That one night Allah's Apostle visited him and Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Apostle and said to them, "Won 't you offer (night) prayer?.. `Ali added: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Our souls are in the Hand of Allah and when He Wishes to bring us to life, He does." Then Allah's Apostle went away when I said so and he did not give any reply. Then I heard him on leaving while he was striking his thighs, saying, 'But man is, more quarrelsome than anything.' (18.54)

Allah's Apostle said, "Your stay (in this world) in comparison to the stay of the nations preceding you, is like the period between `Asr prayer and the sun set (in comparison to a whole day). The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted on it till midday and then they were unable to carry on. And they were given (a reward equal to) one Qirat each. Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted on it till `Asr Prayer and then they were unable to carry on, so they were given la reward equal to) one Qirat each. Then you were given the Qur'an and you acted on it till sunset, therefore you were given (a reward equal to) two Qirats each. On that, the people of the Scriptures said, 'These people (Muslims) did less work than we but they took a bigger reward.' Allah said (to them). 'Have I done any oppression to you as regards your rights?' They said, "No." Then Allah said, 'That is My Blessing which I grant to whomsoever I will.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik thatYahya ibn Said used to say, "Even if someone manages to pray before the time of the prayer has passed, the time that has passed him by is more important, or better, than his family and wealth."

Yahya said that Malik said, "If the time for a prayer comes and a traveller delays a prayer through neglect or forgetfulness until he reaches his family, he should do that prayer in full if he arrives within the time. But if he arrives when the time has past, he should do the travelling prayer. That way he only repays what he owes."

Malik said, "This is what I have found the people and men of knowledge doing in our community." Malik explained that shafaq was the redness in the sky after the sun had set, and said, "When the redness has gone then the isha prayer is due and you have left the time of maghrib."

Ibn `Umar never offered the Duha prayer except on two occasions: (1) Whenever he reached Mecca; and he always used to reach Mecca in the forenoon. He would perform Tawaf round the Ka`ba and then offer two rak`at at the rear of Maqam Ibrahim. (2) Whenever he visited Quba, for he used to visit it every Saturday. When he entered the Mosque, he disliked to leave it without offering a prayer. Ibn `Umar narrated that Allah's Apostle used to visit the Mosque of Quba (sometime) walking and (sometime) riding. And he (i.e. Ibn `Umar) used to say, "I do only what my companions used to do and I don't forbid anybody to pray at any time during the day or night except that one should not intend to pray at sunrise or sunset."

Allah's Apostle sent me for some job and when I had finished it I returned and came to the Prophet and greeted him but he did not return my greeting. So I felt so sorry that only Allah knows it and I said to myself,, 'Perhaps Allah's Apostle is angry because I did not come quickly, then again I greeted him but he did not reply. I felt even more sorry than I did the first time. Again I greeted him and he returned the greeting and said, "The thing which prevented me from returning the greeting was that I was praying." And at that time he was on his Rahila and his face was not towards the Qibla.

That Abu Sa'eed said: "We had some wine that belonged to an orphan. When Al-Ma'idah was revealed I asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) about it, I said: 'It belongs to an orphan.' He said: 'Spill it out.'"

[He said:] There is something on this topic from Anas bin Malik.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The Hadith of Abu Sa'eed is a Hasan [Sahih] Hadith. Similar to this has been reported through other routes from the Prophet (saws). Some of the people of knowledge stated according to this, they dislike the usage of wine for making vinegar. And the only thing that they disliked about it, and Allah knows best, is for a Muslim to have wine in his house until it becomes vinegar. Abu Al-Waddak's name is Jabr bin Nawf.

Allah's Apostle forbade the selling of fruits (fresh dates) for dried dates but allowed the sale of fruits on the 'Araya by estimation and their new owners might eat their dates fresh. Sufyan (in another narration) said, "I told Yahya (a sub-narrator) when I was a mere boy, 'Meccans say that the Prophet allowed them the sale of the fruits on 'Araya by estimation.' Yahya asked, 'How do the Meccans know about it?' I replied, 'They narrated it (from the Prophet ) through Jabir.' On that, Yahya kept quiet." Sufyan said, "I meant that Jabir belonged to Medina." Sufyan was asked whether in Jabir's narration there was any prohibition of selling fruits before their benefit is evident (i.e. no dangers of being spoilt or blighted). He replied that there was none.

