I said, “Inform me, messenger of God, of an act which will cause me to enter paradise and remove me far from hell.” He replied, “You have asked a serious question, but it is easy for the one whom God helps to answer it. Worship God, associate nothing with Him, observe the prayer, pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan, and make the Pilgrimage to the House.” He said, “Shall I not guide you to the gateways of what is good? Fasting is a protection, and almsgiving extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the middle of the night [has the same effect].” Then he recited, “Withdrawing themselves from their couches ... they have been doing.” ¹ Then he said, “Shall I not guide you to the head and support of the matter and the top of its hump?” I replied, “Yes, messenger of God.” He said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its support is prayer, and the top of its hump is jihad.” Then he said, “Shall I not inform you of the controlling of all that?” I replied, “Yes, Prophet of God.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I asked, “Prophet of God, shall we really be punished for what we talk about?” He replied, “I am surprised at you, ² Mu'adh! Will anything but the harvests of their tongues overthrow men in hell on their faces (or, on their nostrils)?” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it. ¹ Quran, xxxii, 16f. ² Literally, may your mother be bereft of you.

Abu Qatada said that when a man came to the Prophet and asked him how he fasted, he was angry at what he said, and when 'Umar observed his anger he said, “We are satisfied with God as Lord, with Islam as religion and with Muhammad as Prophet. We seek refuge in God from the anger of God and His messenger.” ‘Umar kept on repeating these words till his anger calmed down, then asked, “Messenger of God, what is the position of one who observes a perpetual fast?” He replied, “May he not fast or break his fast!” or he said, “He has neither fasted nor broken his fast.” He asked, “What is the position of one who fasts two days out of every three?” and received the reply, “Is anyone able to do that?” He asked what was the position of one who fasted every second day and was told that was the fast David observed. He asked what was the position of one who fasted one day out of every three, and God’s messenger replied, “I wish I were given power to observe that.” Thereafter he said, “The observance of three days’ fast every month and of Ramadan every year is a perpetual fast. I seek from God that fasting on the day of ‘Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from God that fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’ may atone for the sins of the preceding year.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) said, “No Zakah is to be paid on one’s horse (that he rides) or one’s slave.” Related by Al-Bukhari. Muslim also has the narration, “There is no Zakah to be paid on one’s slave, except for Zakat-ul-Fitr (which is paid at the end of Ramadan, and a Muslim must pay it on behalf of all of those he is responsible for).”

'A’isha and Umm Salamah (RAA) narrated, The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) would rise in the morning (when it is already Fajr time) while he was Junub (in a state of major ritual impurity due to intercourse) on a day in Ramadan. He would then perform Ghusl and fast. Agreed upon. In the narration of Muslim on the authority of Umm Salamah, ‘And he would not make up for it (that day).’

Shaddad bin Aus (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) came across a man in Al-Baqi' (in Madinah) who was having himself cupped in Ramadan., and said to him, “The one who cups and the one who is being cupped have both broken their fast." Related by the five Imams except for At-Tirmidhi. Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban regarded it as authentic.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, "Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadhan." [Bukhari & Muslim]

"The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to fast until we would say: “He does not intend to break fast [during the month],” and he used to break fast until we would say: “He does not intend to fast during it.” He did not fast for a whole month after arriving in Medina, with the exception of Ramadan.”

“We fasted Ramadan with the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he did not lead us in praying Qiyam (prayers at night) during any part of it, until there were seven nights left. He led us in praying Qiyam on the seventh night until approximately one third of the night had passed. Then on the sixth night which followed it he did not lead us in prayer. Then he led us in praying Qiyam on the fifth night which followed it until almost half the night had passed. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, would that we had offered voluntary prayers throughout the whole night.’ He said: ‘Whoever stands with the Imam until he finishes, it is equivalent to spending the whole night in prayer.’ Then on the fourth night which followed it, he did not lead us in prayer, until the third night that followed it, when he gathered his wives and family, and the people gathered, and he led us in prayer until we feared that we would miss the Falah.” It was asked: “What is the Falah?” He said: “Suhur.” He said: “Then he did not lead us in prayer at night for the rest of the month.”

Jabir (RAA) narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) left for Makkah during the year of the conquest (of Makkah) in Ramadan and he and the people with him fasted until he reached the valley of Kura Al-Ghamim. He then called for a cup of water, which he elevated so that the people could see it, and then he drank. After-wards, he was told that some people had continued to fast, and he then said, "Those are the disobedient ones! Those are the disobedient ones!”

‘Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was the most generous of humankind in charity, and he was at his most charitable in the month of Ramadan, until it was concluded. Gabriel would then come to him and present the Qur’an to him, and when Gabriel met him, Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was more generous in charity than the winds sent with showering rain.”

Ibn ’Abbas (RAA) narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) enjoined Zakat-ul-fitr on the one who fasts (i.e. fasted during the month of Ramadan) to purify him from any indecent act or speech and for the purpose of providing food for the needy. It is accepted as Zakah for the person who pays it before the Eid prayer and it is Sadaqah (i.e. voluntary charity) for the person who pays it after the Eid prayer.’ Related by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim graded it as Sahih.

