While the Prophet was with one of his wives, one of the mothers of the believers (i.e. one of his wives) sent a wooden bowl containing food with a servant. The wife (in whose house he was sitting) stroke the bowl with her hand and broke it. The Prophet collected the shattered pieces and put the food back in it and said, "Eat." He kept the servant and the bowl till he had eaten the food. Then the Prophet gave another unbroken. bowl to the servant and kept the broken one.

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "The food of two is sufficient for three, and the food of three is sufficient for four."

He said: There are narrations on this topic from Jabir, and Ibn 'Umar.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The food of two is enough for three, and the food of three is enough for four."

In the lifetime of Allah's Apostle , we used to give one Sa' of food (edible things) as Sadaqat-ul-Fitr (to the poor). Our food used to be either of barley, raisins (dried grapes), cottage cheese or dates.

Malik related to me from Safwan ibn Sulaym from Ata ibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was questioned by a man who said, "Messenger of Allah, shall I ask permission of my mother to enter?" He said, "Yes " The man said, "I live with her in the house". The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Ask her permission." The man said, "I am her servant." The Messenger of Allah. may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Ask her permission. Do you want to see her naked?" He said, "No." He said, "Then ask her permission."

Subai'a Al-Aslamiya gave birth to a child a few days after the death of her husband. She came to the Prophet and asked permission to remarry, and the Prophet gave her permission, and she got married.

I prepared the journey-food for Allah's Apostle in Abu Bakr's house when he intended to emigrate to Medina. I could not find anything to tie the food-container and the water skin with. So, I said to Abu Bakr, "By Allah, I do not find anything to tie (these things) with except my waist belt." He said, "Cut it into two pieces and tie the water-skin with one piece and the food-container with the other (the subnarrator added, "She did accordingly and that was the reason for calling her Dhatun-Nitaqain (i.e. twobelted woman)).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibr. Shihab from al-Araj that Abu Hurayra said, "The worst food is the food of a wedding feast to which the rich are invited and the poor are left out. If anyone rejects an invitation, he has rebelled against Allah and His Messenger."

From his father, who said: "I asked the Prophet (saws) about the food of the Christians. He (saws) said: 'Do not allow food to put uneasiness in your chest similar to the doubts of Christianity about it."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan

Muhayyisah asked permission of the Messenger of Allah (saws) regarding hire of the cupper, but he forbade him. He kept on asking his permission, and at last he said to him: Feed your watering camel with it and feed your slave with it.

The Prophet asked for his Rida, put it on and set out walking. Zaid bin Haritha and I followed him till he reached the house where Harnza (bin `Abdul Muttalib) was present and asked for permission to enter, and they gave us permission.

While I was present in one of the gatherings of the Ansar, Abu Musa came as if he was scared, and said, "I asked permission to enter upon `Umar three times, but I was not given the permission, so I returned." (When `Umar came to know about it) he said to Abu Musa, "Why did you not enter?'. Abu Musa replied, "I asked permission three times, and I was not given it, so I returned, for Allah's Apostle said, "If anyone of you asks the permission to enter thrice, and the permission is not given, then he should return.' " `Umar said, "By Allah! We will ask Abu Musa to bring witnesses for it." (Abu Musa went to a gathering of the Ansar and said). "Did anyone of you hear this from the Prophet ?" Ubai bin Ka`b said, "By Allah, none will go with you but the youngest of the people (as a witness)." (Abu Sa`id) was the youngest of them, so I went with Abu Musa and informed `Umar that the Prophet had said so. (See Hadith No. 277, Vol. 3)

"The Prophet said, 'The best alms is that which is given when one is rich, and a giving hand is better than a taking one, and you should start first to support your dependents.' A wife says, 'You should either provide me with food or divorce me.' A slave says, 'Give me food and enjoy my service." A son says, "Give me food; to whom do you leave me?" The people said, "O Abu Huraira! Did you hear that from Allah's Apostle ?" He said, "No, it is from my own self."

