The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to me and I said to him: Have you any inclination towards my the daughter of Abu Sufyan? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Then what should I do? I said: Marry her. He said: Do you like that? I said: I am not the exclusive (wife) of yours; I, therefore, wish to join my sister in good. He, said: She is not lawful for me. I said: I have been informed that you have given the proposal of marriage to Durrah daughter of Abu Salama He raid: You mean the daughter of Umm Salama? I said: Yes. He said: Even if she had not been my step-daughter brought up under my guardianship, she would not have been lawful for me, for she is the daughter of my foster-brother (Hamza), for Thuwaiba had suckled me and her father. So do not give me the proposal of the marriage of your daughters and sisters.

We went to Jabir b. Abdullah and he began inquiring about the people (who had gone to see him) till it was my turn. I said: I am Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Husain. He placed his hand upon my head and opened my upper button and then the lower one and then placed his palm on my chest (in order to bless me), and I was, during those days, a young boy, and he said: You are welcome, my nephew. Ask whatever you want to ask. And I asked him but as he was blind (he could not respond to me immediately), and the time for prayer came. He stood up covering himself in his mantle. And whenever he placed its ends upon his shoulders they slipped down on account of being short (in size). Another mantle was, however, lying on the clothes rack near by. And he led us in the prayer. I said to him: Tell me about the Hajj of Allah's Messenger (May peace be upon him). And he pointed with his hand nine, and then stated: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stayed in (Medina) for nine years but did not perform Hajj, then he made a public announcement in the tenth year to the effect that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to perform the Hajj. A large number of persons came to Medina and all of them were anxious to follow the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and do according to his doing. We set out with him till we reached Dhu'l-Hulaifa. Asma' daughter of Umais gave birth to Muhammad b. Abu Bakr. She sent message to the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) asking him: What should 1 do? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Take a bath, bandage your private parts and put on Ihram. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) then prayed in the mosque and then mounted al-Qaswa (his she-camel) and it stood erect with him on its back at al-Baida'. And I saw as far as I could see in front of me but riders and pedestrians, and also on my right and on my left and behind me like this. And the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was prominent among us and the (revelation) of the Holy Qur'an was descending upon him. And it is he who knows (its true) significance. And whatever he did, we also did that. He pronounced the Oneness of Allah (saying):" Labbaik,0 Allah, Labbaik, Labbaik. Thou hast no partner, praise and grace is Thine and the Sovereignty too; Thou hast no partner." And the people also pronounced this Talbiya which they pronounce (today). The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) did not reject anything out of it. But the Messenger of Allah (May peace. be upon him) adhered to his own Talbiya. Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) said: We did not have any other intention but that of Hajj only, being unaware of the Umra (at that season), but when we came with him to the House, he touched the pillar and (made seven circuits) running three of them and walking four. And then going to the Station of Ibrahim, he recited:" And adopt the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer." And this Station was between him and the House. My father said (and I do not know whether he had made a mention of it but that was from Allah's Apostle [May peace be upon him] that he recited in two rak'ahs:" say: He is Allah One," and say:" Say: 0 unbelievers." He then returned to the pillar (Hajar Aswad) and kissed it. He then went out of the gate to al-Safa' and as he reached near it he recited:" Al-Safa' and al-Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah," (adding: ) I begin with what Allah (has commanded me) to begin. He first mounted al-Safa' till he saw the House, and facing Qibla he declared the Oneness of Allah and glorified Him, and said:" There is no god but Allah, One, there is no partner with Him. His is the Sovereignty. to Him praise is due. and He is Powerful over everything. There is no god but Allah alone, Who fulfilled His promise, helped His servant and routed the confederates alone." He then made supplication in the course of that saying such words three times. He then descended and walked towards al-Marwa, and when his feet came down in the bottom of the valley, he ran, and when he began to ascend he walked till he reached al-Marwa. There he did as he had done at al-Safa'. And when it was his last running at al-Marwa he said: If I had known beforehand what I have come to know afterwards, I would not have brought sacrificial animals and would have performed an 'Umra. So, he who among you has not the sacrificial animals with him should put off Ihram and treat it as an Umra. Suraqa b. Malik b. Ju'sham got up and said: Messenger of Allah, does it apply to the present year, or does it apply forever? Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) intertwined the fingers (of one hand) into another and said twice: The 'Umra has become incorporated in the Hajj (adding):" No, but for ever and ever." 'All came from the Yemen with the sacrificial animals for the Prophet (May peace be upon him) and found Fatimah (Allah be pleased with her) to be one among those who had put off Ihram and had put on dyed clothes and had applied antimony. He (Hadrat'Ali) showed disapproval to it, whereupon she said: My father has commanded me to do this. He (the narrator) said that 'Ali used to say in Iraq: I went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) showing annoyance at Fatimah for what she had done, and asked the (verdict) of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) regarding what she had narrated from him, and told him that I was angry with her, whereupon he said: She has told the truth, she has told the truth. (The Holy Prophet then asked 'Ali): What did you say when you undertook to go for Hajj? I ('Ali) said: 0 Allah, I am putting on Ihram for the same purpose as Thy Messenger has put it on. He said: I have with me sacrificial animals, so do not put off the Ihram. He (Jabir) said: The total number of those sacrificial animals brought by 'Ali from the Yemen and of those brought by the Apostle (may peace be upon him) was one hundred. Then all the people except the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and those who had with them sacrificial animals, put off Ihram, and got their hair clipped; when it was the day of Tarwiya (8th of Dhu'l-Hijja) they went to Mina and put on the Ihram for Hajj and the Messenger of Ailah (may peace be upon him) rode and led the noon, afternoon, sunset 'Isha' and dawn prayers. He then waited a little till the sun rose, and commanded that a tent of hair should be pitched at Namira. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then set out and the Quraish did not doubt that he would halt at al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the sacred site) as the Quraish used to do in the pre-Islamic period. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), however, passed on till he came to 'Arafa and he found that the tent had been pitched for him at Namira. There he got down till the sun had passed the meridian; he commanded that al-Qaswa should be brought and saddled for him. Then he came to the bottom of the valley, and addressed the people saying: Verily your blood, your property are as sacred and inviolable as the sacredness of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours. Behold! Everything pertaining to the Days of Ignorance is under my feet completely abolished. Abolished are also the blood-revenges of the Days of Ignorance. The first claim of ours on blood-revenge which I abolish is that of the son of Rabi'a b. al-Harith, who was nursed among the tribe of Sa'd and killed by Hudhail. And the usury of she pre-Islamic period is abolished, and the first of our usury I abolish is that of 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, for it is all abolished. Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have right over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but not severely. Their rights upon you are that you should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner. I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray. And you would be asked about me (on the Day of Resurrection), (now tell me) what would you say? They (the audience) said: We will bear witness that you have conveyed (the message), discharged (the ministry of Prophethood) and given wise (sincere) counsel. He (the narrator) said: He (the Holy Prophet) then raised his forefinger towards the sky and pointing it at the people (said):" O Allah, be witness. 0 Allah, be witness," saying it thrice. (Bilal then) pronounced Adhan and later on Iqama and he (the Holy Prophet) led the noon prayer. He (Bilal) then uttered Iqama and he (the Holy Prophet) led the afternoon prayer and he observed no other prayer in between the two. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then mounted his camel and came to the place of stay, making his she-camel al-Qaswa, turn towards the side where there we are rocks, having the path taken by those who went on foot in front of him, and faced the Qibla. He kept standing there till the sun set, and the yellow light had somewhat gone, and the disc of the sun had disappeared. He made Usama sit behind him, and he pulled the nosestring of Qaswa so forcefully that its head touched the saddle (in order to keep her under perfect control), and he pointed out to the people with his right hand to be moderate (in speed), and whenever he happened to pass over an elevated tract of sand, he slightly loosened it (the nose-string of his camel) till she climbed up and this is how he reached al-Muzdalifa. There he led the evening and 'Isha prayers with one Adhan and two Iqamas and did not glorify (Allah) in between them (i. e. he did not observe supererogatory rak'ahs between Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then lay down till dawn and offered the dawn prayer with an Adhan and Iqama when the morning light was clear. He again mounted al-Qaswa, and when he came to al-Mash'ar al-Haram, he faced towards Qibla, supplicated Him, Glorified Him, and pronounced His Uniqueness (La ilaha illa Allah) and Oneness, and kept standing till the daylight was very clear. He then went quickly before the sun rose, and seated behind him was al-Fadl b. 'Abbas and he was a man having beautiful hair and fair complexion and handsome face. As the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) was moving on, there was also going a group of women (side by side with them). Al-Fadl began to look at them. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) placed his hand on the face of Fadl who then turned his face to the other side, and began to see, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) turned his hand to the other side and placed it on the face of al-Fadl. He again turned his face to the other side till he came to the bottom of Muhassir. 1680 He urged her (al-Qaswa) a little, and, following the middle road, which comes out at the greatest jamra, he came to the jamra which is near the tree. At this be threw seven small pebbles, saying Allah-o-Akbar while throwing every one of them in a manner in which the small pebbles are thrown (with the help of fingers) and this he did in the bottom of the valley. He then went to the place of sacrifice, and sacrificed sixty-three (camels) with his own hand. Then he gave the remaining number to 'All who sacrificed them, and he shared him in his sacrifice. He then commanded that a piece of flesh from each animal sacrificed should be put in a pot, and when it was cooked, both of them (the Holy Prophet and Hadrat 'All) took some meat out of it and drank its soup. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) again rode and came to the House, and offered the Zuhr prayer at Mecca. He came to the tribe of Abd al-Muttalib, who were supplying water at Zamzam, and said: Draw water. O Bani 'Abd al-Muttalib; were it not that people would usurp this right of supplying water from you, I would have drawn it along with you. So they handed him a basket and he drank from it.