A man questioned the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadhan, treat as lawful that which is halal, and treat as forbidden that which is haram, and do not increase upon that [in voluntary good deeds], then I shall enter Paradise?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “Yes.” [Muslim]

Is there not for you a model pattern in me? And when they narrated this to him (Sa'd b. Hisham), he returned to his wife, though he had divorced her and made (people) witness to his reconciliation. He then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). Ibn 'Abbas said: Should I not lead you to one who knows best amongst the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? He said: Who is it? He (Ibn 'Abbas) said: It is 'A'isha. So go to her and ask her (about Witr) and then come to me and inform me about her answer that she would give you. So I came to Hakim b. Aflah and requested him to take me to her. He said: I would not go to her, for I forbade her to speak anything (about the conflict) between the two groupS, but she refused (to accept my advice) and went (to participate in that corflict). I (requested) him (Hakim) with an oath to lead me to her. So we went to 'A'isha and we begged permission to meet her. She granted us permission and we went in. She said: Are you Hakim? (She recognised him.) He replied: Yes. She said: Who is there with you? He said: He is Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Which Hisham? He said: He is Hisham b. 'Amir. She blessed him ('Amir) with mercy from Allah and spoke good of him (Qatada said that he died as a martyr in Uhud). I said: Mother of the Faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). She said: Don't you read the Qur'an? I said: Yes. Upon this she said: The character of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was the Qur'an. He said: I felt inclined to get up and not ask anything (further) till death. But then I changed my mind and said: Inform me about the observance (of the night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). She said: Did you not recite:" O thou wrapped up"? He said: Yes. She said: Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, made the observance of the night prayer at the beginning of this Surah obligatory. So the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him and his Companions around him observed this (night prayer) for one year. Allah held back the concluding portion of this Surah for twelve months in the Heaven till (at the end of this period) Allah revealed the concluding verses of this Surah which lightened (the burden of this prayer), and the night prayer became a supererogatory prayer after being an obligatory one. I said: Mother of the Faithful, inform me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). She said: I used to prepare tooth stick for him and water for his ablution, and Allah would rouse him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the tooth stick, and perform ablution, and would offer nine rak'ahs, and would not sit but in the eighth one and would remember Allah, and praise Him and supplicate Him, then he would get up without uttering the salutation and pray the ninth rak'ah. He would then sit, remember, praise Him and supplicate Him and then utter a salutation loud enough for us to hear. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting after uttering the salutation, and that made eleven rak'ahs. O my son, but when the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) grew old and put on flesh, he observed Witr of seven, doing in the two rak'ahs as he had done formerly, and that made nine. O my son, and when the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed prayer, he liked to keep on observing it, and when sleep or pain overpowered him and made it impossible (for him) to observe prayer in the night, he prayed twelve rak'ahs daring the day. I am not aware of Allah's Prophet (may peace be upon him) having recited the whole Qur'an during one single night, or praying through the night till morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan. He (the narrator) said: I then went to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated to him the hadith (transmitted from her), and he said: She says the truth If I went to her and got into her presence, I would have listened to it orally from her. He said: If I were to know that you do not go to her. I would not have transmitted this hadith to you narrated by her.

Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came forward swiftly while we were sitting, He approached in such a manner that we wee alarmed by the speed with which he came towards us. When he reached us, he greeted us and said, 'I came swiftly to you to tell you about the Night of Power. I forgot it in the time it took me to get to you, so look for it in the last ten nights (of Ramadan).'"

'A’isha (RAA) narrated, ‘One day the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) entered my house and said, “ls there anything here (to eat)?" I said, ‘NO,’ He said, “I shall then be fasting (today)." Then he came to us another day and we said to him, 'Someone has offered us some hais as a gift.’ He then said, "Show it to me. I had been fasting since this morning, “and he ate from it ( as it was a voluntary fast and not during the obligatory fasting of Ramadan). Related by Muslim.

"I accompanied the Prophet (SAW) on a journey. One day I was near him while we were moving so I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Inform me about an action by which I will be admitted into Paradise, and which will keep me far from the Fire.' He said: 'You have asked me about something great, but it is easy for whomever Allah makes it easy: Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him, establish the Salat, give the Zakat, fast Ramadan and perform Hajj to the HOuse.' Then he said: 'Shall I not guide you to the doors of good? Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sins like water extinguishes fire - and a man's praying in depths of the night.'" He said: "Then he recited: 'Their sides forsake their beds to call upon their Lord.' Until he reached: 'What they used to do.' [32:16-17] Then he said: 'Shall I not inform you about the head of the entire matter, and its pillar, and its hump?' I said: 'Of course O Messenger of Allah! He said: 'The head of the matter is Islam, and its pillar is the Salat, and its hump is Jihad.' Then he said: 'Shall I not inform you about what governs all of that?' I said: 'Of course O Messenger of Allah!'" He (SAW) said: "So he grabbed his tongue. He said 'Restrain this.' I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Will we be taken to account for what we say?' He said: 'May your mother grieve your loss O Mu'adh! Are the people tossed into the Fire upon their faces, or upon their noses, except because of what their tongues have wrought'"

I went to ‘A’isha and said, “Mother of the faithful, tell me about the nature of God’s Messenger.” She asked, “Do you not recite the Qur’an?” On my replying that I certainly did, she said, “The Prophet’s nature was the Qur’an.”* I said, “Mother of the faithful, tell me about the witr of God’s Messenger.” She replied, “I used to prepare his toothstick and his water for ablution, and God would rouse him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the toothstick, perform ablution, and pray nine rak'as, sitting only during the eighth of them, then he would make mention of God, praise and supplicate Him, then he would get up without uttering the salutation and pray the ninth. After that he would sit, make mention of God, praise and supplicate Him, then utter a salutation loud enough for me to hear. He would then pray two rak'as sitting after uttering the salutation, and that made eleven rak'as, sonny. But when God’s Messenger grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, doing in the two rak'as, as he had done formerly, and that made nine, sonny. When God’s prophet prayed a prayer he liked to keep on observing it, but when sleep or pain made it impossible for him to get up during the night; he prayed twelve rak'as during the day. I am not aware of God’s prophet having recited the whole Qur’an in a night, or praying through a whole night till morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan.” *i.e. the good characteristics included in the Qur’an were shown by the Prophet in his own life. Muslim transmitted it.

