: 'By Allah, we did not think that man would be anyone other than 'Umar bin Khattab, until he passed away. -   Muharibi said: "Then we went back to the narration of Abu Rafi'." He said: - 'Part of his Fitnah will be that he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so. And part of his Fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan and they will disbelieve in him, so all their flocks will perish and none will be left. And part of his Fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan who will believe in him, so he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so, until their flocks will come back in the evening of that day, bigger and fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched and their udders full of milk. There will be no part of the earth left that he does not enter and prevail over, except for Makkah and Al-Madinah, for he will not approach them on any of their mountain paths but he will be met by angels with unsheathed swords, until he will stop at the red hill at the end of the marsh. Then Al-Madinah will be shaken with its people three times, and no hypocrite, male or female, will be left, all will come out to him. Thus it will be cleansed of impurity just as the bellows cleanses the iron of dross. And that day will be called the Day of Deliverance.' "Umm Sharik bint Abi 'akar said: 'O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be that day?' He said: 'On that day they will be few, and most of them will be in Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their leader will be a righteous man. When their leader has stepped forward to lead them in subh prayer, 'Eisa bin Maryam will come down to them. Their leader will step backwards so that 'Eisa can come forward and lead the people in prayer, but 'Eisa will place his hand between his shoulders and say to him: "Go forward and pray, for the Iqamah was given for you." Then their leader will lead them in prayer. When he has finished, 'Eisa (as), will say: "Open the gate." So they will open it and behind it will be Dajjal with seventy thousand Jews, each of them carrying an adorned sword and wearing a greenish cloak. When Dajjal looks at him, he will start to melt as salt melts in water. He will run away, and 'Eisa (as), will say: "I have only one blow for you, which you will not be able to escape!" He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd, and will kill him. Then Allah will defeat the Jews, and there will be nothing left that Allah has created which the Jews will be able to hide behind, except that Allah will cause it to speak - no stone, no tree, no wall, no animal - except for Al-Gharqad (the box-thorn), for it is one of their trees, and will not speak - except that it will say: "O Muslim slave of Allah, here is a Jews, come and kill him!" "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'His (Dajjal's) days will number forty years: a year like half a year, a year like a month, a month like a week, and the rest of his days will be like sparks from a fire (i.e., they will pass quickly). One of you will enter the gate of Al-Madinah in the morning and not reach its other gate until evening comes.' It was said: 'O Messenger of Allah, how should we pray on those short days?' He said: 'Estimate (the times of) the prayer, as you do on these long days, then pray.' The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Eisa bin Maryam (as), will be a just judge and a just ruler among my nation. He will break the cross, slaughter the pigs, abolish the Jizyah and charity will be left. No one will be appointed to (collect the Zakah of) sheep and camels. Grudges and mutual hatred will disappear and the venom of every venomous creature will be removed, so that a baby boy will but his hand in a snake and it will not harm him, and a baby girl will make a lion run away, and it will not harm her; and the wolf will be among the sheep like their sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace just as a vessel is filled with water. The people will be united and none will be worshipped except Allah. War will cease and Quraish will no longer be in power. The earth will be like a silver platter, with its vegetation growing as it did at the time of Adam, until a group of people will gather around one bunch of grapes and it will suffice them, and a group will gather around a single pomegranate and it will suffice them. An ox will be sold for such and such amount of money, and a horse will be sold for a few Dirham.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, why will horses be so cheap?' He said: 'They will never be ridden in war again.' It was said to him: 'Why will oxen be so expensive?' He said: 'Because all the land will be tilled. Before Dajjal appears there will be three difficult years in which the people will suffer severe famine. In the first year, Allah will command the sky to withhold one third of its rain and the earth to withhold one third of its produce. In the second year, He will command the sky to withhold two thirds of its rain and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its produce. In the third year, he will command the sky to withhold all of its rain, and not a single drop will fall, and the earth to withhold all of its produce, and nothing will grow. All cloven-hoofed animals will die, except those that Allah wills.' It was said: 'What will the people live on at that time?' He said: 'Tahlil, Takbir, Tasbih and Tahmid. That will take the place of food for them.'" Abu 'Abdullah (Ibn Majah) said: "I heard Abul-Hasan Tanafisi say: 'I heard 'Abdur-Rahman Al-Muharibi say: "This Hadith should be sent to every teacher so that they can teach it to the children in the schools."