I went out (on a mercantile venture) during the period (of truce) between me and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). While I was in Syria, the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was handed over to Hiraql (Ceasar), the Emperor of Rome (who was on a visit to Jerusalem at that time). The letter was brought by Dihya Kalbi who delivered it to the governor of Busra The governor passed it on to Hiraql, (On receiving the letter), he said: Is there anyone from the people of this man who thinks that he is a prophet. People said: Yes. So, I was called along with a few others from the Quraish. We were admitted to Hiraql and he seated usbefore him. He asked: Which of you has closer kinship with the man who thinks that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I. So they seated me in front of him and stated my companions behind me. Then, he called his interpreter and said to him: Tell them that I am going to ask this fellow (i. e. Abu Sufyan) about the man who thinks that he is a prophet. It he tells me a lie, then refute him. Abu Sufyan told (the narrator): By God, if there was not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would have lied. (Then) Hiraqi said to his interpreter: Inquire from him about his ancestry, I said: He is of good ancestry among us. He asked: Has there been a king among his ancestors? I said: No. He asked: Did you accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood? I said: No. He asked: Who are his follower people of high status or low status? I said: (They are) of low status. He asked: Are they increasing in number or decreasing? I said. No. they are rather increasing. He asked: Does anyone give up his religion, being dissatisfied with it, after having embraced it? I said: No. He asked: Have you been at war with him? I said: Yes. He asked: How did you fare in that war? I said: The war between us and him has been wavering like a bucket, up at one turn and down at the other (i. e. the victory has been shared between us and him by turns). Sometimes he suffered loss at our hands and sometimes we suffered loss at his (hand). He asked: Has he (ever) violated his covenant? I said: No. but we have recently concluded a peace treaty with him for a petiod and we do not know what he is going to do about it. (Abu Sufyin said on oath that he could not interpolate in this dialogue anything from himself more than these words ) He asked: Did anyone make the proclamation (Of prophethood) before him? I said: No. He (now) said to his interpreter: Tell him, I asked him about his ancestry and he had replied that he had the best ancestry. This is the case with Prophets; they are the descendants of the noblest among their people (Addressing Abu Sufyan), he continued: I asked you if there had been a king among his ancestors. You said that there had been none. If there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that he was a man demanding his ancestral kingdom. I asked you about his followers whether they were people of high or low status, and you said that they were of rather low status. Such are the followers of the Prophets. I asked you whether you used to accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood, and you said that you did not. So I have understood that when he did not allow himself to tell a lie about the poeple, he would never go to the length of forging a falsehood about Allah. I asked you whether anyone renounced his religion being dissatisfied with it after he had embraced it, and you replied in the negative. Faith is like this when it enters the depth of the heart (it perpetuates them). I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You said they were increasing. Faith is like this until it reaches its consummation. I asked you whether you had been at war with him, and you replied that you had been and that the victory between you and him had been shared by turns, sometimes he suffering loss at your hand and sometimes you suffering lost at his. This is how the Prophets are tried before the final victory its theirs. I asked you whether he (ever) violated his covenant, and you said that he did not. This is how the Prophets behave. They never violate (their covenants). I asked you whether anyone before him had proclaimed the same thing, and you replied in the negative. I said: If anyone had made the same proclamation before, I would have thought that he was a man following what had been proclaimed before. (Then) he asked: What does he enjoin upon you? I said: He exhorts us to offer Salat, to pay Zakat, to show due regard to kinship and to practise chastity. He said: It what you have told about him is true, he is certainly a Prophet. I knew that he was to appear but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him. I would love to meet him; and it I had been with him. I would have washed his feet (out of reverence). His dominion would certainly extend to this place which is under my feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may pface be upon him) and read it. The letter ran as follows:" In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, the Emperor of the Romans. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. After this, I extend to you the invitation to accept Islam. Embrace Islam and you will be safe. Accept Islam, God will give you double the reward. And if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your subjects." O People of the Book, come to the word that is common between us that we should worship none other than Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him and some of us should not take their fellows as Lords other than Allah. If they turn away, you should say that we testify to our being Muslims [iii. 64]." When he hid finished the reading of the letter, noise and confused clamour was raise around him, and he ordered us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my companions) while we were coming out (of the place). I said: Ibn Abu Kabsha (referring sarcastically to the Holy Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the king of the Romans is afraid of him. I continued to believe that the authority of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would triumph until God imbued me with (the spirit of) Islam.