"I asked 'A'isha (may Allah the Exalted be well pleased with her) about the fasting of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). She said: “He used to fast until we would say: ‘He has fasted,’ and he used to break fast until we would say: ‘He has broken fast.’” She also said: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not fast for a whole month after arriving in Medina, with the exception of Ramadan.’

'A’isha (RAA) narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) used to fast until one would say, he never breaks his fast (i.e. he never stops fasting), and he would abandon fasting (at other times) until one would say that he never fasts. And I never saw the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) fast for a complete month except for the month of Ramadan, and I never saw him fast in a month more than he did in the month of Sha’ban.” Agreed upon and the wording is from Muslim.

“I saw in a dream that I was at the gate of Paradise and I saw them (those two men). Someone came out of Paradise and admitted the one who had died last, then he came out and admitted the one who had been martyred. Then he came back to me and said: ‘Go back, for your time has not yet come.’” The next morning, Talhah told the people of that and they were amazed. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah (saw) and they told him the story. He said: “Why are you so amazed at that?” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, the first one was the one who strove harder, then he was martyred, but the other one was admitted to Paradise before him. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Did he not stay behind for a year?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “And did not Ramadan come and he fasted, and he offered such and such prayers during that year?” They said: “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “The difference between them is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.”

“I was with the Messenger of Allah (saw) on a journey. One morning I drew close to him when we were on the move and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action that will gain me admittance to Paradise and keep me far away from Hell.’ He said: ‘You have asked for something great, but it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything in worship with Him, establish prayer, pay charity, fast Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House.’ Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night.’ Then he recited: “Their sides forsake their beds” until he reached: “As a reward for what they used to do.”[32:16-17] Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the head of the matter, and its pillar and pinnacle? (It is) Jihad.’ Then he said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the basis of all that?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He took hold of his tongue then said: ‘Restrain this.’ I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, will we be brought to account for what we say?’ He said: ‘May your mother not found you, O Mu’adh! Are people thrown onto their faces in Hell for anything other than the harvest of their tongues?’”

"The Messenger of Allah [SAW] would sit among his Companions and if a stranger came, he would not know which of them was he (the Prophet [SAW]) until he asked. So we suggested to the Messenger of Allah [SAW] that we should make a dais for him so that any stranger would know him if he came to him. So we built for him a bench made of clay on which he used to sit. (One day) we were sitting and the Messenger of Allah [SAW] was sitting in his spot, when a man came along who was the most handsome and good-smelling of all people, and it was as if no dirt had ever touched his garments. He came near the edge of the rug and greeted him, saying: 'Peace be upon you, O Muhammad!' He returned the greeting, and he said: 'Shall I come closer, O Muhammad?' He came a little closer, and he kept telling him to come closer, until he put his hands on the knees of the Messenger of Allah [SAW]. He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is Islam?' He said: 'Islam means to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him; to establish Salah, to pay Zakah, to perform Hajj to the House, and to fast Ramadan.' He said: 'If I do that, will I have submitted (be a Muslim)?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth,' we found it odd. He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is faith?' He said: 'To believe in Allah [SWT], His Angels, the Book, the Prophets, and to believe in the Divine Decree.' He said: 'If I do that, will I have believed?' The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'Yes.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is Al-Ihsan?' He said: 'To worship Allah [SWT] as if you can see Him, for although you cannot see Him, He can see you.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me about the Hour.' He lowered his head and did not answer. Then he repeated the question, and he did not answer. Then he repeated the question (a third time) and he did not answer. Then he raised his head and said: 'The one who is being asked does not know more than the one who is asking. But it has signs, by which it may be known. When you see the herdsmen competing in building tall buildings, when you see the barefoot and naked ruling the Earth, when you see a woman giving birth to her mistress. Five things which no one knows except Allah [SWT]. Verily, Allah, with Him (alone) is the knowledge of the Hour up to His saying: 'Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things).' Then he said: 'No, by the One who sent Muhammad with the truth, with guidance and glad tidings, I did not know him more than any man among you. That was Jibril, peace be upon you, who came down in the form of Dihyah Al-Kalbi.'"

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to say at the end of his witr: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thy good pleasure from Thy anger, and in Thy forgiveness from Thy punishment, and I seek refuge in Thy mercy from Thy wrath. I cannot reckon the praise due to Thee. Thou art as Thou hast praised Thyself."

Abu Dawud said: Hisham is the earliest teacher of Hammad. Yahya b. Ma'in said: No one is reported to have narrated traditions form him except Hammad b. Salamah.

Abu Dawud said: Ubayy b. Ka'b said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) recited supplication in the witr before bowing.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been narrated by 'Isa b. Yunus through a different chain of narrators from Ubayy b. Ka'b. He also narrated it through a different chain of narrators on the authority of Ubayy b. Ka'b that the Messenger of Allah (saw) recited the supplication in the witr before bowing.

Abu Dawud said: The chain of narrators of the tradition of Sa'id from Qatadah goes: Yazid b. Zurai' narrated from Sa'id, from Qatadah, from 'Azrah, from Sa'id b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abza, on the authority of his father, from the Prophet (saws). This version does not mention the supplication and the name of Ubayy. This tradition has also been narrated by 'Abd al-A'la and Muhammad b. Bishr al-'Abdi. He heard the traditions from 'Isa b. Yunus at Kufah. They did not mention the supplication in their version.

This tradition has also been narrated by Hisham al-Dastuwa'i and Shu'bah from Qatadah. They did not mention the supplication in their version. The tradition of Zubaid has been narrated by Sulaiman al-A'mash, Shu'bah, 'Abd al-Malik b. Abi Sulaiman, and Jarir b. Hazim; all of them narrated on the authority of Zubaid. None of them mention the supplication in his version, except in the tradition transmitted by Hafs b. Ghiyath from Mis'ar from Zubaid; he narrated in his version that he (the Prophet) recited supplication before bowing.

