`Alqamah bin Qais struck this minbar and said: ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) addressed us from this minbar, he praised and glorified Allah, and said what Allah willed that he should say, and he said:The best of this ummah after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Then we got involved in events and Allah will decide concerning that.

I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: The best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was neither short not tall; he had a large head and beard, large hands and feet, large joints, a reddish face, and a long line of hair from his chest to his navel. When he walked he walked energetically, as if lifting his feet from a rock. I have never seen anyone like him before or since, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him.

I thought that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) was the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)... and he quoted the hadeeth. I said: No by Allah, O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, I did not think that any of the Muslims after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was better than you. He said: Shall I not tell you of the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah? I said: Yes. He said: Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه). Then he said: Shall I not tell you of the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr? I said: Yes. He said: `Umar (رضي الله عنه).

from ‘Abd Khair. I heard him say: `Ali (رضي الله عنه) stood on the minbar and mentioned the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died and Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) was appointed as his successor, and he did what he had done and followed in his footsteps, and persisted in doing so until Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, took his soul in death. Then ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) was appointed as his successor and he did what they had done and followed in their footsteps, and persisted in doing so until Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, took his soul in death.

Bismillah (in the Name of Allah). When he got on his mount, he said: Al-Hamdu Lillah. `Glory be to the One Who has placed this (transport) at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny` [Az-Zukhruf 43:13,14]. Abu Sa’eed, the freed slave of Banu Hashim, said: Then he said Al-Hamdu Lillah three times and Allahu Akbar three times, then he said Subhan Allah three times. Then he said: There is no god but You. Then he [the narrator] went back to the hadeeth of Wakee’ and said: Glory be to You, I have wronged myself, so forgive me; no one forgives sins but You. Then he smiled, and I said: What made you smile? He said: I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he did what you have seen me do, then he smiled and I said: What made you smile, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? He said: `Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, says: How remarkable is My slave; He knows that no one forgives sin except Me.`

l fell sick and the Prophet (ﷺ) came to me when I was saying: O Allah, if my time has come then grant me relief; if it has not yet come then heal me or grant me well being, and if this is a trial then grant me patience. He said: `What did you say?` I repeated it to him, then he touched me with his hand and said: `O Allah, heal him” or “grant him well being.” And I never suffered that sickness again after that.

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to wake his family up during the last ten (nights of Ramadan).

I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: Allah took His Prophet in the best way any Prophet was ever taken, then Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) was appointed as his successor and he did what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had done and followed the Sunnah of his Prophet, and `Umar (رضي الله عنه) was appointed and did likewise.

I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) saying on the minbar: The best of this ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and ʻUmar, and if l wanted to name the third one, I would name him. A man said to Abu lshaq: They are saying that you say they were the best in evil. He said: Are you a Haroori (i.e.Khariji)?`

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us to check the eyes and ears, and not to sacrifice any animal whose ears are slit in two lengthwise, any animal that has a round hole in its ear as a distinguishing mark, any animal that has the edge of its ears cut, or any animal whose ears were slit from the back.

The Prophet (ﷺ) promised me, no one would love me except a believer and no one would hate me except a hypocrite.

Would you kill two hundred for four? Rather I shall judge among you and if you accept it, all well and good. For the first one, one quarter of the diyah; for the second one, one third of the diyah; for the third one, half of the diyah, and for the fourth one, the (entire) diyah. They did not accept his verdict, so they went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: I shall judge among you. He was told about the verdict of ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) and he approved of it.

`Ali (رضي الله عنه) said to me - and ‘Abdur-Rahman said: `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said to Abul-Hayyaj: I am sending you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me: do not leave any raised grave without levelling it or any image without erasing it.

`There is no obedience to any human being if it involves disobedience to Allah.`

I heard Jurayy bin Kulaib narrate that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade [for sacrifice] any animal that was missing most of its ear or horn. I asked Sa`eed bin al-Musayyab: What does missing most of its ear or horn mean? He said: When half or more [of an animal`s ear or horn] is missing.

It was narrated from `Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast on the day of `Ashoora’ and enjoined others to do so.

“Whoever tells a lie about his eyes (i.e., claims to have seen something in his dream that he did not see) will be commanded to tie the two ends of a grain of barley on the Day of Resurrection.”

I was a man who emitted a great deal of madhi but I felt too shy to ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it because his daughter was married to me, so I told a man to ask him and he said: `For that, do wudoo’.`

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The key to prayer is wudoo’, entering it is takbeer and exiting it is tasleem.`

“Do not pray after ‘Asr unless you pray when the sun is still high.`

When Abu Talib died, I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Your paternal uncle, the old man, has died. He said: “Go and bury him, then do not do anything about his affairs until you come to me.” So I went and buried him, then I came to him and he said: `Go and do ghusl, then do not do anything until you come to me.” So I did ghusl, then I came to him and he offered du`a` for me, and I would not be happy if I had red and black camels instead of that. Ibn Bakkar said in his Hadeeth: as-Suddi said: And ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) used to do ghusl when he had washed a deceased person.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.”

“Do not pray after ‘Asr unless you pray when the sun is still high.” Sufyan said: I do not know whether he meant in Makkah or anywhere close.

Divide it among the women for head covers.

