Allah's Apostle sent out ten spies under the command of `Asim bin Thabit Al-Ansari, the grand-father of `Asim bin `Umar Al-Khattab. When they reached (a place called) Al-Hadah between 'Usfan and Mecca, their presence was made known to a sub-tribe of Hudhail called Banu Lihyan. So they sent about one hundred archers after them. The archers traced the footsteps (of the Muslims) till they found the traces of dates which they had eaten at one of their camping places. The archers said, "These dates are of Yathrib (i.e. Medina)," and went on tracing the Muslims' footsteps. When `Asim and his companions became aware of them, they took refuge in a (high) place. But the enemy encircled them and said, "Come down and surrender. We give you a solemn promise and covenant that we will not kill anyone of you." `Asim bin Thabit said, "O people! As for myself, I will never get down to be under the protection of an infidel. O Allah! Inform your Prophet about us." So the archers threw their arrows at them and martyred `Asim. Three of them came down and surrendered to them, accepting their promise and covenant and they were Khubaib, Zaid bin Ad-Dathina and another man. When the archers got hold of them, they untied the strings of the arrow bows and tied their captives with them. The third man said, "This is the first proof of treachery! By Allah, I will not go with you for I follow the example of these." He meant the martyred companions. The archers dragged him and struggled with him (till they martyred him). Then Khubaib and Zaid bin Ad-Dathina were taken away by them and later on they sold them as slaves in Mecca after the event of the Badr battle. The sons of Al-Harit bin `Amr bin Naufal bought Khubaib for he was a person who had killed (their father) Al-Hari bin `Amr on the day (of the battle) of Badr. Khubaib remained imprisoned by them till they decided unanimously to kill him. One day Khubaib borrowed from a daughter of Al-Harith, a razor for shaving his pubic hair, and she lent it to him. By chance, while she was inattentive, a little son of hers went to him (i.e. Khubaib) and she saw that Khubaib had seated him on his thigh while the razor was in his hand. She was so much terrified that Khubaib noticed her fear and said, "Are you afraid that I will kill him? Never would I do such a thing." Later on (while narrating the story) she said, "By Allah, I had never seen a better captive than Khubaib. By Allah, one day I saw ...

In the lifetime of the Prophet whosoever saw a dream would narrate it to Allah's Apostle. I had a wish of seeing a dream to narrate it to Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) I was a grown up boy and used to sleep in the Mosque in the lifetime of the Prophet. I saw in the dream that two angels caught hold of me and took me to the Fire which was built all round like a built well and had two poles in it and the people in it were known to me. I started saying, "I seek refuge with Allah from the Fire." Then I met another angel who told me not to be afraid. I narrated the dream to Hafsa who told it to Allah's Apostle. The Prophet said, "Abdullah is a good man. I wish he prayed Tahajjud." After that `Abdullah (i.e. Salim's father) used to sleep but a little at night.

While I was walking with the Prophet at the Hurra of Medina in the evening, the mountain of Uhud appeared before us. The Prophet said, "O Abu Dhar! I would not like to have gold equal to Uhud (mountain) for me, unless nothing of it, not even a single Dinar remains of it with me, for more than one day or three days, except that single Dinar which I will keep for repaying debts. I will spend all of it (the whole amount) among Allah's slaves like this and like this and like this." The Prophet pointed out with his hand to illustrate it and then said, "O Abu Dhar!" I replied, "Labbaik wa Sa`daik, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Those who have much wealth (in this world) will be the least rewarded (in the Hereafter) except those who do like this and like this (i.e., spend their money in charity)." Then he ordered me, "Remain at your place and do not leave it, O Abu Dhar, till I come back." He went away till he disappeared from me. Then I heard a voice and feared that something might have happened to Allah's Apostle, and I intended to go (to find out) but I remembered the statement of Allah's Apostle that I should not leave, my place, so I kept on waiting (and after a while the Prophet came), and I said to him, "O Allah's Apostle, I heard a voice and I was afraid that something might have happened to you, but then I remembered your statement and stayed (there). The Prophet said, "That was Gabriel who came to me and informed me that whoever among my followers died without joining others in worship with Allah, would enter Paradise." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft?" He said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) led us in prayer over bier of a Muslim and I heard him say: O Allah, so and so, son of so and so, is in Thy protection, so guard him from the trial in the grave. (AbdurRahman in his version said: "In Thy protection and in Thy nearer presence, so guard him from the trial in the grave) and the punishment in Hell. Thou art faithful and worthy of praise. O Allah, forgive him and show him mercy. Thou art the forgiving and the merciful one." AbdurRahman said: "On the authority of Marwan ibn Janah."