Abu Dawud said: This version of tradition is not well know. There is doubt that Hafs might have narrated this tradition from some other narrator than Mis'ar.

Abu Dawud said: It is reported that Ubayy (b. Ka'b) used to recited the supplication )in the witr) in the second half of Ramadan.

I asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "Inform me of an act which will cause me to enter Jannah and keep me far from Hell." He (PBUH) replied, "You have asked me about a matter of great importance, but it is easy for one for whom Allah makes it easy." He added, "Worship Allah, associate nothing with Him in worship, offer As-Salat (the prayer), pay the Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) during Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House of Allah, if you can afford it." He (PBUH) further said, "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a screen (from Hell), charity extinguishes (i.e., removes) the sins as water extinguishes fire, and standing in prayers by a slave of Allah during the last third part of the night." Then he recited: "Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Rabb in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah's Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do." (32:16-17) Then he added, "Shall I tell you of the root of the matter, its pillar and its highest point?" I replied: "Yes! Certainly, O Prophet of Allah." He said, "The root of this matter (foundation) is Islam, its pillar (mainstay is) As-Salat (the prayer) and its highest point is Jihad (fighting in the Cause of Allah)." Then he asked, "Shall I tell you of that which holds all these things?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." So he took hold of his tongue and said, "Keep this in control." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we really be accounted for what we talk about?" He replied, "May your mother lose you! People will be thrown on their faces into the Hell on account of their tongues."

Ibn ‘Abbas (RAA) narrated, ‘A Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, ‘I have sighted the crescent (of Ramadan). He then said to him, "Do you testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah?” The Bedouin said, ‘Yes.’ He asked him again, "Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.)?" The man replied, ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) there upon said, "O Bilal! Announce to the people to (start) fasting tomorrow." Related by the five Imams. Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih. An-Nasa'i said that it is most probably Mursal (a Hadith in which the link between the Successor (Tabi’i) and the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) is missing.

"One day the Prophet (SAW) appeared among the people. A man came to him and said: 'O messenger of Allah, what is Iman (faith)?' He said: 'To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers and the meeting with, and to believe in the Final Resurrection.' He said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?' He said: 'To worship Allah (alone) and not to associate anything with Him; to establish the prescribed prayers, to pay the obligatory Zakat, and to fast Ramadan.' He said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is Ihsan? He said: 'To worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He sees you.' He said: "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour be?' He said: 'The one who is being asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking. But I will tell you about its signs. When the slave woman gives birth to her mistress that is one of its signs. When the shepherds compete in constructing tall buildings that is one of its signs. And there are five things which no one knows except Allah.' Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) recited the Verse: "Verily, Allah, with Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that a certain man kissed his wife while he was fasting in Ramadan. This made him very anxious, and so he sent his wife to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask him about that for him. She went in and saw Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned the matter to her, and Umm Salama told her that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to kiss while he was fasting. So she went back and told her husband that, but it only made him find fault all the more and he said, "We are not like the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah makes permissible for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whatever He wishes."

His wife then went back to Umm Salama and found the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with her. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "What's the matter with this woman?", and Umm Salama told him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Didn't you tell her that I do that myself?" and she said, "I told her, and she went to her husband and told him, but it only made him find fault all the more and say, 'We are not like the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah makes permissible for His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whatever He wishes.' " The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, got angry and said, "By Allah, I am the one with the most taqwa of Allah of you all, and of you all the one who best knows His limits."

One day when we were with God's messenger, a man with very white clothing and very black hair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and none of us recognised him. Sitting down beside the Prophet, leaning his knees against his, and placing his hands on his thighs, he said, “Tell me, Muhammad, about Islam." He replied, “Islam means that you should testify that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger, that you should observe the prayer, pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House if you have the means to go." He said, “You have spoken the truth." We were surprised at his questioning him and then declaring that he spoke the truth. He said, “Now tell me about faith.” He replied, “It means that you should believe in God, His angels, His books, His apostles, and the last day, and that you should believe in the decreeing both of good and evil." Remarking that he had spoken the truth, he then said, “Now tell me about doing good." He replied, “It means that you should worship God as though you saw Him, for He sees you though you do not see Him." He said, “Now tell me about the Hour." He replied, “The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the one who is asking." He said, “Then tell me about its signs." He replied, “That a maid-servant should beget her mistress, and that you should see barefooted, naked, poor men and shepherds exalting themselves in buildings." [‘Umar] said: He then went away, and after I had waited for a long time [the Prophet] said to me, “Do you know who the questioner was, ‘Umar?" I replied, “God and His messenger know best." He said, “He was Gabriel who came to you to teach you your religion." Muslim transmitted it.

Once we were sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet (PBUH) leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet (PBUH) and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, "O Muhammad (PBUH)! Tell me about Islam". He (PBUH) replied, "Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it." He replied: "You have spoken the truth." We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then enquired: "Tell me about Iman." He (PBUH) said: "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in preordainment (destiny), its bad and good consequences." He said, "You have spoken the truth." He then enquired: "Tell me about Ihsan." He (PBUH) said, "It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you." He enquired: "Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)." He (PBUH) replied, "I have no more knowledge thereof than you". He said, "Inform me about some of its signs." He (PBUH) said, "They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing one another in the construction of higher buildings." Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, "O 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." The Prophet (PBUH) said, "He was Jibril (Gabriel); he came to you to teach you your religion."