I asked Anas bin Malik regarding Al-Qunut during the prayer. Anas replied, "Yes (Al-Qunut was said by the Prophet in the prayer)." I said, "Is it before Bowing or after Bowing?" Anas replied, "(It was said) before (Bowing)." I said, "So-and-so informed me that you told him that it was said after Bowing." Anas replied, "He was mistaken, for Allah's Apostle said Al-Qunut after Bowing for one month. The Prophet had sent some people called Al-Qurra who were seventy in number, to some pagan people who had concluded a peace treaty with Allah's Apostle . But those who had concluded the treaty with Allah's Apostle violated the treaty (and martyred all the seventy men). So Allah's Apostle said Al-Qunut after Bowing (in the prayer) for one month, invoking evil upon them.

I used to learn the reading of the Qur'an from Umm Sa'd, daughter of al-Rabi'. She was an orphan in the guardianship of Abu Bakr. I read the Qur'anic verse "To those also to whom your right hand was pledged." She said: Do not read the verse; "To those also to whom your right hand was pledged." This was revealed about Abu Bakr and his son 'Abd al-Rahman when he refused to accept Islam. Abu Bakr took an oath that he would not give him a share from inheritance. When he embraced Islam Allah Most High commanded His Prophet (saws) to give him the share.

The narrator 'Abd al-Aziz added: He did not accept Islam until he was urged on Islam by sword.

Abu Dawud said: He who narrated the word 'aqadat means a pact ; and he who narrated the word 'aaqadat means the party who made a pact. The correct is the tradition of Talhah ('aaqadat).

I asked Rafi' b. Khadij about the lease of land for gold and silver (i.e. for dinars and dirhams). There is no harm in it, for the people used to let out land in the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for what grew by the current of water and at the banks of streamlets and at the places of cultivation. So sometimes this (portion) perished and that (portion) was saved, and sometimes this remained intact and that perished. There was no (form of) lease among the people except this. Therefore, he forbade it. But if there is something which is secure and known, then there is no harm in it. The tradition of Ibrahim is more perfect. Qutaibah said: "from Hanzalah on the authority of Rafi' ".

Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by Yahya b. Sa'id from Hanzalah.

Malik said that Ibn Shihab said, "The precedent of the sunna in the intentional murder is that when the relatives of the murdered person relinquish retaliation, the blood-money is owed by the murderer from his own property unless the tribe helps him with it willingly."

Malik said, "What is done in our community is that the blood- money is not obliged against the tribe until it has reached a third of the full amount and upwards. Whatever reaches a third is against the tribe, and whatever is below a third, is against the property of the one who did the injury."

Malik said, "The way of doing things about which there is no dispute among us, in the case of someone who has the blood-money accepted from him in intentional murder or in any injury in which there is retaliation, is that that blood-money is not due from the tribe unless they wish it. The blood-money for that is from the property of the murderer or the injurer if he has property. If he does not have any property, it is a debt against him, and none of it is owed by the tribe unless they wish."

Malik said, "The tribe does not pay blood-money to anyone who injures himself, intentionally or accidentally. This is the opinion of the people of fiqh in our community. I have not heard that anyone has made the tribe liable for any blood-money incurred by intentional acts. Part of what is well-known of that is that Allah, the Blessed, and the Exalted, said in His Book, 'Whoever has something pardoned him by his brother, should follow it with what is accepted and pay it with good will' (Sura 2 ayat 178) The commentary on that - in our view - and Allah knows best, is that whoever gives his brother something of the blood- money, should follow it with what is accepted and pay him with good will."

Malik spoke about a child who had no property and a woman who had no property. He said, "When one of them causes an injury below a third of the blood-money, it is taken on behalf of the child and woman from their personal property, if they have property from which it may be taken. If not, the injury which each of them has caused is a debt against them. The tribe does not have to pay any of it and the father of a child is not liable for the blood-money of an injury caused by the child and he is not responsible for it."

Malik said, "The way of doing things in our community about which there is no dispute, is that when a slave is killed, the value for him is that of the day on which ...

