that he had heard Hudhaifa saying, "Once I was sitting with `Umar and he said, 'Who amongst you remembers the statement of Allah's Apostle about the afflictions?' I said, 'I know it as the Prophet had said it.' `Umar said, 'No doubt you are bold.' I said, 'The afflictions caused for a man by his wife, money, children and neighbor are expiated by his prayers, fasting, charity and by enjoining (what is good) and forbidding (what is evil).' `Umar said, 'I did not mean that but I asked about that affliction which will spread like the waves of the sea.' I (Hudhaifa) said, 'O leader of the faithful believers! You need not be afraid of it as there is a closed door between you and it.' `Umar asked, Will the door be broken or opened?' I replied, 'It will be broken.' `Umar said, 'Then it will never be closed again.' I was asked whether `Umar knew that door. I replied that he knew it as one knows that there will be night before the tomorrow morning. I narrated a Hadith that was free from any misstatement" The subnarrator added that they deputized Masruq to ask Hudhaifa (about the door). Hudhaifa said, "The door was `Umar himself."

We set out with Allah's Apostle shortly before the appearance of the new moon of Dhi-l-Hijja and he said, "Whoever wants to assume Ihram for `Umra may do so, and whoever wants to assume Ihram for Hajj may do so. Had not I brought the Hadi with me, I would have assumed Ihram for `Umra." Some of the people assumed Ihram for `Umra while others for Hajj. I was amongst those who had assumed Ihram for `Umra. I got my menses before entering Mecca, and was menstruating till the day of `Arafat. I complained to Allah's Apostle about it, he said, "Abandon your `Umra, undo and comb your hair, and assume Ihram for Hajj." So, I did that accordingly. When it was the night of Hasba (day of departure from Mina), the Prophet sent `Abdur Rahman with me to at-Tan`im. The sub-narrator adds: He (`Abdur-Rahman) let her ride behind him. And she assumed Ihram for `Umra in lieu of the abandoned one. Aisha completed her Hajj and `Umra, and no Hadi, Sadaqa (charity), or fasting was obligatory for her.

Yahya related to me from Ziyad from Malik that he saw some of the people of knowledge who, when they did itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, would not go back to their families until they had attended the Id al-Fitr with everybody.

Ziyad said that Malik said, "I heard this from the people of excellence who have passed away, and it is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman, heard Abu Bakribn Abd ar-Rahman say, "A woman came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'I had arranged to do hajj, but I was prevented,' and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Do umra in Ramadan, for doing umra in it is like doing hajj.' "

She said: AbuMa'qil accompanied the Messenger of Allah (saws) during hajj. When he came (to her) she said: You know that hajj is incumbent on me. They walked until they visited him (i.e. the Prophet) and she asked (him): Messenger of Allah, hajj is due from me, and AbuMa'qil has a camel.

AbuMa'qil said: She spoke the truth, I have dedicated it to the cause of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Give it to her, that is in the cause of Allah. So he gave the camel to her.

She then said: Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who has become aged and ill. Is there any action which would be sufficient for me as my hajj?

He replied: umrah performed during Ramadan is sufficient as hajj.

Ziyad related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah, that Abdullah ibn Unays al-Juhani said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Messenger of Allah, I am a man whose house is a long way away. Tell me one night so that I can stop my journey for it." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Stop on the twenty-third night of Ramadan."

While the Prophet was distributing (war booty etc.) one day, Dhul Khawaisira, a man from the tribe of Bani Tamim, said, "O Allah's Apostle! Act justly." The Prophets said, "Woe to you! Who else would act justly if I did not act justly?" `Umar said (to the Prophet ), "Allow me to chop his neck off." The Prophet said, "No, for he has companions (who are apparently so pious that) if anyone of (you compares his prayer with) their prayer, he will consider his prayer inferior to theirs, and similarly his fasting inferior to theirs, but they will desert Islam (go out of religion) as an arrow goes through the victim's body (games etc.) in which case if its Nasl is examined nothing will be seen thereon, and if its Nady is examined, nothing will be seen thereon, and if its Qudhadh is examined, nothing will be seen thereon, for the arrow has gone out too fast even for the excretions and blood to smear over it. Such people will come out at the time of difference among the (Muslim) people and the sign by which they will be recognized, will be a man whose one of the two hands will look like the breast of a woman or a lump of flesh moving loosely." Abu Sa`id added, "I testify that I heard that from the Prophet and also testify that I was with `Ali when `Ali fought against those people. The man described by the Prophet was searched for among the killed, and was found, and he was exactly as the Prophet had described him." (See Hadith No. 807, Vol. 4)