[Muslim]

"In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful. To the slave of Prophet, Mu'awiya, the Amir al-Mu'minin, from Zayd ibn Thabit. Peace be upon you, Amir al-Mu'minin, and the mercy of Allah. I praise Allah to you. There is no god but Him. Following on from that, you asked me about the inheritance of the grandfather and brothers (and he mentioned the letter). We ask Allah for guidance, preservation and firmness in all our affairs. We seek refuge with Allah from being misguided or ignorant or taking on what we have no knowledge of. Peace be upon you, Amir al-Mu'minin, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and His forgiveness. Wuhayb has written it on Thursday, the 20th Ramadan, 42 (AH)."

When the month of Ramadan came, I feared lest I would have intercourse with my wife. So, I vowed az-Zihar (the she was like my mother). Then, one night something of her was uncovered to me and I had intercourse with her. Allah's Messenger (SAW) afterwards said to me, "Set a slave free," and I replied, "I do not possess one (that I can free)." He said, "Then fast two consecutive months." I replied, "Have I fallen into that which I have fallen into except due to fasting!?" He said, "Feed sixty poor people with an 'Araq (basket) of dates." [Reported by Ahmad and al-Arba'a except an-Nasa'i. Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn al-Jarud graded it Sahih (authentic)].

He met Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about Witr. He said: "Shall I not lead you to one who knows best among the people of the world about the witr of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)?" He said: "Yes." (Ibn Abbas) said: "It is 'Aishah. So go to her and ask her (about witr) and then come back to me and tell me the answer that she gives you." So I went to Hakim bin Aflah and asked him to go accompany me to her. He said: "I shall not go to her, for I told her not to say anything about these two (conflicting) groups, but she refused (to accept my advice) and went on (to participate in the conflict)." I swore an oath, beseeching him (to take me to her). So he came with me and went unto her. She said to Hakim: "Who is this with you?" He said: "He is Sa'd bin Hisham." She said: "Which Hisham?" He said: "Ibn Amir." She supplicated for mercy for him and said: "What a good man Amir was." He said: "O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah." She said: "Don't you read the Qur'an?" I said: "Yes." She said "The character of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was the Qur'an." He said: "I wanted to get up (and leave), then I thought of the Qiyam (night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and said: "Tell me about the Qiyam of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)." She said: "Do you not recite this surah: "O you wrapped in garments?" I said: "Yes." She said: "Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, made Qiyam Al-Lail obligatory at the beginning of this surah, so the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and his companions prayed Qiyam Al-Lail for one year. Allah (SWT) withheld the latter part of this surah for twelve months, then he revealed the lessening (of this duty) at the end of this surah, so Qiyam Al-Lail became voluntary after it had been obligatory." I felt inclined to stand up (and not ask anything further), then I thought of the witr of the Messenger of Allah (SAW). I said: "O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the witr of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)." She said: "We used to prepare his siwak and water for his ablution, and Allah (SWT) would wake him when He wished during the night. He would use the siwak, perform ablution, and then pray eight rak'ahs in which he would not sit until he reached the eighth one. Then he would sit and remember Allah (SWT) and supplicate, then he would say the taslim that we could hear. Then he would pray two rak'as sitting after uttering the taslim, then he would pray one rak'ah, and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son! When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) grew older and put on weight, he prayed witr with seven rak'ahs, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down after saying the taslim, and that made nine rak'ahs. O my son, when the Messenger of Allah (SAW)offered a prayer, he liked to continue to offer it, and when sleep, sickness, or pain distracted him from praying Qiyam Al-Lail, he would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day. I am not aware of the Prophet of Allah (SAW) having recited the whole Qur'an during a single night, or praying through the whole night until morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan." I went to Ibn 'Abbas and told him what she had said, and he said: "She has spoken the truth. If I could go to her (and meet her face to face) I would so that she could tell me all of that verbally."

Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went up the minbar. When he reached the first step, he said, "Amen". When he ascended to the second step, he said, "Amen," and when he stepped onto the third step, he said, "Amen." They said, "Messenger of Allah, we heard you say 'Amen' three times." He said, "When I went up the first step, Jibril, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to me and said, 'Wretched is the slave to whom Ramadan comes and when it passes from him is not forgiven.' I said, 'Amen.' Then he said, 'Wretched is the slave who has one or both of his parents alive and they do not let him enter the Garden.' I said, 'Amen.' Then he said, 'Wretched is a slave who does not bless you when you are mentioned in his presence,' and I said, 'Amen.'"

ʼUmar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) told me: Whilst we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one day, a man came to us whose garment was exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black, and we did not see any signs of travel on him, and none of us knew who he was. He came and sat before the Prophet (ﷺ), resting his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs. He said: O Muhammad, tell me about Islam: what is Islam? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Islam means to bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), to establish regular prayer, to pay zakali, to fast Ramadan and to perform pilgrimage to the House (the Ka`bah), if you have the means.` He said: You have spoken the truth. He (‘Umar) said: It amazed us, how he questioned him and said that he had spoken the truth. He said: Tell me about faith (Eeman). He said: `Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in al-qadar (the divine will and decree), both good and bad.` He said: You have spoken the truth. He said: Tell me about ihsan: what is ilisan? - Yazeed said: - `It is to worship Allah as if you can see Him, for although you cannot see Ilim, He sees you.` He said: Tell me about the Hour. He said: “The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.” He said: Then tell me about its signs. Ise said: `When the slave woman gives birth to her mistress, and when you see the barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in the construction of lofty buildings.” He [Umar] said: Then he went away. He sumar waited for a while - Yazeed said: three (days). Then he (the Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: `O`Umar, do you know who that questioner was?` I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “That was Jibreel, who came to you to teach you your religion.`

Ibn ‘Umar said. `Umar (رضي الله عنه) told us: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he mentioned the same hadeeth, except that he said: No signs of travel were to be seen on him. And he- said: `Umar said: 1 waited for three (days), then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “oʻUmar...”