Hamnah said my menstruation was great in quantity and severe. So I came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) for a decision and told him. I found him in the house of my sister, Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh.

I said: Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who menstruates in great quantity and it is severe, so what do you think about it? It has prevented me from praying and fasting.

He said: I suggest that you should use cotton, for it absorbs the blood. She replied: It is too copious for that. He said: Then take a cloth. She replied: It is too copious for that, for my blood keeps flowing. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: I shall give you two commands; whichever of them you follow, that will be sufficient for you without the other, but you know best whether you are strong enough to follow both of them.

He added: This is a stroke of the Devil, so observe your menses for six or seven days, Allah alone knows which it should be; then wash. And when you see that you are purified and quite clean, pray during twenty-three or twenty-four days and nights and fast, for that will be enough for you, and do so every month, just as women menstruate and are purified at the time of their menstruation and their purification.

But if you are strong enough to delay the noon (Zuhr) prayer and advance the afternoon ('Asr) prayer, to wash, and then combine the noon and the afternoon prayer; to delay the sunset prayer and advance the night prayer, to wash, and then combine the two prayers, do so: and to wash at dawn, do so: and fast if you are able to do so if possible.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Of the two commands this is more to my liking.¹

Abu Dawud said: 'Amr b. Thabit narrated from Ibn 'Aqil: Hamnah said: Of the two commands this is the one which is more to my liking.² In this version these words were not quoted as the statement of the Prophet (saws); it gives it as a statement of Hamnah.

Abu Dawud said: 'Amr b. Thabit was a Rafidi. This has been said by Yahya b. Ma'in.

Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad (b. Hanbal) say: I am doubtful about the tradition transmitted by Ibn 'Aqil.

AbuImran said: We went out on an expedition from Medina with the intention of (attacking) Constantinople. AbdurRahman ibn Khalid ibn al-Walid was the leader of the company. The Romans were just keeping their backs to the walls of the city. A man (suddenly) attacked the enemy.

Thereupon the people said: Stop! Stop! There is no god but Allah. He is putting himself into danger.

AbuAyyub said: This verse was revealed about us, the group of the Ansar (the Helpers). When Allah helped His Prophet (saws) and gave Islam dominance, we said (i.e. thought): Come on! Let us stay in our property and improve it.

Thereupon Allah, the Exalted, revealed, "And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your hands contribute to (your destruction)". To put oneself into danger means that we stay in our property and commit ourselves to its improvement, and abandon fighting (i.e. jihad).

AbuImran said: AbuAyyub continued to strive in the cause of Allah until he (died and) was buried in Constantinople.

The Prophet (saws) was brought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls.

(The narrators AbuBakr and (Ahmad) Ibn Mani' said: The pearls were set with gold in it, and a man bought it for nine or seven dinars.)

The Prophet (saws) said: (It must not be sold) till the contents are considered separately. The narrator said: He returned it till the contents were considered separately. The narrator Ibn Asa said: By this I intended trade.

Abu Dawud said: The word hijarah (stone) was recorded in his note-book before, but he changed it and narrated tijarah (trade).

Hilal ibn Yasar said: We were with Salim ibn Ubayd when a man from among the people sneezed and said: Peace be upon you.

Salim said: And upon you and your mother. Later he said: Perhaps you found something (annoying) in what I said to you.

He said: I wished you would not mention my mother with good or evil. He said: I have just said to you what the Messenger of Allah (saws) said. We were in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saws) when a man from among the people sneezed, saying: Peace be upon you!

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: And upon you and your mother. He then said: When one of you sneezes, he should praise Allah. He further mentioned some attributes (of Allah), saying: The one who is with him should say to him: Allah have mercy on you, and he should reply to them: Allah forgive us and you.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha that at-Tufayl ibn Ubayy ibn Kab told him that he visited Abdullah ibn Umar one morning and went out with him to the market, and when they were out, Abdullah ibn Umar did not pass by anyone selling poor merchandise or selling commodities or a needy person or anyone but that he greeted them.

