What a wretched person is he amongst them who says: I have forgotten such and such a verse. (He should instead of using this expression say): I have been made to forget it. Try to remember the Qur'an for it is more apt to escape from men's minds than a hobbled camel.

We set out (to Mecca) in a state of Ihram. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He who has the sacrificial animal with him should remain in the state of Ihram, but he who has not the sacrificial animal with him should put off Ihram. As I had not the sacrificial animal with me, I put off Ihram. And since Zubair (her husband) - had the sacrificial animal with him, he did not put off Ihram. She (Asma) said: I put on my clothes and then went out and sat by Zabair, whereupon he said: Go away from me, whereupon I said: Do you fear that I would jump upon you?

While I was asleep I saw myself on a well with a leathern bucket on a pulley. I drew (water) out of that as Allah wished me (to draw). Then the son of Abu Quhafa (Abu Bakr) drew from it one bucketful or two and there was some weakness in drawing that (may Allah forgive him). Then that bucket (changed into a large bucket) and Ibn Khattab drew it. I did not see any strongest man drawing it like 'Umar b. Khattab. He brought out so much water that the camels of the people had enough to drink and then laid down (for rest).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) breathed his last on that very day.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died and some people apostatised, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab said: O Abu Bakr, how can you fight the people, when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah), and whoever says La ilaha illallah, his wealth and his life are protected from me, and his reckoning will be with Allah`? Abu Bakr said: I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer and zakah, for zakah is what is due on wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me a small she-goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I will certainly fight them for withholding it. ʻUmar said: By Allah, as soon as I saw that Allah had opened Abu Bakr`s heart to the idea of fighting I knew that he was right.

Sahal b. Hunaif stood up on the Day of Siffin and said: O ye people, blame yourselves (for want of discretion) ; we were with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the Day of Hudaibiya. If we had thought it fit to fight, we could fight. This was in the truce between the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and the polytheists. Umar b. Khattab came, approached the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, aren't we fighting for truth and they for falsehood? He replied: By all means. He asked: Are not those killed from our side in Paradise and those killed. from their side in the Fire? He replied: Yes. He said: Then why should we put a blot upon our religion and return, while Allah has not decided the issue between them and ourselves? He said: Son of Khattab, I am the Messenger of Allah. Allah will never ruin me. (The narrator said): Umar went away, but he could not contain himself with rage. So he approached Abu Bakr and said: 'Abu Bakr, aren't we fighting for truth and they for falsehood? He replied: Yes. He asked: Aren't those killed from our side in Paradise and those killed from their side in the Fire? He replied: Why not? He (then) said: Why should we then disgrace our religion and return while God has not yet decided the issue between them and ourselves? Abu Bakr said: Son of Khattab, verily, he is the Messenger of Allah, and Allah will never ruin him. (The narrator continued): At this (a Sura of) the Qur'an (giving glad tidings of the victory) was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He sent for Umar and made him read it. He asked: Is (this truce) a victory? He (the Messenger of Allah) replied: Yes. At this Umar was pleased, and returned.

We said to him ('Abdullah b. 'Umar): May Allah do good to you, these are desert Arabs and they are satisfied even with meagre (things). Thereupon Abdullah said: His father was loved dearly by 'Umar b. Khattib and I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The finest act of goodness on the part of a son is to treat kindly the loved ones of his father.

Abu Bakr Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him) sent me during Hajj before the Farewell Pilgrimage for which Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had appointed him an Amir, among a group of people whom he had ordered to make announcement to the people on the Day of Nahr:" After this year no polytheist may perform the Pilgrimage and no naked person may circumambulate the House." Ibn Shihab stated that Humaid b. Abd al-Rahman said that according to this narration of Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) the day of Hajj al-Akbar (Great Hajj) is this Day of Nahr (10th of Dhu'l-Hijja).

When the apostates apostatised at the time of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar said: How can you fight the people, O Abu Bakr, when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah), and whoever says La ilaha illallah, his wealth and his life are protected from me except in cases dictated by Islamic law, and his reckoning will be with Allah`? Abu Bakr said: By Allah, I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer and zakah, for zakah is what is due on wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me a small she-goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I will certainly fight them for withholding it. `Umar bin al-Khattab said. By Allah, as soon as I saw that Allah had opened Abu Bakr`s heart to the idea of fighting, I knew that he was right.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Nuaym Wahb ibn Kaysan that he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari saying, "I saw Abu Bakr as- Siddiq eat meat and then pray without doing wudu."

Muhammad ibn Al-Ala’ Abu Kurayb Al-Hamdani told us, Abu Usama told us, from Hisham, who informed me from his father, from Asma bint Abi Bakr, who said: “Az-Zubair married me, and he did not possess any wealth on earth, no servant, nor anything except his horse.” She continued, “I used to feed his horse, take care of it, and manage its upkeep. I would grind date stones for his horse, feed it, draw water, and patch his bucket. I also kneaded dough, but I was not good at baking, so my Ansar neighbors, who were truthful and kind women, would bake for me. I would carry date stones on my head from Az-Zubair’s land that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had allocated to him. The land was two-thirds of a farsakh (a measure of distance) away.” She further said: “One day, as I was carrying the date stones on my head, I met the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) along with a group of his companions. He called me and said, ‘Ikh, Ikh (a sound made to signal a camel to kneel down),’ indicating that he wanted to carry me behind him. However, I felt shy and remembered your jealousy. The Prophet (peace be upon him) understood my hesitation and said, ‘By Allah, carrying the date stones on your head is harder on you than riding with me.’” She continued: “After that, Abu Bakr sent me a servant who took over the responsibility of caring for the horse. It was as if he had set me free.

Gabriel came to me and gave me the tidings: Verily he who died amongst your Ummah without associating anything with Allah would enter Paradise. I (the narrator) said: Even if he committed adultery and theft. He (the Holy Prophet) said: (Yes), even if he committed adultery and theft.

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.

Messenger of Allah, by God, I could not say. the 'Asr prayer till the sun set. Upon this the Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: By Allah I, too, have not observed it. So we went to a valley. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) performed ablution and we too performed ablution, and then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said the 'Asr prayer after the sun had set. and then said the evening prayer after it.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) led us in one of the two evening prayers, Zuhr or `Asr, and gave salutations after two rak`ahs and going towards a piece of wood which was placed to the direction of the Qibla in the mosque, leaned on it looking as if he were angry. Abu Bakr and `Umar were among the people and they were too afraid to speak to him and the people came out in haste (saying): The prayer has been shortened. But among them was a man called Dhul-Yadain who said: Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened or have you forgotten? The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) looked to the right and left and said: What was Dhul-Yadain saying? They said: He is right. You (the Holy Prophet) offered but two rak`ahs. He offered two (more) rak`ahs and gave salutation, then said takbir and prostrated and lifted (his head) and then said takbir and prostrated, then said takbir and lifted (his head). He (the narrator) says: It has been reported to me by `Imran b. Husain that he said: He (then) gave salutation.

Three are the persons with whom Allah would neither speak on the Day of Resurrection, nor would He look towards them, nor would purify them (from sins), and there would be a tormenting chastisement for them: a person who in the waterless desert has more water (than his need) and he refuses to give it to the traveller and a person who sold a commodity to another person in the afternoon and took an oath of Allah that he had bought it at such and such price and he (the buyer) accepted it to be true though it was not a fact, and a person who pledged allegiance to the Imam but for the sake of the world (material gains). And if the Imam bestowed on him (something) out of that (worldly riches) he stood by his allegiance and if he did not give him, he did not fulfil the allegiance.

I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them.