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that A man came to the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) and said, “l am ruined O Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.)!" The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H.) asked him, “What has ruined you?" The man replied, ‘I had intercourse with my wife during the day in Ramadan while fasting)’ The Prophet said to him, "Are you able to free a slave?" The man said, ‘No.’ The Prophet said, "Can you fast for two consecutive months?" He said, ‘NO.' The Prophet then asked him, "Can you provide food for sixty poor people?" He said, ‘No.’ Then the man sat down. A basket of dates was brought to the Prophet and he said to the man, “Give this as Sadaqah (voluntary charity)” The man said, ‘To someone who is poorer than us!’ There is no one in this city (Al-Madinah) who is in need of these dates more than us!’ The Prophet laughed until his molar teeth could be seen and said to the man, “Go and feed your family with these dates.” Related by the seven Imams and the wording is from Muslim.

The first to speak on Divine decree in al-Basrah was Ma`bad al Juhani. I and Humaid b. `Abd al-Rahman al-Himyari proceeded to perform Hajj or `Umrah. We said : would that we meet any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) so that we could ask him about what they say with regard to divine decree. So Allah helped us to meet `Abd Allah b. `Umar who was entering the mosque. So I and my companion surrounded him, and I thought that my companion would entrust me the task of speaking to him. Then I said : Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, there appeared on our side some people who recite the Qur'an and are engaged in the hair-splitting of knowledge. They conceive that there is no Divine decree and everything happens freely without predestination. He said : When you meet those people, tell them that I am free from them, and they are free from me. By Him by Whom swears ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar, if one of them has gold equivalent to Uhud and he spends it, Allah will not accept it from him until he believes in Divine decree. He then said : ‘Umar b. Khattab transmitted to me a tradition, saying : One day when we were with the Messenger of Allah (saws) a man with very white clothing and very black hair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and we did not recognize him. Sitting down beside the Messenger of Allah (saws), leaning his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs, he said : tell me, Muhammad, about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said : Islam means that you should testify that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, that you should observe prayer, pay Zakat, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the house (i.e., Ka`bah), If you have the means to go. He said : You have spoken the truth. We were surprised at his questioning him and then declaring that he spoke the truth. He said : Now tell me about faith. He replied : It means that you should believe in Allah, his angels, his Books, his Apostles and the last day, and that you should believe in the decreeing both of good and evil. He said : You have spoken the truth. He said : now tell me about doing good (ihsan). He replied: It means that you should worship Allah as though you are seeing him; if you are not seeing him, he is seeing you. He said: Now tell me about the hour. He replied : The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the one who is asking. He said : Then tell me about its signs. He replied : That a maidservant should beget her mistress, and that you should see barefooted, naked, poor men and shepherds exalting themselves in buildings. ‘Umar said : He then went away, and I waited for three days, then he said : Do you know who the questioner was, `Umar? I replied : Allah and his Apostle know best. He said : He was Gabriel who came to you to teach you your religion.

I divorced my wife. I then came to Medina to sell my land that was there so that I could buy arms and fight in battle. I met a group of the Companions of the Prophet (saws). They said: Six persons of us intended to do so (i.e. divorce their wives and purchase weapons), but the Prophet (saws) prohibited them. He said: For you in the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent model. I then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the witr observed by the Prophet (saws). He said: I point to you a person who is most familiar with the witr observed by the Messenger of Allah (saws). Go to 'Aishah. While going to her I asked Hakim b. Aflah to accompany me. He refused, but I adjured him. He, therefore, went along with me. We sought permission to enter upon 'Aishah. She said: Who is this ? He said: Hakim b. Aflah. She asked: Who is with you ? He replied: Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Hisham son of 'Amir who was killed in the Battle of Uhud. I said: Yes. She said: What a good man 'Amir was! I said: Mother of faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (saws). She asked: Do you not recite the Quran ? The character of Messenger of Allah (saws) was the Qur'an. I asked: Tell me about his vigil and prayer at night. She replied: Do you not recite: "O thou folded in garments" (73:1). I said: Why not ?

When the opening of this Surah was revealed, the Companions stood praying (most of the night) until their fett swelled, and the concluding verses were not revealed for twelve months from heaven. At last the concluding verses were revealed and the prayer at night became voluntary after it was obligatory. I said: Tell me about the witr of the Prophet (saws). She replied: He used to pray eight rak'ahs, sitting only during the eighth of them. Then he would stand up and pray another rak'ahs. He would sit only after the eighth and the ninth rak'ahs. He would utter salutation only after the ninth rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. But when he grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, sitting only in sixth and seventh rak'ahs, and would utter salutation only after the seventh rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting, and that made nine rak'ahs, O my son. The Messenger of Allah (saws) would not pray through a whole night, or recite the whole Qur'an in a night or fast a complete month except in Ramadan. When he offered prayer, he would do that regularly. When he was overtaken by sleep at night, he would pray twelve rak'ahs.

The narrator said: I came to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated all this to him. By Allah, this is really a tradition. Has I been on speaking terms with her, I would have come to her and heard it from her mouth. I said: If I knew that you were not on speaking terms with her, I would have never narrated it to you.