I heard Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story of his remaining behind instead of joining Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he left for the battle of Tabuk. Ka'b said: "I accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in every expedition which he undertook excepting the battle of Tabuk and the battle of Badr. As for the battle of Badr, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims, when they set out, had in mind only to intercept the caravan of the Quraish. Allah made them confront their enemies unexpectedly. I had the honour of being with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on the night of 'Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was dearer to me than participating in the battle of Badr, although Badr was more well-known among the people than that. And this is the account of my staying behind from the battle of Tabuk. I never had better means and more favourable circumstances than at the time of this expedition. And by Allah, I had never before possessed two riding-camels as I did during the time of this expedition. Whenever Messenger of Allah (PBUH) decided to go on a campaign, he would not disclose his real destination till the last moment (of departure). But on this expedition, he set out in extremely hot weather; the journey was long and the terrain was waterless desert; and he had to face a strong army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual position so that they should make full preparation for the campaign. And the Muslims who accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) at that time were in large number but no proper record of them was maintained." Ka'b (further) said: "Few were the persons who chose to remain absent believing that they could easily hide themselves (and thus remain undetected) unless Revelation from Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious (revealed relating to them). And Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out on this expedition when the fruit were ripe and their shade was sought. I had a weakness for them and it was during this season that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims made preparations. I also would set out in the morning to make preparations along with them but would come back having done nothing and said to myself: 'I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like'. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) till the time of departure came and it was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out along with the Muslims, but I had made no preparations. I would go early in the morning and come back, but with no decision. I went on doing so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. Then I wished to march on and join them. Would that I had done that! But perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) whenever I went out, I was grieved to find no good example to follow but confirmed hypocrites or weak people whom Allah had exempted (from marching forth for Jihad). Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made no mention of me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting with the people in Tabuk, he said, 'What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?' A person from Banu Salimah said: "O Messenger of Allah, the (beauty) of his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him.' Upon this Mu'adh bin Jabal (MatAllah be pleased with him) admonished him and said to Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "By Allah, we know nothing about him but good.' Messenger of Allah (PBUH), however, kept quiet. At that time he (the Prophet (PBUH)) saw a person dressed in white and said, 'Be Abu Khaithamah.' And was Abu Khaithamah Al- Ansari was the person who had contributed a Sa' of dates and was ridiculed by the hypocrites." Ka'b bin Malik further said: "When the news reached me that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was on his way back from Tabuk, I was greatly distressed. I thought of fabricating an excuse and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger the next day. In this connection, I sought the counsels of every prudent member of my family. When I was told that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was about to arrive, all the wicked ideas vanished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing but the truth could save me. So I decided to tell him the truth. It was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) arrived in Al-Madinah. It was his habit that whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and perform two Rak'ah (of optional prayer) and would then sit with the people. When he sat, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him. They were more than eighty in number. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their insights to Allah, until I appeared before him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He then said to me, 'Come forward'. I went forward and I sat in front of him. He said to me, 'What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were to sit before anybody else, a man of the world, I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext or the other and I have a gifted skill in argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware that if I were to put forward before you a lame excuse to please you, Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me. In case, I speak the truth, you may be angry with me, but I hope that Allah would be pleased with me (and accept my repentance). By Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind.' Thereupon, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'This man spoke the truth, so get up (and wait) until Allah gives a decision about you.' I left and some people of Banu Salimah followed me. They said to me, 'By Allah, we do not know that you committed a sin before. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) like those who stayed behind him. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would have sought forgiveness for you.' By Allah, they kept on reproaching me until I thought of going back to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and retract my confession. Then I said to them, 'Has anyone else met the same fate?' They said, 'Yes, two persons have met the same fate. They made the same statement as you did and the same verdict was delivered in their case.' I asked, 'Who are they?' They said, 'Murarah bin Ar-Rabi' Al-'Amri and Hilal bin Umaiyyah Al- Waqifi.' They mentioned these two pious men who had taken part in the battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I was confirmed in my original resolve. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) prohibited the Muslims to talk to the three of us from amongst those who had stayed behind. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us changed and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned against us, and it was in fact the same atmosphere of which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves within their houses and spent (most of their) time weeping. As I was the youngest and the strongest, I would leave my house, attend the congregational Salat, move about in the bazaars, but none would speak to me. I would come to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) as he sat amongst (people) after the Salat, greet him and would ask myself whether or not his lips moved in response to my greetings. Then I would perform Salat near him and look at him stealthily. When I finish my Salat, he would look at me and when I would cast a glance at him he would turn away his eyes from me. When the harsh treatment of the Muslims to me continued for a (considerable) length of time, I walked and I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah, who was my cousin, and I had a great love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not answer to my greeting. I said to him, 'O Abu Qatadah, I adjure you in the Name of Allah, are you not aware that I love Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)?' I asked him the same question again but he remained silent. I again adjured him, whereupon he said, 'Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) know better.' My eyes were filled with tears, and I came back climbing down the wall.

As I was walking in the bazaars of Al-Madinah, a man from the Syrian peasants, who had come to sell food grains in Al-Madinah, asked people to direct him to Ka'b bin Malik. People pointed towards me. He came to me and delivered a letter from the King of Ghassan, and as I was a scribe, I read that letter whose purport was: 'It has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet (PBUH)) was treating you harshly. Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place; so come to us and we shall receive you graciously.' As I read that letter I said: 'This is too a trial,' so I put it to fire in an oven. When forty days had elapsed and Messenger of Allah (PBUH) received no Revelation, there came to me a messenger of the Messenger of Allah and said, 'Verily, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has commanded you to keep away from your wife.' I said, 'Should I divorce her or what else should I do?' He said, 'No, but only keep away from her and don't have sexual contact with her.' The same message was sent to my companions. So, I said to my wife: 'You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.' The wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hilal bin Umaiyyah is a senile person and has no servant. Do you disapprove if I serve him?' He said, 'No, but don't let him have any sexual contact with you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no such desire left in him. By Allah, he has been in tears since (this calamity) struck him.' Members of my family said to me, 'You should have sought permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in regard to your wife. He has allowed the wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah to serve him.' I said, 'I would not seek permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) for I do not know what Messenger of Allah might say in response to that, as I am a young man'. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty days had passed since people boycotted us and gave up talking to us. After I had offered my Fajr prayer on the early morning of the fiftieth day of this boycott on the roof of one of our houses, and had sat in the very state which Allah described as: 'The earth seemed constrained for me despite its vastness', I heard the voice of a proclaimer from the peak of the hill Sal' shouting at the top of his voice: 'O Ka'b bin Malik, rejoice.' I fell down in prostration and came to know that there was (a message of) relief for me. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had informed the people about the acceptance of our repentance by Allah after he had offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my companions in order to give them the glad tidings. A man spurred his horse towards me (to give the good news), and another one from the tribe of Aslam came running for the same purpose and, as he approached the mount, I received the good news which reached me before the rider did. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to congratulate me, I took off my garments and gave them to him for the good news he brought to me. By Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) except these garments, at that time. Then I borrowed two garments, dressed myself and came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) On my way, I met groups of people who greeted me for (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: 'Congratulations for acceptance of your repentance.' I reached the mosque where Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting amidst people. Talhah bin 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me, shook hands with me and greeted me. By Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the Muhajirun besides him." Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talhah. Ka'b further said: "I greeted Messenger of Allah (PBUH) with 'As-salamu 'alaikum' and his face was beaming with pleasure. He (PBUH) said, 'Rejoice with the best day you have ever seen since your mother gave you birth. 'I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Is this (good news) from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.' And it was common with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that when ever he was happy, his face would glow as if it were a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said, I have placed a condition upon myself that if Allah accepts my Taubah, I would give up all of my property in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)!' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'Keep some property with you, as it is better for you.' I said, 'I shall keep with me that portion which is in Khaibar'. I added: 'O Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of my truthfulness, and therefore, repentance obliges me to speak nothing but the truth as long as I am alive." Ka'b added: "By Allah, I do not know anyone among the Muslims who has been granted truthfulness better than me since I said this to the Prophet (PBUH). By Allah! Since the time I made a pledge of this to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah would protect me (against telling lies) for the rest of my life. Allah, the Exalted, the Glorious, revealed these Verses:

'Allah has forgiven the Prophet (PBUH), the Muhajirun (Muslim Emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al- Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad (PBUH)) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful. And (He did forgive also) the three who did not join [the Tabuk expedition and whose case was deferred (by the Prophet (PBUH)) for Allah's Decision] till for them the earth, vast as it is, was straitened and their ownselves were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no fleeing from Allah, and no refuge but with Him. Then, He forgave them (accepted their repentance), that they might beg for His Pardon [repent (unto Him)]. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds)." (9:117,118).

Ka'b said: "By Allah, since Allah guided me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who had told lies, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else, as He sent down the Revelation:

They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijsun [i.e., Najasun (impure) because of their evil deeds], and Hell is their dwelling place - a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Al- Fa'siqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)". (9:95,96)

Ka'b further added: "The matter of the three of us remained pending for decision apart from the case of those who had made excuses on oath before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and he accepted those, took fresh oaths of allegiance from them and supplicated for their forgiveness. The Prophet (PBUH) kept our matter pending till Allah decided it. The three whose matter was deferred have been shown mercy. The reference here is not to our staying back from the expedition but to his delaying our matter and keeping it pending beyond the matter of those who made their excuses on oath which he accepted".

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]

Another version adds: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out for Tabuk on Thursday. He used to prefer to set out on journey on Thursday." Another version says: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to come back from a journey in the early forenoon and went straight to the mosque where he would perform two Rak'ah prayer. Afterwards he would seat himself there".

“We entered upon Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, and when we reached him he asked about the people (i.e., what their names were, etc.). When he reached me, I said: ‘I am Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Husain.’ He stretched forth his hand towards my head, and undid my top button, then undid my lower button. Then he placed his hand on my chest, and I was a young boy at that time. Then he said: ‘Welcome to you, ask whatever you want.’ So I asked him, and he was blind. The time for prayer came, so he stood up, wrapping himself in a woven cloth. Every time he put it on his shoulders, its edges came up, because it was too small. And his cloak was beside him on a hook. He led us in prayer, then he said: ‘Tell us about the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (saw).’ He held up his hands, showing nine (fingers), and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed for nine years without performing Hajj, then it was announced to the people in the tenth year that the Messenger of Allah (saw) was going for Hajj. So many people came to Al-Madinah, all of them seeking to follow the Messenger of Allah (saw) and do what he did. He set out and we set out with him, and we came to Dhul-Hulaifah where Asma’ bint ‘Umais gave birth to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. She sent word to the Messenger of Allah (saw) asking what she should do. He said: “Perform Ghusl, fasten a cloth around your waist and enter Ihram.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) prayed in the mosque, then he rode Qaswa’ (his she-camel) until, when his she-camel arose with him upon Baida’,’ Jabir said: ‘As far as I could see, I saw people riding and walking in front of him, and I saw the same to his right and left, and behind him, and the Messenger of Allah (saw) was among us and Qur’an was being revealed to him, and he understood its meaning. Whatever he did, we did too. Then he began the Talbiyah of monotheism: “Labbaika Allahumma labbaik, labbaika la sharika laka labbaik. Innal-hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka (Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner).” And the people repeated his words. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) approved of that. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued to recite the Talbiyah.’ Jabir said: ‘We did not intend (to do) anything but Hajj. We were not aware of ‘Umrah. Then when we reached the House with him, he touched the Corner, and walked quickly (Ramal) for three circuits and walked (normally) for four. Then he stood at the place of Ibrahim and said: “And take you (people) the place of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.” [2:125] He stood with the place between him and the House. My father used to say:* “And I do not think that he mentioned it other than from the Prophet (saw): ‘That he used to recite in those two Rak’ah (at the place of Ibrahim): “Say: ‘O you disbelievers!’” [Al-Kafirun (109)] and “Say: ‘He is Allah, (the) One.’” [Al-Ikhlas (112)] “Then he went back to the House and touched the Corner, then he went out through the gate to Safa. When he drew near to Safa he recited: “Verily, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah,” [2:158] (and said:) “We will start with that with which Allah started.” So he started with Safa and climbed it until he could see the House, then proclaimed the greatness of Allah (by saying: Allahu Akbar) and said Tahlil (La ilaha illallah) and praised Him (saying Al-Hamdulillah), and he said: “La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, yuhyi wa yumit wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in Qadir. La ilaha illallah wahdahu, La sharika lahu anjaza wa’dahu, wa nasara ‘abduhu, wa hazamal-Ahzaba wahdahu (None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, all praise is due to Him, He gives life and causes death and He is able to do all things. None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone; He has no partner or associate, He fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave, and defeated the Confederates alone).” And he said that three times, supplication in between. Then he headed towards Marwah walking normally until, when he started to go downhill, he walked quickly (Ramal) in the bottom of the valley. When he started to go uphill, he walked normally, until he reached Marwah, and he did atop Marwah what he had done atop Safa. At the end of his Sa’y, atop Marwah he said: “If I had known before what I have come to know now, I would not have garlanded the sacrificial animal, and I would have made it ‘Umrah. Whoever among you does not have a sacrificial animal with him, let him exit Ihram and make it ‘Umrah.” So all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, except the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju’shum stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Is this for this year only, or forever and ever?” The Messenger of Allah (saw) interlaced his fingers and said: “‘Umrah is included in Hajj like this,” twice. “No, it is forever and ever.” ‘Ali brought the camels of the Prophet (saw), and he found that Fatimah was one of those who had exited Ihram. She had put on a dyed garment and used kohl. ‘Ali disliked this action on her part, but she said: “My father told me to do this.” ‘Ali used to say in Iraq: “So I went to the Messenger of Allah (saw), feeling upset with Fatimah because of what she had done, to ask the Messenger of Allah (saw) about what she had said that he said, and that I had disliked that. He said: ‘She spoke the truth, she spoke the truth. What did you say when you began your Hajj?’” He said: “I said: ‘O Allah, I begin the Talbiyah for that for which your Messenger (saw) begins the Talbiyah.’ (He said:) ‘And I have the sacrificial animal with me, so do not exit Ihram.’ He said: “The total number of sacrificial animals that ‘Ali had brought from Yemen and that the Prophet (saw) brought from Al-Madinah were one hundred. Then all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, apart from the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. When the day of Tarwiyah came (the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah), they headed for Mina and began the Talbiyah for Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (saw) rode. He prayed Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr at Mina. Then he stayed for a short while until the sun rose, and he ordered that a tent of goat hair be pitched for him in Namirah. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out, and the Quraish were certain that he was going to stay at Al-Mash’ar Haram or at Al-Muzdalifah, as Quraish used to do during the Ignorance days. But the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued until he came to ‘Arafat, where he found that the tent had been pitched for him in Namirah, and he stopped there. Then when the sun had passed its zenith, he called for Qaswa’ and she was saddled for him. He rode until he came to the bottom of the valley, and he addressed the people and said: ‘Your blood and your wealth are sacred to you, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this land of yours. Every matter of Ignorance days is abolished, beneath these two feet of mine. The blood feuds of the Ignorance days are abolished, and the first blood feud of Rabi’ah bin Harith, who was nursed among Banu Sa’d and killed by Hudhail. The usuries of Ignorance days are abolished, and the first usury (that I abolish) is our usury, the usury due to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib. It is all abolished. Fear Allah with regard to women, for you have taken them as a trust from Allah, and intimacy with them has become permissible to you through Allah’s Word. Your rights over them are that they should not allow anyone whom you dislike to sit on your bedding.