I went on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He overtook me and I was on a water-carrying camel who had grown tired and did not walk (trot). He (the Holy Prophet) said to me: What is the matter with your camel? I said: It is sick. He (the Holy Prophet) stepped behind and drove it and prayed for it, and then it always moved ahead of other camels. He (then) said: How do you find your camel? I said: It is, by the grace of your prayer, all right. He said: Would you sell this (camel) to me? I felt shy (to say him," No" ) as we had no other camel for carrying water, but (later on) I said: Yes, and to I sold it to him on the condition that (I would be permitted) to ride it until I reached Madina. I said to him: Allah's Messenger, I am newly married, so I asked his permission (to go ahead of the caravan). He permitted me, and I reached Medina well in advance of other people, until I reached my destination. There my maternal uncle met me and asked me about the camel, and I told him what I had done with regard to it. He reproved me in this connection. He (Jabir) said: When I asked his permission (to go ahead of the caravan) Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) inquired of me whether I had married a virgin or a non-virgin. I said to him: I have married a non-virgin. He said: Why did you not marry a virgin who would have played with you and you would have played with her? I said to him: Allah's Messenger, my father died (or he fell as a martyr), and I have small sisters to (look after), so I did not like the idea that I should marry a woman who is like them and thus be not able to teach them manners and look after them properly. So I have married a non-virgin so that she should be able to look after them and teach them manners, When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to Medina, I went to him in the morning with the camel. He paid me its price and returned that (the camel) to me.

We accompanied the Messenger of Allah (my peace be upon him) on an expedition in the year of the Battle of Hunain. When we encountered the enemy, (some of the Muslims turned back (in fear). I saw that a man from the polytheists overpowered one of the Muslims. I turned round and attacked him from behind giving a blow between his neck and shoulder. He turned towards me and grappled with me in such a way that I began to see death staring me in the face. Then death overtook him and left me alone. I joined 'Umar b. al-Khattab who was saying: What has happened to the people (that they are retreating)? I said: It is the Decree of Allah. Then the people returned. (The battle ended in a victory for the Muslims) and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat down (to distribute the spoils of war). He said: One who has killed an enemy and can bring evidence to prove it will get his belongings. So I stood up and said: Who will give evidence for me? Then I sat down. Then he (the Holy Prophet) said like this. I stood up (again) and said: Who will bear witness for me? He (the Holy Prophet) made the same observation the third time, and I stood up (once again). Now the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: What has happened to you, O Abu Qatada? Then I related the (whole) story, to him. At this, one of the people said: He has told the truth. Messenger of Allah 1 The belongings of the enemy killed by him are with me. Persuade him to forgo his right (in my favour). (Objecting to this proposal) Abu Bakr said: BY Allah, this will not happen. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) will not like to deprive one of the lions from among the lions of Allah who fight in the cause of Allah and His Messenger and give thee his share of the booty. So the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said: He (Abu Bakr) has told the truth, and so give the belongings to him (Abu Qatada). So he gave them to me. I sold the armour (which was a part of my share of the booty) and bought with the sale proceeds a garden in the street of Banu Salama. This was the first property I acquired after embracing Islam. In a version of the hadith narrated by Laith, the words uttered by Abu Bakr are:" No, never! He will not give it to a fox from the Quraish leaving aside a lion from the lions of Allah among...." And the hadith is closed with the words:" The first property I acquired."

Abu Bakr spoke (expressing his own views), but he (the Holy Prophet) did not pay heed to him. Then spoke 'Umar (expressing his views), but he (the Holy Prophet) did not pay heed to him (too). Then Sa'd b. 'Ubada stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, you want us (to speak). By God in Whose control is my life, if you order us to plunge our horses into the sea, we would do so. If you order us to goad our horses to the most distant place like Bark al-Ghimad, we would do so. The narrator said: Now the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) called upon the people (for the encounter). So they set out and encamped at Badr. (Soon) the water-carriers of the Quraish arrived. Among them was a black slave belonging to Banu al-Hajjaj. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) caught him and interrogated him about Abu Sufyan and his companions. He said: I know nothing about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, Utba, Shaiba and Umayya b. Khalaf are there. When he said this, they beat him. Then he said: All right, I will tell you about Abu Sufyan. They would stop beating him and then ask him (again) about Abu Sufyan. He would again say', I know nothing about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl. 'Utba, Shaiba and Umayya b. Khalaf are there. When he said this, they beat him likewise. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was standing in prayer. When he saw this he finished his prayer and said: By Allah in Whose control is my life, you beat him when he is telling you the truth, and you let him go when he tells you a lie. The narrator said: Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: This is the place where so and so would be killed. He placed his hand on the earth (saying) here and here; (and) none of them fell away from the place which the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had indicated by placing his hand on the earth.