At-Tufayl said, "I came to Abdullah ibn Umar one day and he asked me to follow him to the market. I said to him, 'What will you do in the market if you will not stop to sell nor seek any goods or barter with them or sit in any of the assemblies or market?' Abdullah ibn Umar said that we should sit down and talk, and then he explained, 'Abu Batni, (lit. father of the belly, at- Tufayl had a prominent stomach), we go out in the morning only for the sake of the greeting. We greet whomever we meet.' "

It (i.e., the imagined smoke) was because, when the Quraish refused to obey the Prophet, he asked Allah to afflict them with years of famine similar to those of (Prophet) Joseph. So they were stricken with famine and fatigue, so much so that they ate even bones. A man would look towards the sky and imagine seeing something like smoke between him and the sky because of extreme fatigue. So Allah revealed:-- 'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible, covering the people; this is a painfull of torment.' (44.10-11) Then someone (Abu Sufyan) came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to send rain for the tribes of Mudar for they are on the verge of destruction." On that the Prophet said (astonishingly) "Shall I invoke Allah) for the tribes of Mudar? Verily, you are a brave man!" But the Prophet prayed for rain and it rained for them. Then the Verse was revealed. 'But truly you will return (to disbelief).' (44.15) (When the famine was over and) they restored prosperity and welfare, they reverted to their ways (of heathenism) whereupon Allah revealed: 'On the Day when We shall seize you with a Mighty Grasp. We will indeed (then) exact retribution.' (44.16) The narrator said, "That was the day of the Battle of Badr."

I asked `Aisha (regarding the Sai between As Safa and Al-Marwa). She said, "Out of reverence to the idol Manat which was placed in Al-Mushailal, those who used to assume Ihram in its name, used not to perform Sai between As-Safa and Al-Marwa, so Allah revealed: 'Verily! The As-Safa and Al-Marwa (two mountains at Mecca) are among the symbols of Allah.' (2.158). Thereupon, Allah's Apostle and the Muslims used to perform Sai (between them)." Sufyan said: The (idol) Manat was at Al-Mushailal in Qudaid. `Aisha added, "The Verse was revealed in connection with the Ansar. They and (the tribe of) Ghassan used to assume lhram in the name of Manat before they embraced Islam." `Aisha added, "There were men from the Ansar who used to assume lhram in the name of Manat which was an idol between Mecca and Medina. They said, "O Allah's Apostle! We used not to perform the Tawaf (Sai) between As-Safa and Al-Marwa out of reverence to Manat."

I heard Allah's Apostle while he was standing on the pulpit, saying, "The remaining period of your stay (on the earth) in comparison to the nations before you, is like the period between the `Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted upon it till midday, and then they were worn out and were given for their labor, one Qirat each. Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted upon it till the time of the `Asr prayer, and then they were worn out and were given (for their labor), one Qirat each. Then you people were given the Qur'an and you acted upon it till sunset and so you were given two Qirats each (double the reward of the previous nations)." Then the people of the Torah said, 'O our Lord! These people have done a little labor (much less than we) but have taken a greater reward.' Allah said, 'Have I withheld anything from your reward?' They said, 'No.' Then Allah said, 'That is My Favor which I bestow on whom I wish.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father said, "Once when I was young I said to A'isha, umm al-muminin, 'Have you seen the saying of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, "Safa and Marwa are among the waymarks of Allah, so whoever does hajj or umra to the House, there is no harm in his going between them," so it follows that there should be no harm for some one who does not go between them.'

A'isha said, 'No. If it were as you say, there would be no harm in his not going between them. This ayat was only revealed about the Ansar. They used to make pilgrimage to Manat, and Manat was an idol near Qudayd, and they used to avoid going between Safa and Marwa, and when Islam came they asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this and Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed, "Safa and Marwa are among the waymarks of Allah, so whoever does hajj or umra to the House, there is no harm in his going between them. " ' "

The Prophet said, "The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's religion and gets benefit (from the knowledge) which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophets and learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land.)"

My father said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'The period of your stay as compared to the previous nations is like the period equal to the time between the `Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted (upon it) till midday then they were exhausted and were given one Qirat (of gold) each. And then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted (upon it) till the `Asr prayer then they were exhausted and were! given one Qirat each. And then we were given the Qur'an and we acted (upon it) till sunset and we were given two Qirats each. On that the people of both the scriptures said, 'O our Lord! You have given them two Qirats and given us one Qirat, though we have worked more than they.' Allah said, 'Have I usurped some of your right?' They said, 'No.' Allah said: "That is my blessing I bestow upon whomsoever I wish."