"We were sitting with the Prophet (SAW) when a man came to him whose clothes were intensely white and whose hair was intensely black; no signs of travel could be seen upon him, and none of us recognized him. He sat down facing the Prophet (SAW), with his knees touching his, and he put his hands on his thighs, and said: 'O Muhammad, what is Islam?' He said: 'To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, to establish regular prayer, to pay Zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the House (the Ka'bah).' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' We were amazed by him: He asked a question, then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: 'O Muhammad, what is Iman faith? He said: 'To believe in Allah, His angels, His Messengers, His books, the Last day, and the Divine Decree (Qadar), both the good of it and the bad of it.' He said' You have spoken the truth.' We were amazed by him. He asked a question, then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: 'O Muhammad, what is Ihsan (right action, goodness, sincerity)? He said: 'To worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He sees you.' He asked: "When will the Hour be?' He said: 'The one who is being asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.' He asked: 'Then what are its signs?' he said: 'When the slave woman gives birth to her mistress' (Waki' said: This means when non-Arabs will give birth to Arabs") 'and when you see barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings.' The Prophet (SAW) met me three days later and asked me: 'Do you know who that man was? I said" 'Allah and his Messenger know best.' He said: 'That was Jibril, who came to you to teach you your religion.'"

We met 'Abdullah bin 'Umar and discussed the divine decree (al qadar) and what others said concerning it. He said: When you go back to them, say; Ibn ‘Umar has nothing to do with you and you have nothing to do with him - three times. Then he said: ‘Umar bin al Khattab رضي الله عنه ­­ told me that whilst they were sitting with the Prophet ﷺ ­, a man came to him walking, with a handsome face and hair, wearing white clothes. The people looked at one another (as if to say): We do not know this man and he does not look like a traveller. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , shall I come to you? He said: `Yes.` So he came and put his knees against his knees and his hands on his thighs and said: What is Islam? He said: `To testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , to establish regular prayer, to give zakah, to fast Ramadan and to go on pilgrimage to the House.` He said: What is faith (eeman)? He said: “To believe in Allah, His angels, Paradise and Hell, resurrection after death and the divine decree, all of it.” He said: What is ihsan? He said: `To strive for the sake of Allah as if you see Him, and even though you do not see Him, He sees you.` He said: When will the Hour come? He said: `The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.” He said: What are its portents? He said: `When the destitute, barefoot, naked shepherds compete in constructing lofty buildings, and the slave women give birth to their masters.” Then he said: `Call the man to me.” They looked for him but they saw no trace of him. Two or three days passed, then he said: “O Ibn al­ Khattab, do you know who that was who asked about such and such?” He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: `That was Jibreel who came to teach you your religion.` A man from Juhainah or Muzainah asked him: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , what are we striving for? Is it something that is already decided or is it something that is evolving right now? He said:`For some-­thing that is already decided.` The man or one of the people said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , then why should we strive? He said: “The people of Paradise will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Paradise and the people of Hell will be enabled to do the deeds of the people of Hell.` Yahya said: And that is how it is.

Prayer passed through three stages. And out people narrated to us that Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said; it is to my liking that the prayer of Muslims or believers should be united (i.e., in congregation), so much so that I intended to send people to the houses to announce the time of prayer; and I also resolved that I should order people to stand at (the tops of) the forts and announce the time of the prayer for Muslims; and they struck the bell or were about to strike the bell (to announce the time for prayer). Then came a person from among the Ansar who said: Messenger of Allah, when I returned from you, as I saw your anxiety. I saw (in sleep) a person with two green clothes on him; he stood on the mosque and called (people) to prayer. He then sat down for a short while and stood up and pronounced in a like manner, except that he added: “The time for prayer has come”. If the people did not call me (a liar), and according to the version of Ibn al-Muthanna, if you did not call me (a liar). I would say that I was awake; I was awake; I was not asleep. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: According to the version of Ibn al-Muthanna, Allah has shown you a good (dream). But the version of ‘Amr does not have the words: Allah has shown you a good (dream). Then ask Bilal to pronounce the ADHAN (to call to the prayer). ‘Umar (in the meantime) said: I also had a dream like the one he had. But as he informed earlier. I was ashamed (to inform). Our people have narrated to us: when a person came (to the mosque during the prayer in congregation), he would ask (about the RAKAHS of prayer), and he would be informed about the number of RAKAHS already performed. They would stand (in prayer) along with the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him): some in standing position; others bowing; some sitting and some praying along with the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him).

Ibn al-Muthanna reported from ‘Amr from Hussain b. Abi Laila, saying ; Until Mu’adh came. Shu’bah said ; I heard it from Hussain who said : I shall follow the position (in the prayer in which I find him (the prophet)). . . you should do in a similar way.

Abu Dawud said: I then turned to the tradition reported by ‘Amr b. Marzuq he said; then Ma’adh came and they (the people) hinted at him. Shu’bah said; I heard it from hussain who said: Mu’adh then said; I shall follow the position (in the prayer when I join it) in which I find him (the prophet). He then said: Mu’adh has prayer when I join it in which I find him (the prophet). He then said: MU’adh has introduced for you a SUNNAH (a model behaviour), so you should do in a like manner. He said; our people have narrated to us; when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to Madina, he commanded them (the people) to keep fast for three days. Thereafter the Quranic verses with regard to the fasts during Ramadan were revealed. But they were people who were not accustomed to keep fast ; hence the keeping of the fasts was hard for them; so those who could not keep fast would feed an indigent; then the month”. The concession was granted to the patient and the traveler; all were commanded to keep fast.