I felt some feebleness in the voice of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and perceived that it was due to hunger; so have you anything with you? She said: Yes. She brought out barley loaves, then took out a head-covering of hers, in a part of which she wrapped those loaves and then put them beneath my mantle and covered me with a part of it. She then sent me to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I set forth and found Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) sitting in the mosque in the company of some persons. I stood near them, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Has Abu Talha sent you? I said, Yes. He said: Is it for a feast? I said. Yes. Thereupon Allah's messenger (may peace be upon him) said to'those who were with him to get up He went forth and so I did before them, until I came to Abu Talha and informed him. Abu Talba said: Umm Sulaim, here comes Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) along with people and we do not have enough (food) to feed them. She said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Abu Talha went out (to receive him) Until he met Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) came forward along with him until they both (Allah's Messenger, along with Abu Talha) came in. Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Umm Sulaim. bring forth that which you have with you. She brought the bread. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded that the bread be broken into small pieces, and when Umm Sulaim had squeezed a small waterskin and put seasoning on it, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) recited something regarding it what Allah wished him to say. He then said: Allow ten (guests to come in and have their meals). He permitted them; they ate until they had their fill. They then went out. He (the Holy Prophet) again said: Permit ten (more) and he (the host gave permission to them. They ate until they had enough. Then they went out. he again said: Permit ten (more) until all the people had eaten to their fill, and they were seventy or eighty persons.

I went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of the Conquest of Mecca and found him taking a bath, and Fatimah, his daughter, had provided him privacy with the help of a cloth. I gave him salutation and he said: Who is she? I said: It is Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Greeting for Umm Hani. When he had completed the bath, he stood up and observed eight rak'ahs wrapped up in one cloth. When he turned back (after the prayer), I said to him: Messenger of Allah, the son of my mother 'Ali b. Abu Talib is going to kill a person, Fulan b. Hubaira whom I have given protection. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: We too have given protection whom you have given protection, O Umm Hani. Umm Hani said: It was the forenoon (prayer).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came (to my apartment) while there were two girls with me singing the song of the Battle of Bu`ath. He lay down on the bed and turned away his face. Then came Abu Bakr and he scolded me and said: Oh! this musical instrument of the devil in the house of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)! The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) turned towards him and said: Leave them alone. And when he (the Holy Prophet) became unattentive, I hinted them and they went out, and it was the day of `Id and the black men were playing with shields and spears. (I do not remember) whether I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) or whether he said to me if I desired to see (that sport). I said: Yes. I stood behind him with his face parallel to my face, and he said: O Banu Arfada, be busy (in your sports) till I was satiated. He said (to me): Is that enough? I said: Yes. Upon this he asked me to go.

While we were with the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), one of his daughters sent to him (the Messenger) to call him and inform him that her child or her son was dying. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) told the messenger to go back and tell her that what Allah had taken belonged to Him, and to him belonged what He granted; and He has an appointed time for everything. So you (the messenger) order her to show endurance and seek reward from Allah. The messenger came back and said: She adjures him to come to her. He got up to go accompanied by Sa'd b. 'Ubada, Mu'adh b. Jabal, and I also went along with them. The child was lifted to him and his soul was feeling as restless as if it was in an old (waterskin). His (Prophet's) eyes welled up with tears. Sa'd said: What is this, Messenger of Allah? He replied: This is compassion which Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants, and God shows compassion only to those of His servants who are compassionate.

No owner of camels or cattle or flock of sheep or goats who does not pay his due (would be spared punishment) but would be made to sit on the Day of Resurrection on a soft sandy ground and the hoofed animals would trample him with their hoofs and gore him with their horns. And none of them on that day would be without horns, or with broken horns. We said: Messenger of Allah, but what is due on them? He said: Lending of the male (for use) and lending of the bucket (used for drawing water for them) and for mating and milking them near water and providing them as a ride for the sake of Allah. And no owner of the property who does not pay Zakat (would be spared punishment) but it (his property) would turn into a bald snake and would follow its owner wherever he would go, and he would run away from it, and it would be said to him: That is your property about which you were stingy. And when he would find no other way out he would thrust his hand in its mouth and it would gnaw it like a male camel.

On the day of Hunain, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) showed preference (to some) people in the distribution of the spoils. He bestowed on Aqra' b. Habis one hundred camels, and bestowed an equal (number) upon 'Uyaina, and bestowed on people among the elites of Arabia, and preferred them (to others) on that day, in the distribution (of spoils). Upon this a person said: By Allah, neither justice has been done in this distribution (of spoils), nor has the pleasure of Allah been sought in it. I (the narrator ) said: By Allah, I will certainly inform the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about it. I came to him and informed him about what he had said. The colour of his (the Prophet's) face changed red like blood and he then said: "Who would do justice, if Allah and His Messenger do not do justice?" He further said: "May Allah have mercy upon Moses; he was tormented more than this, but he showed patience." I said: Never would I convey him (the Holy Prophet) after this (unpleasant) narration.

We came to a valley where people generally halted their (camels) for the sunset prayer. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) halted his camel and urinated (and he did not say that he had poured water). He then called for water and performed light ablution. I said: Messenger of Allah, the prayer! Thereupon he said: Prayer awaits you (at Muzdalifa). and he rode on until we came to Muzdalifa. Then he offered the sunset prayer. and the people halted their camels at their places, and did not untie them until Iqama was pronounced for the 'Isha' prayer and he observed the prayer, and then they untied (their camels). I said: What did you do in the morning? He said: Al-Fadl b. Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) sat behind him (the Holy Prophet) in the morning, whereas I proceeded on foot with the Quraish who had gone ahead.

When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was commanded to give option to his wives, he started it from me saying: I am going to mention to you a matter which you should not (decide) in haste until you have consulted your parents. She said that he already knew that my parents would never allow me to seek separation from him She said: Then he said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: Prophet, say to thy wives: If you desire this world's life and its adornment, then come, I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing; and if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, then Allah has prepared for the doers of good among you a great reward She is reported to have said: About what should I consult my parents, for I desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter? She ('A'isha) said: Then all the wives of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) did as I had done.

Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance that I would observe I'tikaf for one day in the Sacred Mosque. So what is your opinion? He said: Go and observe I'tikaf for a day. And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave him a slave girl out of the one-fifth (of the spoils of war meant for the Holy Prophet). And when Allah's Messenger (inay peace be upon him) set the war prisoners free. 'Umar b. Khattab heard their voice as they were saying: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set as free. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: What is this? They said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set free the prisoners of war (which had fallen to the lot of people). Thereupon he (Hadrat 'Umar) said: Abdullah, go to that slave-girl and set her free.

The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) came to us one day and had a nap in our house. When he woke up, he was laughing. I said: Messenger of Allah, what made you laugh? He said: I saw a people from my followers sailing on the surface of the sea (looking) like kings (sitting) on their thrones. I said: Pray to Allah that He may include me among them. He said: You will be among them. He had a (second) nap, woke up and was laughing. I asked him (the reason for his laughter). He gave the same reply. I said: Pray to Allah that He may include me among them. He said: You are among the first ones. Anas said: 'Ubada b. Samit married her. He joined a naval expedition and took her along with him. When she returned, a mule was brought for her. While mounting it she fell down, broke her neck (and died).

When we attended a dinner along with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) we did not lay our hands on the food until Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had laid his hand and commenced eating (the food). Once we went with him to a dinner when a girl came rushingly as it someone had been pursuing her. She was about to lay her hand on the food, when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) caught her hand. Then a desert Arab came there (rushingly) as if someone had been pursuing him. He (the Holy Prophet) caught his hand; and then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Satan considers that food lawful on which Allah's name is not mentioned. He had brought this girl so that the food might be made lawful for him and I caught her hand. And he had brought a desert Arab so that (the food) might be lawful for him. So I caught his hand. By Him, in Whose hand is my life, it was (Satan's) hand that was in my hand along with her hand.

We landed at a place where a woman came to us and said: A scorpion has bitten the chief of the tribe. Is there any invocator amongst you? A person amongst us stood up (and went with her). We had no idea that he had been a good invocator but he practiced invocation with the help of Sura al-Fatiha and the (the chief) was all right. They gave him a flock of sheep and served us milk. We said (to him): Are you a good invocator. Thereupon he said: I did not do it but by the help of Sura al-Fatiha. He said: Do not drive (these goats) until we go to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and find out (whether it is permissible to accept (this reward of invocation). So we came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and made a mention of that to him, whereupon he said: How did you come to know that this (Sura al-Fatiha) could be used as an invocation? So distribute them (amongst those who had been present there with him) and allocate a share of mine also.

By Allah, I would not go. I had, however, this idea in my mind that I would do as Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) had commanded me to do. I went out until I happened to come across children who had been playing in the street. In the meanwhile, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came there and he caught me by the back of my neck from behind me. As I looked towards him I found him smiling and he said: Unais, did you go where I commanded you to go? I said: Allah's Messenger, yes, I am going. Anas further said: I served him for nine years but I know not that he ever said to me about a thing which I had done why I did that, or about a thing I had left as to why I had not done that.

He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their's being diminished in any respect.

Allah is more pleased with the repentance of a believing servant than of a person who set out on a journey with a provision of food and drink on the back of his camel. He went on until he came to a waterless desert and he felt like sleeping. So he got down under the shade of a tree and was overcome by sleep and his camel ran away. As he got up he tried to see (the camel) standing upon a mound. but did not find it. He then got upon the other mound, but could not see anything. He then climbed upon the third mound but did not see anything until he came back to the place where he had been previously. And as he was sitting (in utter disappointment) there came to him the camel, till that (camel) placed its nosestring in his hand. Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than the person who found (his lost camel) in this very state. Simak reported that Sha'bi was of the opinion that Nu'min traced it to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). Simak, however, did not hear that himself.

If every one of us be punished for his being happy upon his deed and for his being praised for what he has not done, nobody would be saved from the torment. Ibn 'Abbas said: What you have to do with this verse? It has been in fact revealed in connection with the people of the Book." Then Ibn Abbas recited this verse:" When Allah took a covenant from those who had been given the Book: You shall explain it to people and shall not conceal this" (iii. 186), and then Ibn 'Abbas recited this verse:" Think not that those who exult in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done" (iii. 186). Ibn 'Abbas (further) said: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) asked them about something and then they concealed that and they told him something else and they went out and they thought that they had informed him as lie had asked them and they felt happy of what they had concealed.

We visited Fatima b. Qais and she served us fresh dates which are called rutab and she also served us barley. I asked her about that woman in whose case three divorces had been pronounced as to how much time she should count as the waiting period. She said: My husband pronounced three divorces in my case and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted me to spend any waiting period in my family. (It was during this period) that announcement was made for the people to observe prayer in the bigger Mosque. I went there along with people and I was in the front row meant for women and it was adjacent to the last row of men and I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) deliver sermon sitting on the pulpit. He said: The cousin of Tamim (Dari) sailed in the ocean. The rest of the hadith is the same but with this addition:" (I see) as if I am looking to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) pointing his rod towards the land (and saying): It is Taiba, i. e. Medina."

The people say that you never feel angry on account of your daughters and now 'Ali is going to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl. Makhramah said: Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) rose up and I heard him reciting Tashahhud and say: Now to the point. I gave a daughter of mine (Zainab) to Abu'l-'As b. Rabi, and he spoke to me and spoke the truth. Verily Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, is a part of me and I do not approve that she may be put to any trial and by Allah, the daughter of Allah's Messenger cannot be combined with the daughter of God's enemy (as the co-wives) of one person. Thereupon 'Ali gave up (the idea of his intended) marriage.

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) sacrificed two rams on the Day of ‘Eid. When he turned them to face towards the prayer direction he said: ‘Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth, as a monotheist, and I am not of the polytheists. Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. [6:79,162-163] O Allah, from You to You, on behalf of Muhammad and his nation.’”

Never a Prophet had been sent before me by Allah towards his nation who had not among his people (his) disciples and companions who followed his ways and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who said whatever they did not practise, and practised whatever they were not commanded to do. He who strove against them with his hand was a believer: he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer, and he who strove against them with his heart was a believer and beyond that there is no faith even to the extent of a mustard seed. Abu Rafi' said: I narrated this hadith to 'Abdullah b. 'Umar; he contradicted me. There happened to come 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud who stayed at Qanat, and 'Abdullah b 'Umar wanted me to accompany him for visiting him (as 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud was ailing), so I went along with him and as we sat (before him) I asked Ibn Mas'ud about this hadith. He narrated it in the same way as I narrated it to Ibn 'Umar.

When (the Qur'an) is recited (in prayer), you should observe silence, and (the following words are) not found in the hadith narrated by anyone except by Abu Kamil who heard it from Abu 'Awina (and the words are): Verily Allah vouchsafed through the tongue of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) this: Allah listens to him who praises Him. Abu Ishaq (a student of Imam Muslim) said: Abu Bakr the son of Abu Nadr's sister has (critically) discussed this hadith. Imam Muslim said: Whom can you find a more authentic transmitter of hadith than Sulaiman? Abu Bakr said to him (Imam Muslim): What about the hadith narrated by Abu Huraira, i.e. the hadith that when the Qur'an is recited (in prayer) observe silence? He (Abu Bakr again) said: Then, why have you not included it (in your compilation)? He (Imam Muslim) said: I have not included in this every hadith which I deem authentic; I have recorded only such ahadith on which there is an agreement (amongst the Muhaddithin apart from their being authentic).

If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says, what Allah has commanded him," We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it," Allah will give him something better than it in exchange. When Abu Salama died she said: What Muslim is better than Abu Salama whose family was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I then said the words, and Allah gave me God's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in exchange. She said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent Hatib b. Abu Balta'a to deliver me the message of marriage with him. I said to him: I have a daughter (as my dependant) and I am of jealous temperament. He (the Holy Prophet) said: So far as her daughter is concerned, we would supplicate Allah, that He may free her (of her responsibility) and I would also supplicate Allah to do away with (her) jealous (temperament).

I was looking (at him) through the crevice of the door. A man came to him and mentioned that Ja'far's women were lamenting. He (the Holy Prophet) commanded him to go and forbid them (to do so). So he went away but came back and told (him) that they did not obey (him). He commanded him a second time to go and forbid them (to do so). He again went but came back to him and said: I swear by God, Messenger of Allah, that they have overpowered us. She ('A'isha) said that she thought the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had told (her) to throw dust in their mouths. Thereupon 'A'isha said: May Allah humble you! You did not do what Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) ordered you, nor did you stop annoying Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).

We went with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) till we reached al-Qaha (a place three stages away from Medina). Some of us were in the state of Ihram and some of us were not. I saw my companions looking towards something, and as I saw I found It to be a wild ass. I saddled my horse and took up my spear and then mounted upon (the horse) and my whip, fell down. I said to my companions as they were in the state of Ihram to pick up the whip for me but they said: By Allah, we cannot help you in any (such) thing (i. e. hunting). So i dismounted (the horse) and picked it (whip) up and mounted again and caught the wild ass after chasing it. It was behind a hillock and I attacked it with my spear and killed it. Then I brought it to my companions. Some of them said: Eat it, while others said: Do not eat it. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in front of us. I moved my horse and came to him (and asked him), whereupon he said: It is permissible, so eat it.

We went with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) during the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. I put on Ihram for Umra and did not bring the sacrificial animal. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He who has the sacrihcial animal with him should enter into the state of Ihram for Hajj along with 'Umra, and. he should not put the Ihram off till he has completed both of them. She (Hadrat A'isha) said: The monthly period began. When it was the night of Arafa, I said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): I entered into the state of Ihram for 'Umra. but now how should I perform the Hajj? Thereupon he said: Undo your hair and comb them, and desist from performing Umra, and put on Ihram for Hajj She (A'isha, said: When I had completed my Hajj he commanded 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abu Bakr to carry me behind him (on boneback) in order to enable me to resume the rituals of Umra from Tan'im, the place where I abandoned its rituals.

'Ali b. Abu Talib (Allah be pleased with him) addressed us and said: He who thinks that we (the members of the Prophet's family) read anything else besides the Book of Allah and this Sahifa (and he said that Sahifa was tied to the scabbard of the sword) tells a lie. (This Sahifa) contains (problems) pertaining to the ages of the camels and (the recompense) of the injuries, and it also records the words of the Prophet (may peace be upon him): Medina is a sacred territory from 'Ayr to Thaur (it is most probably Uhud). He who innovates (an act or practice) or gives protection to an innovator, there is a curse of Allah and that of His angels and that of the whole humanity upon him. Allah will not accdpt from him (as a recompense) any obligatory act or supererogatory act, and the responsibility of the Muslims is a joint responsibility; even the lowest in rank can undertake the responsibility (on behalf of others), and he who claims anyone else as his father besides his own father or makes one his ally other than the one (who freed him), there is a curse of Allah. that of His angels and that of the wholemankind upon him. Allah will not accept the obligatory act of the supererogatery act (as a recompense) from him.

A man asked Bara' (b. 'Azib): Did you run away on the Day of Hunain. O, Abu Umira? He said: No, by Allah, The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not turn his back; (what actually happened was that) some young men from among his companions, who were hasty and who were either without any arms or did not have abundant arms, advanced and met a party of archers (who were so good shots) that their arrows never missed the mark. This party (of archers) belonged to Banu Hawazin and Banu Nadir. They shot at the advancing young men and their arrows were not likely to miss their targets. So these young men turned to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) while he was riding on his white mule and Abu Sufyan b. al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib was leading him. (At this) he got down from his mule, invoked God's help, and called out: I am the Prophet. This is no untruth. I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib. Then he deployed his men into battle array.

I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, we are in the land of the People of the Book, (so) we eat in their utensils, and (live) in a hunting region. where I hunt with, the help of my bow, and hunt with my trained dog, or with my dog which is not trained. So inform me what is lawful (Halal) for us out of that. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Regarding what you have mentioned of the fact that you live in the land belonging to the People of the Book and so you eat in their utensils, but if you can get utensils other than theirs, then don't eat in them; but if you do not find any, then wash them and eat in them. And regarding what you have mentioned about (your living) in a hunting region, what you hunt, (strike) with the help of your bow, recite the name of Allah (while shooting an arrow) and then eat; and what you catch with the help of your trained dog, recite the name of Allah (while letting oil) the dog and then eat it, and what you get with the help of your untrained dog, (if you find it alive) and slaughter it (according to the law of the Shari'ah), eat it.

Then I sought permission from him and he got up and raid to A'isha: Wrap yourself well with your cloth, then I got my need fulfilled and came back. And A'isha said: Allah's Messenger, why is it that I did not see you feeling any anxiety in case of dressing properly in the presence of Abu Bakr and 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) as you showed in case of 'Uthman. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Verily Uthman is a person who is very modest and I was afraid that if I permitted him to enter in this very state he would not inform me of his need.

Abu al-Qasim, may the Compassionate Lord be pleased with you! May I inform you about the feast arranged in honour of the people of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection? He said: Do it, of course. He said: The earth would become one single bread. Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) looked towards us and laughed until his molar teeth became visible. He then again said: May I inform you about that with which they would season it? He said: Do it, of course. He said: Their seasoning would be balim and fish. The Companions of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: What is this balam? He said: Ox and fish from whose excessive livers seventy thousand people would be able to eat.

As I was (sitting) near the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), a man said: I do not care if, after embracing Islam, I do not do any good deed (except) distributing drinking water among the pilgrims. Another said: I do not care if, after embracing Islam, I do not do any good deed beyond maintenance service to the Sacred Mosque. Another said: Jihad in the way of Allah is better than what you have said. 'Umar reprimanded them and said: Don't raise your voices near the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on Friday. When prayer was over, I entered (the apartment of the Holy Prophet) and asked his verdict about the matter in which they had differed. (It was upon this that) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, revealed the Qur'anic verse:" Do you make the giving of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to (the service of those) who believe in Allah and the Last Day and strive hard in the cause of Allah. They are not equal in the sight of God. And Allah guides not the wrongdoing people" (ix. 20).

“Time has completed a cycle to the form of the day when God created the heavens and the earth. The year contains twelve months of which four are sacred, three of them consecutive, viz. Dhul Qa'da, Dhul Hijja. and Muharram, and also Rajab of Mudar which comes between Jumada and Sha'ban.”( The month Rajab is here connected with the North Arabian tribe of Mudar because they are said to have honoured it greatly and never to have broken its sacred nature. The precise reference to its place among the months is said’to be for the purpose of removing any doubt about it owing to the earlier practice of periodically intercalating a month) He asked, “What month is this?" and when the people replied that God and His messenger knew best, he remained silent so that they thought he would give it a new name, but he said, “Is it not Dhul Hijja?" and they replied that it was. He asked, “What town is this?" and when the people replied that God and His apostle knew best, he remained silent so that they thought he would give it a new name, but he said, “Is it not al-Balda?”( This word occurs a number of times in the Qur’an in the general sense of a district, but in 27, 91 it is used particularly of Mecca which is there called “this district (balda)". In the tradition the word seems to be used as if it were a proper name) and they replied that it was. He asked, “What day is this?” and when the people replied that God and His messenger knew best, he remained silent so that they thought he would give it a new name, but he said, “Is it not the day of sacrifice?" and they replied that it was. He said, “Your lives, property and honour must be regarded by you with a sacredness like that of this day of yours in this town of yours in this month of yours. You will meet your Lord, and He will ask you about your deeds. O, do not revert after my death to being people who are astray, beheading one another. Have I delivered the message ?" When they replied that he had he said, “O God, testify ; and let him who is present convey it to him who is absent, for many a one to whom a message is conveyed has a more retentive memory than the one who hears.” Bukhari and Muslim.

Messenger of Allah, I have lost my eyesight and I lead my people in prayer. When there is a downpour there is then a current (of water) in the valley that stands between me and them and I find it impossible to go to their mosque and lead them in prayer. Messenger of Allah, I earnestly beg of you that you should come and observe prayer at a place of worship (in my house) so that I should then use it as a place of worship. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Well, it God so wills. I would soon do so. 'Itban said: On the following day when the day dawned, the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) came along with Abu Bakr at-Siddiq, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked permission (to get into the house). I gave him the permission, and be did not sit after entering the house, when he said: At what place in your house you desire me to say prayer? I ('Itban b. Malik) said: I pointed to a corner in the house, The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stood (at that place for prayer) and pronounced Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) (as an expression for the commencement of prayer). We too stood behind him, and he said two rak'ahs and then pronounced salutation (marking the end of the prayer). We detained him (the Holy Prophet) for the meat curry we had prepared for, him. The people of the neighbouring houses came and thus there was a good gathering in (our house). One of them said: Where is Malik b. Dukhshun? Upon this one of them remarked: He is a hypocrite; he does not love Allah and His Messenger. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not say so about him. Don't you see that he utters La ilaha ill-Allah (There is no god but Allah) and seeks the pleasure of Allah through it? They said: Allah and His Messenger know beet. One (among the audience) said: We see his inclination and wellwishing for hypocrites only. Upon this the Messenger of Allah' (may peace be upon him) again said: Verily Allah has forbidden the Fire for one who says: There is no god but Allah, thereby seeking Allah's pleasure. Ibn Shihab said: I asked Husain b. Muhammad al-Ansar (he was one of the leaders of Banu Salim) about the hadith transmitted by Mahmud b. Rabi' and he testified it.