We went with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) during the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. We entered into the state of Ihram for Umra. Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Who has the sacrificial animal with him, he should put on Ihram for Hajj along with Umra. and should not put it off till he has completed them (both Hajj and Umra). She said: When I came to Mecca. I was having menses, I neither circumambulated the House, nor ran between as-safa' and al-Marwa. I complained about it to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he said: Undo your hair, comb it, and pronounce Talbiya for Hajj, and give up Umra (for the time being), which I did. When we had performed the Hajj, the Messenger of Allah (way peace he upon him) sent me with Abd al-Rabman b. Abu Bakr to Tan'im saying: This is the place for your Umra. Those who had put on Ihram for Umra circumambulated the House, and ran between al-safa' and al-Marwa. They then put off Ihram and then made the last circuit after they had returned from Mina after performing their Hajj, but those who had combined the Hajj and the Umra made only one circuit (as they had combined Hajj and 'Umra).

"So Abu Bakr decided to fight them, then 'Umar said: 'O Abu Bakr, how can you fight the people when the Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah, and if they say it, their blood and their wealth will be safe from me except for a right that is due.?' Abu Bakr said: 'I will fight whoever separates prayer and Zakah. By Allah, if they withhold from me a young goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah [SAW], I will fight them for withholding it.' 'Umar said: 'By Allah, as soon as I realized that Allah has expanded the chest of Abu Bakr to fight them, I knew that it was the truth.'"

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه became (caliph) after him, and some of the Arabs apostatized,ʻUmar رضي الله عنه said: O Abu Bakr, how can you fight the people when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: `I have been ordered to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god except Allah. Whoever bears witness that there is no god except Allah has protected his wealth and his life from me, except in cases dictated by Islamic law, and their reckoning will be with Allah`? Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه said: by Allah I shall certainly fight the one who separates prayer and zakah, for zakah is what is due from wealth. By Allah, whoever withholds from me a goat that they used to give (in zakah) to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I shall fight them for withholding it. 'Umar said: By Allah, as soon as I realized that Allah had opened the heart of Abu Bakr to fighting, I realized that it was the right thing to do.

I saw a man asking Aswad b. Yazid who taught the Qur'an in the mosque: How do you recite the verse (fahal min muddakir) whether (the word muddakir) Is with (d) or (dh)? He (Aswad) said: It was with (d). I heard Abdullah b. Mas'ud saying that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting (muddakir) with (d).

I was sitting in the company of Abdullah and Abu Musa when Abu Musa said: 0 'Abd al-Rahman (kunya of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud), what would you like a man to do about the prayer if he experiences a seminal emission or has sexual intercourse but does not find water for a month? 'Abdullah said: He should not perform tayammum even if he does not find water for a month. 'Abdullah said: Then what about the verse in Sura Ma'ida:" If you do not find water, betake yourself to clean dust"? 'Abdullah said: If they were granted concession on the basis of this verse, there is a possibility that they would perform tayammum with dust on finding water very cold for themselves. Abu Musa said to Abdullah: You have not heard the words of 'Ammar: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent me on an errand and I had a seminal emission, but could find no water, and rolled myself in dust just as a beast rolls itself. I came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then and made a mention of that to him and he (the Holy Prophet) said: It would have been enough for you to do thus. Then he struck the ground with his hands once and wiped his right hand with the help of his left hand and the exterior of his palms and his face. 'Abdullah said: Didn't you see that Umar was not fully satisfied with the words of 'Ammar only?