We got down at Al-Muzdalifa and Sauda asked the permission of the Prophet to leave (early) before the rush of the people. She was a slow woman and he gave her permission, so she departed (from Al- Muzdalifa) before the rush of the people. We kept on staying at Al-Muzdalifa till dawn, and set out with the Prophet but (I suffered so much that) I wished I had taken the permission of Allah's Apostle as Sauda had done, and that would have been dearer to me than any other happiness.

The Prophet said, "Neither Fara' nor 'Atira (is permissible):" Al-Fara' nor 'Atira (is permissible):" Al- Fara' was the first offspring (of camels or sheep) which the pagans used to offer (as a sacrifice) to their idols. And Al-`Atira was (a sheep which was to be slaughtered) during the month of Rajab.

When Abu Usaid As-Sa`idi got married, he invited the Prophet and his companions. None prepared the food for them and brought it to them but his wife. She soaked some dates in water in a stone pot overnight, and when the Prophet had finished his food, she provided him with that drink (of soaked dates).

The Prophet fasted for days continuously; the people also did the same but it was difficult for them. So, the Prophet forbade them (to fast continuously for more than one day). They slid, "But you fast without break (no food was taken in the evening or in the morning)." The Prophet replied, "I am not like you, for I am provided with food and drink (by Allah).

Al-Hasan reported on the authority of his mother that she was Umm Salamah pouring water on the urine of the male child until the age when he did not eat food. When he began to eat food, she would wash (his urine). And she would wash the urine of the female child.

Abu Dawud said: 'Ata also transmitted it from Ibn 'Abbas in a similar way. He commanded to act upon this.

The Prophet (saws) said: Beware! I have been given the Qur'an and something like it, yet the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will say: Keep to the Qur'an; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited. Beware! The domestic ass, beasts of prey with fangs, a find belonging to confederate, unless its owner does not want it, are not permissible to you If anyone comes to some people, they must entertain him, but if they do not, he has a right to mulct them to an amount equivalent to his entertainment.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha umm al-muminin told him that Aflah, the brother of Abu'l-Quays came and asked permission to visit her after the veil had been lowered, and he was her paternal uncle by suckling. She said, "I refusedto give him permission to enter. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came, I told him about what I had done, and he ordered me to give him permission to enter."

A man asked the Prophet (saws) whether one who was fasting could embrace (his wife) and he gave him permission; but when another man came to him, and asked him, he forbade him. The one to whom he gave permission was an old man and the one whom he forbade was a youth.

Allah's Apostle said, "It is not lawful for a lady to fast (Nawafil) without the permission of her husband when he is at home; and she should not allow anyone to enter his house except with his permission; and if she spends of his wealth (on charitable purposes) without being ordered by him, he will get half of the reward."

Yahya related to me from Malik, from Ibn Shihab, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, that Umar ibn Abi Salama once asked Umar ibn alKhattab for permission to do umra in Shawwal. He gave him permission, so he did umra and then went back to his family, and he did not do hajj.

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that al-'A'bbas b. Abd al-Muttalib (Allah be pleased with him) sought permission from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend in Mecca the nights (which be was required to spend) at Mina on account of his office of supplier of water, and he (the Holy Prophet) granted him permission.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Humayd ibn Qays al-Makki that a man called Dhafif said that Ibn Abbas was asked about coitus interruptus. He called a slave-girl of his and said, "Tell them." She was embarrassed. He said, "It is alright, and I do it myself."

Malik said, "A man does not practise coitus interruptus with a free woman unless she gives her permission. There is no harm in practising coitus interruptus with a slave-girl without her permission. Someone who has someone else's slave-girl as a wife, does not practise coitus interruptus with her unless her people give him permission."

The Prophet (saws) said: It is not permissible for a man who believes in Allah and in the Last Day that he should say the prayer while he is feeling the call of nature until he becomes light (by relieving himself).

Then the narrator Thawr b. Yazid transmitted a similar tradition with the following wordings: "It is not permissible for a man who believes in Allah and in the Last Day that he should lead the people in prayer but with their permission; and that he should not supplicate to Allah exclusively for himself leaving all others. If he did so, he violated trust."

Abu Dawud said: This is a tradition reported by the narrators of Syria; no other person has joined them in relating this tradition.