While we were with Allah's Apostle who was distributing (i.e. some property), there came Dhu-l- Khuwaisira, a man from the tribe of Bani Tamim and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Do Justice." The Prophet said, "Woe to you! Who could do justice if I did not? I would be a desperate loser if I did not do justice." `Umar said, "O Allah's Apostle! Allow me to chop his head off." The Prophet said, "Leave him, for he has companions who pray and fast in such a way that you will consider your fasting negligible in comparison to theirs. They recite Qur'an but it does not go beyond their throats (i.e. they do not act on it) and they will desert Islam as an arrow goes through a victim's body, so that the hunter, on looking at the arrow's blade, would see nothing on it; he would look at its Risaf and see nothing: he would look at its Na,di and see nothing, and he would look at its Qudhadh ( 1 ) and see nothing (neither meat nor blood), for the arrow has been too fast even for the blood and excretions to smear. The sign by which they will be recognized is that among them there will be a black man, one of whose arms will resemble a woman's breast or a lump of meat moving loosely. Those people will appear when there will be differences amongst the people." I testify that I heard this narration from Allah's Apostle and I testify that `Ali bin Abi Talib fought with such people, and I was in his company. He ordered that the man (described by the Prophet ) should be looked for. The man was brought and I looked at him and noticed that he looked exactly as the Prophet had described him.

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) performed the Farewell Pilgrimage, and we had a camel, AbuMa'qil dedicated it to the cause of Allah. Then we suffered from a disease, and AbuMa'qil died. The Prophet (saws) went out (for hajj). When he finished the hajj, I came to him.

He said (to me): Umm Ma'qil, what prevented you from coming out for hajj along with us?

She said: We resolved (to do so), but AbuMa'qil died. We had a camel on which we could perform hajj, but AbuMa'qil had bequeathed it to the cause of Allah.

He said: Why did you not go out (for hajj) upon it, for hajj is in the cause of Allah? If you miss this hajj along with us, perform umrah during Ramadan, for it is like hajj.

She used to say: hajj is hajj, and umrah is umrah. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said it to me: I do not know whether it was peculiar to me.

Once the Prophet ordered a person on 'Ashura' (the tenth of Muharram) to announce, "Whoever has eaten, should not eat any more, but fast, and who has not eaten should not eat, but complete his fast (till the end of the day).

The Prophet ordered a man from the tribe of Bani Aslam to announce amongst the people that whoever had eaten should fast the rest of the day, and whoever had not eaten should continue his fast, as that day was the day of 'Ashura' .

The Prophet established a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abu Darda'. Salman paid a visit to Abu ad-Darda and found Um Ad-Darda' dressed in shabby clothes and asked her why she was in that state.?" She replied, "Your brother, Abu Ad-Darda is not interested in the luxuries of this world." In the meantime Abu Ad-Darda came and prepared a meal for him (Salman), and said to him, "(Please) eat for I am fasting." Salman said, "I am not going to eat, unless you eat." So Abu Ad-Darda' ate. When it was night, Abu Ad-Darda' got up (for the night prayer). Salman said (to him), "Sleep," and he slept. Again Abu- Ad-Darda' got up (for the prayer), and Salman said (to him), "Sleep." When it was the last part of the night, Salman said to him, "Get up now (for the prayer)." So both of them offered their prayers and Salman said to Abu Ad-Darda',"Your Lord has a right on you; and your soul has a right on you; and your family has a right on you; so you should give the rights of all those who have a right on you). Later on Abu Ad-Darda' visited the Prophet and mentioned that to him. The Prophet, said, "Salman has spoken the truth."

The Prophet said (to `Abdullah), "Fast three days a month." `Abdullah said, (to the Prophet) "I am able to fast more than that." They kept on arguing on this matter till the Prophet said, "Fast on alternate days, and recite the whole Qur'an once a month." `Abdullah said, "I can recite more (in a month)," and the argument went on till the Prophet said, "Recite the Qur'an once each three days." (i.e. you must not recite the whole Qur'an in less than three days).