I heard 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) as saying: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent me and Zubair and Miqdad saying: Go to the garden of, Khakh [it is a place between Medina and Mecca at a distance of twelve miles from Medina] and there you will find a woman riding a camel. She would be in possession of a letter, which you must get from her. So we rushed on horses and when we met that woman, we asked her to deliver that letter to us. She said: There is no letter with me. We said: Either bring out that letter or we would take off your clothes. She brought out that letter from (the plaited hair of) her head. We delivered that letter to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in which Hatib b. Abu Balta'a had informed some people amongst the polytheists of Mecca about the affairs of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Hatib, what is this? He said: Allah's messenger, do not be hasty in judging my intention. I was a person attached to the Quraish. Sufyan said: He was their ally but had no relationship with them. (Hatib further said): Those who are with you amongst the emigrants have blood-relationship with them (the Quraish) and thus they would protect their families. I wished that when I had no blood-relationship with them I should find some supporters from (amongst them) who would help my family. I have not done this because of any unbelief or apostasy and I have no liking for the unbelief after I have (accepted) Islam. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: You have told the truth. 'Umar said: Allah's Messenger, permit me to strike the neck of this hypocrite. But he (the Holy Prophet) said: He was a participant in Badr and you little know that Allah revealed about the people of Badr: Do what you like for there is forgiveness for you. And Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:" O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends" (lx. 1). And there is no mention of this verse in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr and Zubair and Ishaq has in his narration made a mention of the recitation of this verse by Sufyan.

'A'isha said: Whenever Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) intended to set out on a journey he cast lots amongst his wives and he took one with him in whose favour the lot was cast. It so happened that he cast lots amongst us while setting out on a battle and it was cast in my favour, so I set out along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). This relates to the period when the revelation concerning the commands of veil had been made. I was carried in a haudaj and I was brought down where we had to stay. In short, when we set out for return journey from the expedition and our caravan was near Medina, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded one night to march forward. I also got up when the command for the march was given and moved on until I went out of the encampments of the army and after relieving myself I came to my place. I touched my chest and found that my necklace which had been made of the stones of zafar had been broken. I retraced my steps and tried to search my necklace and this detained me there. The group of people who saddled my ride and placed my haudaj carrying me upon the camels marched on. They were under the impression that I was in it. The women in those days were light of weight and they did not wear much flesh, as they ate less food; so they did not perceive the weight of my haudaj as they placed it upon the camel as I was a young girl at that time. So they drove the camel and Eet out and I found my necklace after the army had marched. I came to my place and there was none to call and none to respond (the call). I waited at my place under the impression that when the people would riot find me they would come back. So I kept sitting at my place. I was overpowered by sleep and slept. Safwan b. Mu'attal Sulami Dhakwini, who had lagged behind the army because of taking rest came to my place walking in the latter part of the night and he saw the body of a person who was asleep. He came to me and recognised me as he had seen rue before it was enjoined to observe purda. I got ap by his voice as he recited Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un [we are for Allah and to Him we have to return. ] and I covered my head with my headdress. By Allah, he did not speak to me a word and I did not hear a word from him except Inna lillahi. He made his camel kneel down and I amounted the camel as he pressed tLe camel's foreleg and he moved on leaning the camel by the nose string on which I was riding until we came to the army where it had encamped for rest because of extreme heat. Woe be upon those who harboured doubts about me and the most notorious among them was 'Abdullah b. Ubayy, the great hypocrite. We came to Medina and I fell sick for a month. The people had been deliberating over the statements of those who had brought these calumnies against me. I was absolutely unaware of anything concerning that. This, however, caused doubt in my mind that I did not see Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him.) treating me with such kindness with which he treated me as I fell ill before this. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) would coome and greet me with Assalam-o-'Alaikum and only ask me how I was. This caused doubt in my mind, but I was unaware of the evil. I wept outside despite my failing health and there went along with me Umm Mistah and she said the daughter of Abu Rhm b. Muttalib b. 'Abd Manaf and his mother was the daughter of Sakhr b. 'Amir, the sister of the mother of Abu Bakr Sidiq and his son was Mistah b. Uthatha b. 'Abbad b. Muttalib. I and the daughter of Abu Rahm set towards the direction of my house. Something got into the head dress of Umm Mistah and she said: Woe be upon Mistah. And I said. Woe be upon what you say. Do you curse people who had participated in Badr? She said: Innocent woman, have you not heard what he said? I said: What did he say? She conveyed to me the statement of those who had brought false allegations against me. So my illness was aggravated. I went to my house and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to me and he greeted me and then said: How is that woman? I said: Do you permit me to go to the (house) of my parents? She (further) said: I had at that time made up my mind to confirm this news from them. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted me. So I came to (the house of) my parents and said to my mother: Mother, do you know what the people are talking about? She said: My daughter, you should not worry. By Allah, if there is a handsome woman who is loved by her husband and he has co-wives also they talk many a thing about her. I said: Hallowed be Allah, what are the people talking about? I wept during the whole night until it was morning and I did not have a wink of sleep and I wept even in the morning. As the revelation was delayed (in regard to this matter), so Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) called 'Ali ibn Abi 'Talib and Usama b. Zaid in order to seek their advice in regard to the separation of his wife. Usama b. Zaid told Allah's Messenger (may peace be apen him) about the innocence of his wives and what he knew about his love for them. He said: Allah's Messenger, they are your wives and we know nothing else about them but goodness. And as for 'Ali b. Abu Talib, he said: Allah has not put any unnecessary burden upon you (in regard to your wives). There are a number of women besides her and if you ask that maidservant (Barira) she will tell you the truth. So, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) called Bailra and said: Barira, did you see anything in 'A'isha which can cause doubt about her? Barira said: By Him Who sent thee with the truth, I have seen nothing objectionable in her but only this much that she is a young girl and she goes to sleep while kneading the flour and the lamb eats that. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) mounted the pulpit and sought vindication against 'Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul, and he further said: Who would exonerate me from imputations of that person who has troubled (me) in regard to my family? By Allah, I find nothing in my wife but goodness and the person whom the people have mentioned in this connection is, according to my knowledge, a thoroughly pious person, and he did never get into my house but along with me. Sa'd b. Mu'adh stood up and said: Allah's Messenger, I defend your honour against him. If he belong to the tribe of Aus we would strike his neck and if he belongs to the tribe of our brother Khazraj and you order us we would comply with your order. Then Sa'd b. 