Allah's Apostle fell from a horse and the right side of his body was injured. We went to inquire about his health meanwhile it was time for the prayer and he led the prayer sitting and we also prayed while sitting. On completion of the prayer he said, "The Imam is to be followed; say Takbir when he says it; bow when he bows; rise when he rises and when he says "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah," say, "Rabbana wa laka l-hamd", and prostrate if he prostrates." Sufyan narrated the same from Ma`mar. Ibn Juraij said that his (the Prophet's) right leg had been injured.

`Umar bin Al-Khattab saw a silken cloak (being sold) at the gate of the Mosque and said to Allah's Apostle, "I wish you would buy this to wear on Fridays and also on occasions of the arrivals of the delegations." Allah's Apostle replied, "This will be worn by a person who will have no share (reward) in the Hereafter." Later on similar cloaks were given to Allah's Apostle and he gave one of them to `Umar bin Al-Khattab. On that `Umar said, "O Allah's Apostle! You have given me this cloak although on the cloak of Atarid (a cloak merchant who was selling that silken cloak at the gate of the mosque) you passed such and such a remark." Allah's Apostle replied, "I have not given you this to wear". And so `Umar bin Al-Khattab gave it to his pagan brother in Mecca to wear.

The daughter of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) sent (a messenger) to the Prophet requesting him to come as her child was dying (or was gasping), but the Prophet returned the messenger and told him to convey his greeting to her and say: "Whatever Allah takes is for Him and whatever He gives, is for Him, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world) and so she should be patient and hope for Allah's reward." She again sent for him, swearing that he should come. The Prophet got up, and so did Sa`d bin 'Ubada, Mu`adh bin Jabal, Ubai bin Ka`b, Zaid bin Thabit and some other men. The child was brought to Allah's Apostle while his breath was disturbed in his chest (the sub-narrator thinks that Usama added: ) as if it was a leather water-skin. On that the eyes of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) started shedding tears. Sa`d said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is this?" He replied, "It is mercy which Allah has lodged in the hearts of His slaves, and Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful (to others).

From Sa'eed bin Al-Musayyab, from Ma'mar bin 'Abdullah bin Nadlah who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying: 'Hoarding is nothing but sin.' So I (Muhammad) said to Sa'eed: "O Abu Muhammad! You hoard?" He said: "And Ma'mar would hoard."

It is also been reported that Sa'eed bin Musayyab would hoard oil, (camel) fodder, and the like.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from 'Umar, 'Ali, Abu Umamah, and Ibn 'Umar. The Hadith of Ma'mar is a Hasan Sahih Hadith. This is acted upon according to the people of knowledge, they dislike hoarding food, and some of them make a concession for hoarding things other than food. Ibn Al-Mubarak said: "There is no harm in hoarding cotton, goat pelts and like."

That the Prophet (saws) said: "When one of you comes upon livestock, if its owner is with it then seek his permission. If he permits him then let him milk it and drink. If there is no one with it then call out three times, if someone answers then seek his permission. If no one answers then let him milk it and drink without carrying (any of it away)."

[He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Umar and Abu Sa'eed.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The Hadith of Samurah is a Hasan Gharib Sahih Hadith. This is acted upon according to some of the people of knowledge, and it is the view of Ahmad and Ishaq.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] 'Ali bin Al-Madini said: "It is correct that Al-Hasan heard this from Samurah." Some of the people of Hadith criticized the narrations of Al-Hasan from Samurah, they said that he only narrated from a writing of Samurah.

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Do not practice An-Najsh."

[He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Umar and Anas.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] The Hadith of Abu Hurairah is a Hasan Sahih Hadith. This is acted upon according to the people of knowledge, they disliked An-Najsh.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] An-Najsh is when a man who knows about the goods comes to the owner of the goods to offer him more than what it is worth, doing so in the presence of the buyer. He intends to seduce the buyer while he himself does not want to buy it, rather he only wants to deceive the buyer with his offer. And this is type of deceit.

Ash-Shafi'i said: "If a man commits An-Najsh the he has sinned due to what he has done, but the sale is permissible, because the buyer did not commit An-Najsh."