Abdullah heard his son praying to Allah: O Allah, I ask Thee a white palace on the right of Paradise when I enter it. He said: O my son, ask Allah for Paradise and seek refuge in Him from Hell-Fire, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: In this community there will be some people who will exceed the limits in purification as well as in supplication.

The Prophet prayed facing Bait-ulMaqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months but he wished that his Qibla would be the Ka`ba (at Mecca). (So Allah Revealed (2.144) and he offered `Asr prayers(in his Mosque facing Ka`ba at Mecca) and some people prayed with him. A man from among those who had prayed with him, went out and passed by some people offering prayer in another mosque, and they were in the state of bowing. He said, "I, (swearing by Allah,) testify that I have prayed with the Prophet facing Mecca." Hearing that, they turned their faces to the Ka`ba while they were still bowing. Some men had died before the Qibla was changed towards the Ka`ba. They had been killed and we did not know what to say about them (i.e. whether their prayers towards Jerusalem were accepted or not). So Allah revealed:-- "And Allah would never make your faith (i.e. prayer) to be lost (i.e. your prayers offered (towards Jerusalem). Truly Allah is Full of Pity, Most Merciful towards mankind." (2.143)

We had some sheep which used to graze at Sala'. One of our slavegirls saw a sheep dying and she broke a stone and slaughtered the sheep with it. My father said to the people, "Don't eat it till I ask the Prophet about it (or till I send somebody to ask the Prophet)." So, he asked or sent somebody to ask the Prophet, and the Prophet permitted him to eat it. 'Ubaidullah (a sub-narrator) said, "I admire that girl, for though she was a slave-girl, she dared to slaughter the sheep . "

While I was at Yemen, I met two men from Yemen called Dhu Kala and Dhu `Amr, and I started telling them about Allah's Apostle. Dhu `Amr said to me, "If what you are saying about your friend (i.e. the Prophet) is true, then he has died three days ago." Then both of them accompanied me to Medina, and when we had covered some distance on the way to Medina, we saw some riders coming from Medina. We asked them and they said, "Allah's Apostle has died and Abu Bakr has been appointed as the Caliph and the people are in a good state.' Then they said, "Tell your friend (Abu Bakr) that we have come (to visit him), and if Allah will, we will come again." So they both returned to Yemen. When I told Abu Bakr their statement, he said to me, "I wish you had brought them (to me)." Afterwards I met Dhu `Amr, and he said to me, "O Jarir! You have done a favor to me and I am going to tell you something, i.e. you, the nation of 'Arabs, will remain prosperous as long as you choose and appoint another chief whenever a former one is dead. But if authority is obtained by the power of the sword, then the rulers will become kings who will get angry, as kings get angry, and will be delighted as kings get delighted."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Abdullah ibn al-Mughira ibn Abi Burda al-Kinani that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to the people in their tribes and made dua for them, but left out one of the tribes. Abdullah related, "The tribe found an onyx necklace in the saddle-bags of one of their men. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to them, and then did the takbir over them as one does the takbir over the dead."

That he heard the Prophet, after raising his head from the bowing in morning prayer, saying, "O Allah, our Lord! All the praises are for you." And in the last (rak`a) he said, "O Allah! Curse so-and-so and so--and-so." And then Allah revealed:-- 'Not for you (O Muhammad) is the decision, (but for Allah), whether He turns in mercy to them or punish them, for they are indeed wrongdoers.' (3.128)

It was mentioned before `Aisha that Ibn `Umar attributed the following statement to the Prophet "The dead person is punished in the grave because of the crying and lamentation Of his family." On that, `Aisha said, "But Allah's Apostle said, 'The dead person is punished for his crimes and sins while his family cry over him then." She added, "And this is similar to the statement of Allah's Apostle when he stood by the (edge of the) well which contained the corpses of the pagans killed at Badr, 'They hear what I say.' She added, "But he said now they know very well what I used to tell them was the truth." `Aisha then recited: 'You cannot make the dead hear.' (30.52) and 'You cannot make those who are in their Graves, hear you.' (35.22) that is, when they had taken their places in the (Hell) Fire.