'Ubada stood up. He was chief of the Khazraj tribe. He was otherwise a pioas man but he had some what tribal partisanship in him and he said to Sa'd b. Mu'adh: By the everlasting existence of Allah. you are not stating the fact, you will not be able to kill him and you will not have the power to do so. Thereupon, Usaid b. Hudair stood up, and he was the first cousin of Sa'd b. Mu'adh and said to Sa'd b. 'Ubada: By the everlasting existence of Allah, you are not stating the fact. We would kill him. You are a hypocrite and so you argue in defence of the hypocrites, and thus both the tribes Aus and Khazraj were flared up, until they were about to fall upon one another and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept standing upon the pulpit and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) tried to subside their anger until they became silent and thus there was silence. 'A'isha further reported: I spent the whole day in weeping and even the night and could not have a wink of sleep even next night. My parents thought that this constant weeping of mine would break my heart. I wept and they sat beside me. In the meanwhile a woman of the Ansar came to see me. I permitted her to see me and she also began to weep. And we were in this very state that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came and he greeted me and then sat down. He had never sat with me since a month when this rumour was afloat, and there was no revelation (to clarity) my case. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) recited Tashahhud (there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Apostle) and then said: Coming to the point, 'A'isha, this is what has reached me about you and if you are innocent, Allah would Himself vindicate your honour, and if accidentally there has been a lapse on your part seek forgiveness of Allah; He will pardon thee for when a servant makes a confession of his fault and turns (to Him) penitently, Allah also turns to him (mercifully) accepting his repentance. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) talked, my tears dried up and not even a single drop of tear was perceived by me (rolling out of my eyes). I said to my father: You give a reply to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on my behalf. He said: By Allah, I do not know what I should say to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I then said to my mother: Give a reply to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on my behalf, but she said: By Allah, I do not know what I should say to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I was a small girl at that time and I had not read much of the Qur'an (but I said): By Allah, I perceive that you have heard about this and it has settled down in your mind and you have taken it to be true, so if I say to you that I am quite innocent, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you would never believe me to be true, and if I confess to (the alleged) lapse before you, whereas Allah knows that I am completely innocent (and I have not committed this sin at all), in that case You will take me to be true and, by Allah, I, therefore, find no other alternative for me and for you except that what the father of Yousuf said:, (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought for in that (predicament) which ye describe" (xii 18). After this I turned my face to the other side and lay down on my bed. By Allah, I was fully aware of this fact that I was innocent but I did not expect that Allah would descend Wahy Matlu (Qur'anic Wahy) in my case as I did not think myself so much important that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would speak in this matter in words to be recited. I only hoped that Allah would in vision give an indication of my innocence to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) during his sleep. And, by Allah, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had not moved an inch from where he had been sitting and none from the members of my family had gone that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, descended revelation upon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) there and then and he felt the burden which he used to feel at the time of receiving revelation. He began to perspire because of the burden of words of Allah as they descended upon him even during the winter season and there fell the drops of his sweat like silvery beads. When this state of receiving revelation was over, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) smiled and the first words which he spoke to me were that he said: 'A'isha, there is glad tidings for you. Verily, Allah has vindicated your honour, and my mother who had been standing by me said: Get up (and thank him, i. e. the Holy Prophet). I said: By Allah, I shall not thank him and laud him but Allah Who has descended revelation vindicating my honour. She ('A'isha) said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed:" 'Verily, those who spread the slander are a gang among you" (and) ten (subsequent) verses in regard to my innocence. She further said: Abu Bakr used to give to Mistah (some stipend) as a token of kinship with him and for his poverty and he (Abu Bakr) said: By Allah, now I would not spend anything for him. 'A'isha said: It was upon this that Allah the Exalted and Glorious revealed this verse:" And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear to give to the near of the kin" up to" Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you?" Hibban b. Musa' said that 'Abdullah b. Mubarak used to say: It is a verse contained in the Book which most (eminently) brightens the hope. Abu Bakr said: By Allah, I wish that Allah should pardon me. I shall never stop this stipend. So he continued to give him the stipend which he had withdrawn. 'A'isha said that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) asked Zainab, daughter of Jahsh, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), about me what she knew or what she had seen in me, and she said: Allah's Messenger, I shall not say anything without hearing (with my ears) and seeing with my eyes. By Allah, I find nothing in her but goodness. (And she stated this in spite of the fact) that she was the only lady who amongst the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) used to vie with me but Allah saved her in bringing false allegation against me because of her God-consciousness. Her sister Hamna bint Jahsh, however, opposed her and she was undone along with others.

Open it for him and give him glad tidings of Paradise and, lo, it was Abu Bakr. I opened (the gate) for him and gave him the glad tidings of Paradise. Then another person asked for the door to be opened, whereupon he said: Open it and give him the glad tidings of Piradise. He said: I went away and, lo, it was 'Umar. I opened it for him and gave him the glad tidings of Paradise. Then still another man asked for the door to be opened, and thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Open it and give him the glad tidings of Paradise after a trial would afflict him. I went and, lo, it was 'Uthman b. 'Affan. 1 opened the door and gave him the glad tidings of Paradise and informed him (what the Holy Prophet had said). Thereupon he said: O Allah, grant me steadfastness. Allah is one Whose help is to be sought.

I was along with Abu Musa and Abu Mas'ud as Ibn Mas'ud died and one of them said to the other: Do you find one like him besides him? Thereupon he said: Do you say this (no one can be his rival)? He was admitted (to the company of the Holy Prophet) whereas we were detained and he had been present in the company of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) whereas we had been absent.

I saw the feet of the polytheists very close to us as we were in the cave. I said: Allah's Messenger, if one amongst them were to see at his feet he would have surely seen us. Thereupon he said: Abu Bakr, what can befall two who have Allah as the third One with them.

" He heard it."

The wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) sent Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him). She sought permission to get in as he had been lying with me in my mantle. He gave her permission and she said: Allah's Messenger, verily, your wives have sent me to you in order to ask you to observe equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. She (`A'isha) said: I kept quiet. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to her (Fatima): O daughter, don't you love whom I love? She said: Yes, (I do). Thereupon he said: I love this one. Fatima then stood up as she heard this from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and went to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and informed them of what she had said to him and what Allah's messenger (may peace be upon him) had said to her. Thereupon they said to her: We think that you have been of no avail to us. You may again go to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and tell him that his wives seek equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. Fatima said: By Allah, I will never talk to him about this matter. `A'isha (further) reported: The wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) then sent Zainab b. Jahsh, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and she was one who was somewhat equal in rank with me in the eyes of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I have never seen a woman more advanced in religious piety than Zainab, more God-conscious, more truthful, more alive to the ties of blood, more generous and having more sense of self-sacrifice in practical life and having more charitable disposition and thus more close to God, the Exalted, than her. She, however, lost temper very soon but was soon calm. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted her to enter as she (`A'isha) was along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in her mantle, in the same very state when Fatima had entered. She said: Allah's Messenger, your wives have sent me to you seeking equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafa. She then came to me and showed harshness to me and I was seeing the eyes of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) whether he would permit me. Zainab went on until I came to know that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) would not disapprove if I retorted. Then I exchanged hot words until I made her quiet. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) smiled and said: She is the daughter of Abu Bakr.

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Abu Bakr as-Siddiq gave me palm trees whose produce was twenty awsuq from his property at al-Ghaba. When he was dying, he said, 'By Allah, little daughter, there is no one I would prefer to be wealthy after I die than you. There is no one it is more difficult for me to see poor after I die than you. I gave you palm-trees whose produce is twenty awsuq. Had you cut them and taken possession of them, they would have been yours, but today they are the property of the heirs, and they are your two brothers and your two sisters, so divide it according to the Book of Allah.' A'isha continued, "I said, 'My father! By Allah, even if it had been more, I would have left it. There is only Asma. Who is my other sister?" Abu Bakr replied, 'What is in the womb of Kharija? (Kharija was the wife of Abu Bakr's 'brother' from the Ansar.) I think that it is going to be a girl.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died on Monday and was buried on Tuesday and people prayed over him individually with no one leading them. Some people said that he would be buried near the mimbar, and others said that he would be buried in al-Baqi. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq came and said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'No prophet was ever buried except in the place where he died.' "So a grave was dug for him there. When he was about to be washed they wished to take off his shirt but they heard a voice saying "Don't take off his shirt," so they did not take off his shirt and he was washed with it on, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

"A man spoke harshly to Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, and I said: 'Shall I kill him?' He told me off, and said: 'That is not for anyone after the Messenger of Allah [SAW].'"

"O you people! You recite this Ayah: Take care of yourselves! If you follow the guidance no harm shall come to you. I indeed heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) saying: 'When the people see the wrongdoer and they do not take him by the hand, then soon Allah shall envelope you in a punishment from him.'"

When Satan hears the call to prayer, he runs away to a distance like that of Rauha. Sulaimin said: I asked him about Rauha. He replied: It is at a distance of thirty-six miles from Medina.

Some time was spent before we were able to find them. He (the Holy Prophet) chewed them and then put his saliva in his mouth. The first thing that entered his stomach, was the saliva of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Asma' said: He then rubbed him and blessed him and gave him the name of Abdullah. He ('Abdullah) went to him (the Holy Prophet) when he had attained the age of seven or eight years in order to pledge allegiance to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as Zubair had commanded him to do. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) smiled when he saw him coming towards him and then accepted his allegiance.

The time for prayers is between these two (extremes).

Sauda, by Allah, you cannot conceal from us. Therefore, be careful when you go out. She ('A'isha) said: She turned back. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was at that time in my house having his evening meal and there was a bone in his hand. She (Sauda) cline and said: Allah's Messenger. I went out and 'Umar said to me so and so. She ('A'isha) reported: There came the revelation to him and then it was over; the bone was then in his hand and he had not thrown it and he said:" Permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs."

"The swindler, the stingy person, and the Mannan shall not enter Paradise."