** If they do that, then hit them, but in a manner that does not cause injury or leave a mark. Their rights over you are that you should provide for them and clothe them in a reasonable manner. I have left behind you something which, if you adhere to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah. You will be asked about me. What will you say?’ They said: ‘We bear witness that you have conveyed (the message) and fulfilled (your duty) and offered sincere advice.’ He gestured with his forefinger towards the sky and then towards the people, (and said:) ‘O Allah, bear witness, O Allah bear witness,’ three times. Then Bilal called the Adhan, then the Iqamah, and he prayed Zuhr. Then he made Iqamah and prayed ‘Asr, and he did not offer any prayer between them. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) rode until he came to the place of standing, and he made his she-camel face Sakharat*** with the path in the sand in front of him, and he faced the Qiblah, then he remained standing until the sun had set and the afterglow had lessened somewhat, when the disk of the sun disappeared. Then he seated Usamah bin Zaid behind him and the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out. He pulled Qaswa’s reins tight until her head was touching the saddle, and he gestured with his right hand: ‘O people, calmly, calmly!’ Every time he came to a hill, he released the reins a little so that she could climb. Then he came to Muzdalifah where he prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one Adhan and two Iqamah, offering no prayer in between. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) lay down until dawn came, and he prayed Fajr, when he saw that morning had come, with one Adhan and one Iqamah. Then he rode Qaswa’ until he came to Al-Mash’ar Al-Haram. He climbed it and praised Allah and proclaimed His greatness and that He is the only One worthy of worship. Then he remained standing until it had become quite bright, then he moved on before the sun rose. He seated Fadl bin ‘Abbas behind him, who was a man with lovely hair, white and handsome. When the Messenger of Allah (saw) moved on, he passed some women riding camels. Fadl started to look at them, so the Messenger of Allah (saw) put his hand on the other side. Fadl turned his face to the other side to look. When he came to Muhassir, he sped up a little. Then he followed the middle road that brings you out to the biggest Pillar, until he reached the Pillar that is by the tree. He threw seven pebbles, saying the Takbir with each throw, pebbles suitable for Khadhf (i.e., the size of a chickpea) throwing from the bottom of the valley. Then he went to the place of slaughter, and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand. Then he handed it over to ‘Ali who slaughtered the rest, and he gave him a share in his sacrificial animal. Then he ordered that a piece from each camel be brought; (the pieces) were put in a pot and cooked, and they (the Prophet (saw) and ‘Ali) ate from the meat and drank from the soup. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) hastened to the House, and prayed Zuhr in Makkah. He came to Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who were providing water to the pilgrims at Zamzam, and said: ‘Draw me some water, O Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Were it not that the people would overwhelm you, I would have drawn water with you.’ So they drew up a bucket for him and he drank from it.’”

* It appears that the speaker is Ja’far bin Muhammad who is narrating from his father, from Jabir.
**And they say that the meaning if ‘your furniture’ or, ‘your special place’ in which case the objective is to say that the wife is not to admit anyone in the house whom the husband would be displeased with.
***Sakharat plural of Sakhrah rock or boulder. Nawawi said: “They are the rocks that lay at the base of the Mount of Mercy, and it is the mount in the middle of ‘Arafat.”