"The first person to speak about Al-Qadar was Ma'bad Al-Juhani." He said: "Humaid bin Abdur-Rahman Al-Himyari and I went out until we reached Al-Madinah, and we said: 'If we could only meet someone among the companions of the Prophet (SAW) so we could ask him about what those people have innovated." [He said:] "So we met him - meaning Abdullah bin 'Umar - while he was leaving the Masjid." [He said:] "My companion and I were on either side of him." [He said:] I thought my companion was going to leave the speaking to me so I said: "O Abu Abdur-Rahman! There is a group of people who recite the Qur'an and seek knowledge, and they claim there is no Al-Qadar, and that the affair is left to chance.' He said: "Whenever you meet those people, then tell them that I am not of them and they are not of me. By the One Whom Abdullah swears by! If one of them were to spend gold the like of Uhud (mountain) in charity, it would not be accepted from him until he believes in Al-Qadar; the good of it and the bad of it.'" He said: "Then he began to narrate, he said: "'Umar bin Al-Khattab said: "We were with the Messenger of Allah when a man came with extremely white garments, and extremely black hair. He had no appearance of traveling visible on him, yet none of us recognized him. He came until he reached the Prophet (SAW). He put his knees up against his knees, and then said: "O Muhammad! What is Iman?' He said 'To believe in Allah, His Angels, His, Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgement, and Al-Qadar, the good of it and the bad of it.' He said: 'Then what is Islam?' He said: 'Testifying to La Ilaha Illallah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, establishing the Salat, giving the Zakat, performing Hajj to the House, and fasting (the month of) Ramadan.' He said: 'Then what is Ihsan?' He said 'That (is) you worship Allah as if you see Him, and although you do not see Him, He certainly sees you.' He said: 'For all of those he replied to him: 'You have told the truth.'" He said: "So we were amazed at him, he would ask, and then tell him that he is telling the truth. He said: 'Then when is the Hour?' He (SAW) said: 'The one being asked knows no more than the questioner.' He said: 'Then what are its signs?' He said: 'That the slave woman gives birth to her master, and that the naked, poor, and bare-footed shepherds rival each other in the height of the buildings.'" 'Umar said: 'Then the Prophet (SAW) met me three days after that and said: 'O 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was? It was Jibril. He came to teach you about the matters of your religion.'"

l said to Ibn `Umar. We travel to different countries and we meet people who say there is no qadar (divine decree), Ibn `Umar said: If you meet them, tell them that `Abdullah bin `Umar has nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with him-three times. Then he started narrating Whilst we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , there came a man... and he described his appearance, The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Come closer, so he came closer. He said: Come closer, so he came closer. He said: Come closer, so he came closer, until his knees were nearly touching [the Prophet (ﷺ)`s] knees. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), tell me what is faith [or about faith]. He said: “To believe in Allah. His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in al-qadar.` - Sufyan said: I think he said: `... both good and bad.` He said: What is Islam? He said: “To establish prayer, pay zakah, perform pilgrimage to the House, to fast Ramadan and to do ghusl in the case of janabah.` For all of that, he [the stranger] said: You are right, you are right. The people said: We never saw any man show more respect to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than this man did. It was as if he was teaching the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) . Then he said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me about ihsan.He said: “It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him. He sees you.` For all of that we said: We never saw any man show more respect to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than this man did, he said: You are right, you are right. He said: Tell me about the Hour. He said: “The one who is asked about it does not know more about it than one who is asking.` He said: You are right. He said it several times, and we never saw any man show more respect to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than this man did. Then he left. Sufyan said: I heard that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Look for him,” but they did not find him. IIe said: `That was Jihree who came to you to teach you your religion. He never came to me in any form but I recognised him, except for this form.”

It was narrated that Ibn Ya’mar said: I asked Ibn `Umar-or a man asked him: We travel in this land and we meet people who say, There is no qadar (divine decree), Ibn `Umar said: If you meet those people, tell them that ‘Abdullah bin `Umar has nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with him - he said it three times. Then he told us. Whilst we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man came and said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), may I draw closer? He said: `Come closer.` So he came a little closer, then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), may I come closer? He said: `Come closer.” So he came a little closer, then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), may I come closer? He said: `Come closer.” So he came a little closer until his knees were almost touching the knees of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) . Then he said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), what is faith? - and he mentioned a similar report.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) put me in charge of charity of Ramadan (Sadaqat-ul- Fitr). Somebody came to me and began to take away some food-stuff. I caught him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." He said, "I am a needy man with a large family, and so I have a pressing need." I let him go. When I saw the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) next morning, he asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him so I let him go." He (PBUH) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." I was sure, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that he would return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff from the Sadaqah. I caught him and said; "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." He said, "Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back." So I took pity on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) who asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing want and the burden of a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go." He (PBUH) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." (That man) came again to steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and this is the last of three times. You promised that you would not come again but you did." He said, "Let go of me, I shall teach you some words with which Allah may benefit you." I asked, "What are those words?" He replied, "When you go to bed, recite Ayat-ul- Kursi (2:255) for there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah, and Satan will not be able to approach you till morning." So I let him go. Next morning the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked me, "What did your prisoner do last night." I answered, "He promised to teach me some words which he claimed will benefit me before Allah. So I let him go." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked, "What are those words that he taught you?" I said, "He told me: 'When you go to bed, recite Ayat- ul-Kursi from the beginning to the end i.e.,[ Allah! none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not fatigue Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great].' (2:255). He added: 'By reciting it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah who will protect you during the night, and Satan will not be able to come near you until morning'." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily, he has told you the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were speaking for the last three nights?" I said, "No." He (PBUH) said, "He was Shaitan (Satan)."

[Al-Bukhari].

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hellfire.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah, without associating any partners with Him; establish the prayer; pay the zakat; fast in Ramadhan; and make the pilgrimage to the House.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not guide you towards the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the praying of a man in the depths of the night.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: “[Those] who forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [as-Sajdah, 16-17] Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its peak?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its peak is jihad.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces — or: on their noses — except the harvests of their tongues?” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth.

While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (saws) there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet (saws) rested his knees against the knees of the Prophet (saws) and placed his palms over his thighs, and said: "O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (saws), that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." He said: "You have spoken the truth." We were astonished at his thus questioning him (saws) and then telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken the truth." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Prophet) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about its signs." He said, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Prophet) said, "O `Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim]