Allah's Apostle made a small room in the month of Ramadan (Sa`id said, "I think that Zaid bin Thabit said that it was made of a mat") and he prayed there for a few nights, and so some of his companions prayed behind him. When he came to know about it, he kept on sitting. In the morning, he went out to them and said, "I have seen and understood what you did. You should pray in your houses, for the best prayer of a person is that which he prays in his house except the compulsory prayers."

Abdu Khayr said: Ali came upon us and he had already offered prayer. He called for water. We asked: What will you do with water when you have already offered prayer? - Perhaps to teach us. A utensil containing water and a wash-basin were brought (to him).

He poured water from the utensil on his right hand and washed both his hands three times, rinsed the mouth, snuffed up water and cleansed the nose three times. He then rinsed the mouth and snuffed up water with the same hand by which he took water. He then washed his face three times, and washed his right hand three times and washed his left hand three times. He then put his hand in water and wiped his head once.

He then washed his right foot thrice and left foot thrice, then said: If one is pleased to know the method of performing ablution of the Messenger of Allah, this is how he did it.

That `Aisha told him that Barirah came to seek her help in her writing of emancipation (for a certain sum) and that time she had not paid anything of it. `Aisha said to her, "Go back to your masters, and if they agree that I will pay the amount of your writing of emancipation and get your Wala', I will do so." Barirah informed her masters of that but they refused and said, "If she (i.e. `Aisha) is seeking Allah's reward, then she can do so, but your Wala' will be for us." `Aisha mentioned that to Allah's Apostle who said to her, "Buy and manumit (free) her, as the Wala' is for the liberator." Allah's Apostle then got up and said, "What about the people who stipulate conditions which are not present in Allah's Laws? Whoever imposes conditions which are not present in Allah's Laws, then those conditions will be invalid, even if he imposed these conditions a hundred times. Allah's conditions (Laws) are the truth and are more solid."

Jarir bin `Abdullah said to me, "Allah's Apostle said to me, 'Won't you relieve me from Dhul- Khalasa?' Dhul-Khalasa was a house where the tribe of Khatham used to stay, and it used to be called Ka`bat-ul Yamaniya. So I proceeded with one hundred-and-fifty (men) from the tribe of Ahmas who were good cavalry. I informed the Prophet that I could not sit firm on horses, so he stroke me on the chest with his hand and I noticed his finger marks on my chest. He invoked, 'O Allah! Make him firm and a guiding and rightly-guided man." Jarir set out towards that place, dismantled and burnt it, and then sent the good news to Allah's Apostle . The messenger of Jarir said to Allah's Apostle. "O Allah's Apostle! By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I did not come to you till it (i.e. the house) had been turned (black) like a scabby camel (covered with tar)." So the Prophet invokes Allah to Bless the horses of the men of Ahmas five times.

Once a daughter of Allah's Apostle sent a message to Allah's Apostle while Usama, Sa`d, and my father or Ubai were (sitting there) with him. She said, (in the message); My child is going to die; please come to us." Allah's Apostle returned the messenger and told him to convey his greetings 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): so she should be patient and hope for Allah's reward." Then she again sent for him swearing that he should come; so The Prophet got up, and so did we. When he sat there (at the house of his daughter), the child was brought to him, and he took him into his lap while the child's breath was disturbed in his chest. The eyes of Allah's Apostle started shedding tears. Sa`d said, "What is this, O Allah's Apostle?" The Prophet said, "This is the mercy which Allah has lodged in the hearts of whoever He wants of His slaves, and verily Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful (to others).'

When we prayed with the Prophet we used to say: As-Salam be on Allah from His worshipers, As- Salam be on Gabriel, As-Salam be on Michael, As-Salam be on so-and-so. When the Prophet finished his prayer, he faced us and said, "Allah Himself is As-Salam (Peace), so when one sits in the prayer, one should say, 'at-Tahiyatu-li l-lahi Was-Salawatu, Wat-Taiyibatu, As-Salamu 'Alaika aiyuhan- Nabiyyu wa Rah-matul-iahi wa Barakatuhu, As-Salamu 'Alaina wa 'ala 'Ibadillahi assalihin, for if he says so, then it will be for all the pious slave of Allah in the Heavens and the Earth. (Then he should say), 'Ash-hadu an la ilaha illalllahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `Abduhu wa rasulu-hu,' and then he can choose whatever speech (i.e. invocation) he wishes " (See Hadith No. 797, Vol. 1).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: An oath or a vow about something over which a human being has no control, and to disobey Allah, and to break ties of relationship is not binding. If anyone takes an oath and then considers something else better than it, he should give it up, and do what is better, for leaving it is its atonement.