I heard `Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: Verily this (his beard) will be soaked from this (his head, i.e., from blood flowing from a wound to the head). What is this wretch waiting for? They said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, tell us who he is so that we can annihilate his family. He said: By Allah, then you would be killing because of me people who are not involved in my killing. They said: Appoint a successor for us. He said: No, but I will leave you as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left you. They said: What will you say to your Lord when you come to Him? - on one occasion, Wakee` said: When you meet Him - He said: I will say: O Allah, You left me with them as long as You wanted, then You took me to Yourself and You are still with them; if You will You can cause their affairs to be sound and if You will You can cause their affairs to be corrupt.

We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) when `Ammar came and asked for permission to enter. He said: “Let him in, welcome to the good one and purified one.`

If you are told a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then think of him in the most guided manner, the most pious manner and the best manner.

I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent Abu Marthad, az-Zubair bin al-`Awwam and me on a mission, and we were all horsemen. He said: “Go out until you come to Rawdat Khakh.` This is how Ibn Abu Shaibah said it “Khakh.” Ibn Numair said in his Hadeeth: `Rawdat such and such.” And Ibn Numair said: `Affan told us: Khalid told us: from Husain... a similar report. He said “Rawdat Khakh.`

`Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: If I carried out the Hadd punishment on a man and he died, I would not feel upset, except in the case of one who drank khamr, if (such a man) died, I would pay the diyah (to his family) because the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not prescribe it (did not specify a particular number of lashes).

I heard a man asking for forgiveness for his parents and they were mushrikeen. I said: Are you asking for forgiveness for your parents when they are mushrikeen? He said: Didn`t Ibraheem (عليه السلام) ask for forgiveness for his father when he was a mushrik? I mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ) and these verses were revealed: “It is not (proper) for the Prophet (ﷺ) and those who believe to ask Allah`s forgiveness for the Mushrikeen” [At-Tawbah 9:113-114]. ‘Abdur-Rahman said: And Allah revealed [the words]. “And Ibraheem`s (Abraham) invoking (of Allah) for his father`s forgiveness was only because of a promise he [Ibraheem (Abraham)] had made to him (his father)`.

‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: If I tell you a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then being thrown down from heaven is dearer to me than telling a lie about him. But if I tell you something that is between me and you, then war is deceit. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: `Some people will emerge at the end of time who are young in age and foolish. They will speak the best of words, they will recite Qur`an but it will not go any further than their throats. `Abdur-Rahman said: Their faith will not go any further than their throats. They will pass out of the faith as the arrow passes out of the prey. If you meet them then kill them, for in killing them there will be for the one who kills them reward with Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, on the Day of Resurrection.` ‘Abdur-Rahman said: “If you meet them, then kill them, for killing them will bring to those who kill them reward on the Day of Resurrection.”

“ ‘And have you made it your livelihood’ i.e., your gratitude `that you should declare it false?` [Al-Waqi`ah 56.82].” Then he said: `(That is when) you say, `We were given rain by such-and-such a star.”

It was narrated that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said - I think he attributed it to the Prophet (ﷺ) “Whoever tells a lie about his dream will be ordered to tie a grain of barley on the Day of Resurrection.”

“Whoever lies about his dream deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me, az-Zubair and Abu Marthad on a mission, and we were all horsemen. He said: “Set out until you reach Rawdat Khakh` - this is how Abu `Awanah said it - “and there you will find a woman who has a letter from Hatib bin Abi Balta`ah to the mushrikeen.” And he quoted the hadeeth at length.

The Prophet (ﷺ) ruled that debts must be paid before carrying out bequests, and you recite the words, “after payment of legacies he (or she) may have bequeathed or debts” [an-Nisa` 4:12]. Brothers from the same mother and father inherit from one another, but brothers from different mothers do not.

‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: If I narrate to you a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then think of him in the best manner, the most guided manner, the most pious manner.

When Abu Talib died, I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Your paternal uncle, the misguided old man, has died. He said: `Go and bury him, and do not do anything until you come to me.` So I went and buried him. Then he told me to do ghusl, then he prayed for me, offering supplications that I would not like to have anything else instead of them.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for funerals, so we stood up; then he sat down, so we sat down.

`There is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”

‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), shall I not tell you about the most beautiful girl of Quraish? He said: “who is she?` I said: The daughter of Hamzah. He said: `Don`t you know that she is the daughter of my brother through breastfeeding? Allah has forbidden (for marriage) through breastfeeding that which He has forbidden through blood ties.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `I have relieved you of zakah on horses and slaves, but bring one quarter of one tenth, for every forty dirhams, one dirham.`

I heard `Ali (رضي الله عنه) say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade me - but I do not say that he forbade you - to wear clothes dyed with safflower and gold rings.

I said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), why do you marry from Quraish and not from us? He said: “Do you have anyone?` I said: The daughter of Hamzah. He said: `She is the daughter of my brother through breastfeeding.“

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade me to wear rings of gold, to use red saddle pads, to wear garments made from a blend of linen and silk, and nabeedh made from barley.

When the last ten days of Ramadan came, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would wake up his family and tighten his izar. It was said to Abu Bakr: What does tightening the izar mean? He said: Keeping away from women.

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) used to wake up his family during the last ten nights of Ramadan.

When the last ten nights of Ramadan came, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to tighten his izar and wake his wives up.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us to check the eyes and ears [of animals for sacrifice].