I would be the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection. He then sliced (that meat) for the second time and said: I am the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection. When he saw that his companions did not ask him (about this assertion) he said: Why don't you say: How would that be? They said: How would be it, Messenger of Allah? He said: People would stand before the Lord of the worlds. And the rest of the hadith was narrated like the one transmitted by Abu Hayyan, on the authority of Abu Zur'a, and in the story of Ibrahim, this addition was made. He said and made mention of his words with regard to the star: This is my Lord. And his words with regard to their gods: But the big among them has done that. And his words: I am ailing. He (the Holy Prophet) said: By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the distance between two leaves of the door from their supporting frames is as the distance between Mecca and Hajar or Hajar and Mecca. I do not remember how he said it (whether Mecca and Hajar or Hajar and Mecca).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out during the night and observed prayer in the mosque and some of the people prayed along with him. When it was morning the people talked about this and so a large number of people gathered there. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) went out for the second night, and they (the people) prayed along with him. When it was morning the people began to talk about it. So the mosque thronged with people on the third night. He (the Holy Prophet) came out and they prayed along with him. When it was the fourth night, the mosque was filled to its utmost capacity but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not come out. Some persons among then cried:" Prayer." But the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not come to them till he came out for the morning prayer. When he had completed the morning prayer, he turned his face to the people and recited Tashahhud (I bear testi- mony that there is no god but Allah and I bear testimony that Muhammad is His Messen- ger) and then said: Your affair was not hidden from me in the night, but I was afraid that (my observing prayer continuously) might make the night prayer obligatory for you and you might be unable to perform it.

'Ali b. Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him) addressed us and said: He who thought that we have besides the Holy Qur'an anything else that we recite, he told a lie. And this document which is hanging by the sheath of the sword contains but the ages of the camels, and the nature of the wounds. He (Hadrat 'Ali) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Medina is sacred from 'Air to Thaur; So if anyone makes an innovation or accommodates an innovator, the curse of Allah, the angels, and all persons will fall upon him, and Allah will not accept any obligatory or supererogatory act as recompense from them. And the protection granted by the Muslims is one and must be respected by the humblest of them. If anyone makes a false claim to paternity, or being a client of other than his own masters, there is upon him the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people. Allah will not accept from him any recompense in the form of obligatory acts or supererogatory acts. The hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr and Zabair ends with (these words): The humblest among them should respect it; and what follows after it is not mentioned there, and in the hadith transmitted by them (these words are) not found: (The document was hanging) on the sheath of his sword.

When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to leave this world, there were persons (around him) in his house, 'Umar b. al-Kbattab being one of them. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Come, I may write for you a document; you would not go astray after that. Thereupon Umar said: Verily Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) is deeply afflicted with pain. You have the Qur'an with you. The Book of Allah is sufficient for us. Those who were present in the house differed. Some of them said: Bring him (the writing material) so that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) may write a document for you and you would never go astray after him And some among them said what 'Umar had (already) said. When they indulged in nonsense and began to dispute in the presence of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), he said: Get up (and go away) 'Ubaidullah said: Ibn Abbas used to say: There was a heavy loss, indeed a heavy loss, that, due to their dispute and noise. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) could not write (or dictate) the document for them.

I saw that Walid was brought to Uthmin b. 'Affan as he had prayed two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer, and then he said: I make an increase for you. And two men bore witness against him. One of them was Humran who said that he had drunk wine. The second one gave witness that he had seen him vomiting. Uthman said: He would not have vomited (wine) unless he had drunk it. He said: 'Ali, stand up and lash him. 'Ali said: Hasan, stand up and lash him. Thereupon Hasan said: Let him suffer the heat (of Caliphate) who has enjoyed its coolness. ('Ali felt annoyed at this remark) and he said: 'Abdullah b. Ja'far, stand up and flog him, and he began to flog him and 'Ali counted the stripes until these were forty. He (Hadrat 'Ali) said: Stop now, and then said: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) gave forty stripes, and Abu Bakr also gave forty stripes, and Umar gave eighty stripes, and all these fall under the category of the Sunnab, but this one (forty stripes) is dearer to me.

Abu Talha sent me to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in order to invite him (for meal). She had prepared a meal. So I came and found Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) along with some people. He looked at me, and I felt shy and said: Accept the invitation of Abu Talha. He (the Holy Prophet) asked the people to get up. Thereupon Abu Talha said: Allah's Messenger, I have prepared something for you. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) touched (the food) and invoked blessings upon it, and then said: Let ten persons from my Companions enter (the house). He then said: Eat, and (in the meanwhile) brought out something from between his fingers for them. They then began to eat until they had their fill and then went out. He then asked ten more men (to have the meal) and they ate to their fill, and the ten persons went on getting in (and eating the food) and then getting out until none was left amongst them who had not got in and eaten to his fill. He then collected (the remaining part of the food) and it (the quantity of the food) was the same (as it had been prior to the serving of guests).

We offered the sunset prayer along with Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). We then said: If we sit (along with Allah's Messenger) and observe night prayer with him it would be very good, so we sat down and he came to us and said: You are still sitting here. I said: Allah's Messenger, we observed evening prayer with you, then we said: Let us sit down and observe night prayer along with you, whereupon he said: You have done well or you have done right. He then lifted his head towards the sky and it often happened that as he lifted his head towards the sky, he said: The stars are a source of security for the sky and when the stars disappear there comes to the sky, i. e. (it meets the same fate) as it has been promised (it would plunge into darkness). And I am a source of safety and security to my Companions and when I would go away there would fall to the lot (of my Companions) as they have been promised with and my Companions are a source of security for the Umma and as they would go there would fall to the lot of my Umma as (its people) have been promised.

0 Allah, enable me to derive benefit from my husband, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and from my father Abu Sufyan, and from my brother Mu'awiya. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to her: Verily, you have asked Allah about the durations of life already set, and the steps which you would take, and the sustenances the share of which is fixed. Nothing would take place earlier than its due time, and nothing would be deferred beyond that when it is due. So, if you were to ask Allah about your safety from the torment of Hell-Fire and from the torment of the grave, it would have been better for you. A person said: Allah's Messenger, what about those apes and swine which suffered metamorphosis? Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Verily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, did not destroy a people or did not torment a people, and let their race grow. Apes and swine had been even before that (when the deniers of truth were tormented and suffered metamorphosis). This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sufyin through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

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.