Abu Dawud said: All sound traditions from the Prophet (saws) say: "He should make atonement for his oath," except those versions which are not reliable.

Abu Dawud said: I said to Ahmad: Yahya b. Sa'id (al-Qattan) has transmitted this tradition from Yahya b. 'Ubaid Allah. He (Ahmad b. Hanbal) said: But he gave it up after that, and he was competent for doing it. Ahmad said: His (Yahya b. 'Ubaid Allah's) tradition are munkar (rejected) and his father is not known.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) prescribed this sadaqah as one sa' of dried dates or barley, or half a sa' of wheat payable by every freeman or slave, male or female, young or old. When Ali came (to Basrah), he found that price had come down. He said: Allah has given prosperity to you, so give one sa' of everything (as sadaqah).

The narrator Humayd said: Al-Hasan maintained that the sadaqah at the end of Ramadan was due on a person who fasted.

One day I went to Ibn Mas`ud who said, "When Quraish delayed in embracing Islam, the Prophet I invoked Allah to curse them, so they were afflicted with a (famine) year because of which many of them died and they ate the carcasses and Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet and said, 'O Muhammad! You came to order people to keep good relation with kith and kin and your nation is being destroyed, so invoke Allah I ? So the Prophet I recited the Holy verses of Sirat-Ad-Dukhan: 'Then watch you For the day that The sky will Bring forth a kind Of smoke Plainly visible.' (44.10) When the famine was taken off, the people renegade once again as nonbelievers. The statement of Allah, (in Sura "Ad- Dukhan"-44) refers to that: 'On the day when We shall seize You with a mighty grasp.' (44.16) And that was what happened on the day of the battle of Badr." Asbath added on the authority of Mansur, "Allah's Apostle prayed for them and it rained heavily for seven days. So the people complained of the excessive rain. The Prophet said, 'O Allah! (Let it rain) around us and not on us.' So the clouds dispersed over his head and it rained over the surroundings."

Alqamah and al-Aswad said: A man came to Ibn Mas'ud. He said: I recite the mufassal surahs in one rak'ah. You might recite it quickly as one recites verse (poetry) quickly, or as the dried dates fall down (from the tree).

But the Prophet (saws) used to recite two equal surahs in one rak'ah; he would recite (for instance) surahs an-Najm (53) and ar-Rahman (55) in one rak'ah, surahs Iqtarabat (54) and al-Haqqah (69) in one rak'ah, surahs at-Tur (52) and adh-Dhariyat (51) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Waqi'ah (56) and Nun (68) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Ma'arij (70) and an-Nazi'at (79) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Mutaffifin (83) and Abasa (80) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Muddaththir (74) and al-Muzzammil (73) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Insan (76) and al-Qiyamah (75) in one rak'ah, surahs an-Naba' (78) and al-Mursalat (77) in one rak'ah, and surahs ad-Dukhan (44) and at-Takwir (81) in one rak'ah.

Abu Dawud said: This is the arrangement of Ibn Mas'ud himself

Allah's Apostle has set forth an example for a miser and a charitable person by comparing them to two men wearing two iron cloaks and their hands are raised to their breasts and necks. Whenever the charitable man tries to give a charitable gift, his iron cloak expands till it becomes so wide that it will cover his fingertips and obliterate his tracks And, whenever the miser wants to give a charitable gift, his cloak becomes very tight over him and every ring gets stuck to its place Abu Huraira added; I saw Allah's Apostle putting his finger in the (chest) pocket of his shirt like that If you but saw him trying to widen (the opening of his shirt) but it did not widen.