Aisha said, "Barirah came to me and said, 'My people (masters) have written the contract for my emancipation for nine Awaq ) of gold) to be paid in yearly installments, one Uqiyya per year; so help me." Aisha said (to her), "If your masters agree, I will pay them the whole sum provided the Wala will be for me." Barirah went to her masters and told them about it, but they refused the offer and she returned from them while Allah's Apostles was sitting. She said, "I presented the offer to them, but they refused unless the Wala' would be for them." When the Prophet heard that and `Aisha told him about It, he said to her, "Buy Barirah and let them stipulate that her Wala' will be for them, as the Wala' is for the manumitted." `Aisha did so. After that Allah's Apostle got up amidst the people, Glorified and Praised Allah and said, "What is wrong with some people who stipulate things which are not in Allah's Laws? Any condition which is not in Allah's Laws is invalid even if there were a hundred such conditions. Allah's Rules are the most valid and Allah's Conditions are the most solid. The Wala is for the manumitted."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n-Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said over the martyrs of Uhud, "I testify for them." Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said, "Messenger of Allah! Are we not their brothers? We entered Islam as they entered Islam and we did jihad as they did jihad." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Yes, but I do not know what you will do after me." Abu Bakr wept profusely and said, "Are we really going to out-live you!"

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm from Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abd ar- Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham al-Makhzumi from his father that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, married Umm Salama and then spent the night with her, he said to her, "You are not being humbled in your right. If you wish, I will stay with you for seven nights as I stayed seven nights with the others. If you wish, I will stay with you for three nights, and then visit the others in turn." She said, "Stay three nights."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nuaym ibn Abdullah al-Mujmir that he heard Abu Hurayra say, "If any one of you prays and then sits down in the spot where he has prayed, the angels ask blessings on him saying, 'Allah, forgive him. Allah, have mercy on him.' And if he moves from the spot where he has prayed and sits elsewhere in the mosque waiting for the prayer, he remains in prayer until he prays."

Urwah ibn az-Zubayr reported on the authority of a woman from Banu an-Najjar. She said: My house was the loftiest of all the houses around the mosque (of the Prophet at Medina). Bilal used to make a call to the morning prayer from it. He would come there before the break of dawn and wait for it. When he saw it, he would yawn and say: O Allah, I praise you and seek Your assistance for the Quraysh so that they might establish Thine religion. He then would make the call to prayer.

She (the narrator) said: By Allah, I do not know whether he ever left saying these words on any night.

[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

When the Prophet was healthy, he used to say, "No soul of a prophet is captured till he is shown his place in Paradise and then he is given the option." When death approached him while his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious and then recovered his consciousness. He then looked at the ceiling of the house and said, "O Allah! (with) the highest companions." I said (to myself), "Hence, he is not going to choose us." Then I realized that what he had said was the application of the narration which he used to mention to us when he was healthy. The last word he spoke was, "O Allah! (with) the highest companion."

Then the other section came; they stood up and uttered the takbir and bowed by themselves. The Messenger of Allah (saws) prostrated himself and they also prostrated with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up and they performed the second prostration by themselves. Then both the sections stood up and prayed with the Messenger of Allah (saws). He bowed and they also bowed, and then he prostrated himself and they also prostrated themselves. Then he returned and performed the second prostration and they also prostrated with him as quickly as possible, showing no slackness in quick prostration. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then uttered the salutation. After that the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up. Thus everyone participated in the entire prayer.

The Prophet (saws) said: If anyone says in the morning or in the evening: "O Allah! in the morning we call Thee, the bearers of Thy Throne, Thy angels and all Thy creatures to witness that thou art Allah (God) than Whom alone there is no god, and that Muhammad is Thy Servant and Apostle," Allah will emancipate his fourth from Hell; if anyone says twice, Allah will emancipate his half; if anyone says it thrice, Allah will emancipate three-fourth; and if he says four times, Allah will emancipate him from Hell.

Al-Muhajirun (i.e. the Emigrants) and the Ansar were digging the trench around Medina and were carrying the earth on their backs while saying, "We are those who have given the pledge of allegiance to Muhammad for Islam as long as we live." The Prophet said in reply to their saying, "O Allah! There is no goodness except the goodness of the Hereafter; so please grant Your Blessing to the Ansar and the Emigrants." The people used to bring a handful of barley, and a meal used to be prepared thereof by cooking it with a cooking material (i.e. oil, fat and butter having a change in color and smell) and it used to be presented to the people (i.e. workers) who were hungry, and it used to stick to their throats and had a nasty smell.