"Labbaika Allahumma labbaik labbaika la sharika laka labbaik, innal hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal mulk, la sharika lak (O Allah! I hasten to You. You have no partner. I hasten to You. All praise and grace is Yours and all Sovereignty too; You have no partner). When we came with him to the House (of Allah), he placed his hands on the Black Stone (Hajar al Aswad) and kis+sed it. He then started to make seven circuits (round the Ka’bah), doing ramal (trotting) in three of them and walking (at his normal pace) four other circuits. Then going to the place of Ibrahim (Maqam Ibrahim), there he prayed two rak'at. He then returned to the Black Stone (Hajar al Aswad) placed his hands on it and kissed it. Then he went out of the gate to Safa, and as he approached it, he recited: “Verily as-Safa and Marwah are among the signs appointed by Allah,"(2:158), adding, “I begin with what Allah began." He first mounted as-Safa until he saw the House, and facing the Qiblah he declared the Oneness of Allah and glorified Him and said: ‘La ilaha illa-llah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul mulk wa lahul hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shai’in qadeer, la ilaha illa-llahu wahdahu anjaza wa'dahu, wa nas ara 'abdahu, wa hazamal ahzaba wahdah’ (There is no God but Allah, He is One, and has no partner. His is the dominion, and His is the praise and He has Power over all things. There is no God but Allah alone, Who fulfilled His promise, helped His servant and defeated the confederates alone.") He said these words three times making supplications in between. He then descended and walked towards Marwah, and when his feet touched the bottom of the valley, he ran; and when he began to ascend, he walked (at his normal pace) until he reached Marwah. There he did as he had done at Safa…. When it was the day of Tarwiyah (8th of Dhul-Hijjah) they went to Mina and put on the Ihram for Hajj and the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) rode his mount, and there he led the Dhur (noon), ‘Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), ‘Isha and Fajr (dawn) prayers. He then waited a little until the sun had risen, and commanded that a tent be pitched at Namirah (close to Arafat). The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.), continued on until he came to Arafah and he found that the tent had been pitched for him at Namirah. There he got down until the sun had passed its meridian; he commanded that al-Qaswa’ be brought and saddled for him, then he came to the bottom of the valley, and addressed the people with the well-known sermon Khutbat al-Wada (the Farewell Sermon). Then the Adhan was pronounced and later on the Iqamah and the Prophet led the Dhuhr (noon) prayer. Then another Iqamah was pronounced and the Prophet led the Asr (afternoon) prayer and he observed no other prayer in between the two. The Messenger of Allah then mounted his camel and came to the place where he was to stay. He made his she-camel, al-Qaswa turn towards the rocky side, with the pedestrian path lying in front of him. He faced the Qiblah, and stood there until the sun set, and the yellow light diminished somewhat, and the disc of the sun totally disappeared. He pulled the nose string of al-Qaswa’ so forcefully that its head touched the saddle (in order to keep her under perfect control), and pointing with his right hand, advised the people to be moderate (in speed) saying: “O people! Calmness! Calmness!" Whenever he passed over an elevated tract of land, he slightly loosened the nose-string of his camel until she climbed up. This is how he reached al-Muzdalifah. There he led the Maghrib (sunset) and Isha prayers with one Adhan, and two lqamas, and did not pray any optional prayers in between them. The Messenger of Allah then lay down until dawn and then offered the Fajr (dawn) prayer with an Adhan and an Iqamah when the morning light was clear. He again mounted al-Qaswa’, and when he came to Al-Mash‘ar Al-Haram (The Sanctuary Landmark, which is a small mountain at al-Muzdalifah) he faced the Qiblah, and supplicated to Allah, Glorified Him, and pronounced His Uniqueness and Oneness, and kept standing until the daylight was very clear. Then he set off quickly before the sun rose, until he came to the bottom of the valley of Muhassir where he urged her (al·Qaswa’) a little. He followed the middle road, which comes out at the greatest Jamarah (one of the three stoning sites called Jamrat-ul ‘Aqabah), he came to Jamarah which is near the tree. At this he threw seven small pebbles, saying, Allahu Akbar` while throwing each of them in a manner in which small pebbles are thrown (holding them with his fingers) and this he did while at the bottom of the valley. He then went to the Place of sacrifice, and sacrificed sixty-three (camels) with his own hand (he brought 100 camels with him and he asked ’Ali to sacrifice the rest). The Messenger of Allah again rode and came to the House (of Allah), where he performed Tawaf al-Ifada and offered the Dhuhr prayer at Makkah….’ Muslim transmitted this hadith through a very long narration describing the full details of the Hajj of the Prophet