Yahya related to me from Malik from Umar ibn Husayn, the mawla of A'isha bint Qudama, that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan imposed retaliation against a man who killed a mawla with a stick and so the mawla's patron killed the man with a stick.

Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things in our community about which there is no dispute is that when a man strikes another man with a stick or hits him with a rock or intentionally strikes him causing his death, that is an intentional injury and there is retaliation for it."

Malik said, "Intentional murder with us is that a man intentionally goes to a man and strikes him until his life goes. Part of intentional injury also is that a man strikes a man in a quarrel between them. He leaves him while he is alive, and he bleeds to death and so dies. There is retaliation for that."

Malik said, "What is done in our community is that a group of free men are killed for the intentional murder of one free man, and a group of women for one woman, and a group of slaves for one slave."

The Prophet (saws) said: When sin is done in the earth, he who sees it and disapproves of it will be taken like one who was not present, but he who is not present and approves of it will be like him who sees.

I was the first man among the Arabs to throw an arrow for Allah's Cause. We used to fight in Allah's Cause while we had nothing to eat except the leaves of the Hubla and the Sumur trees (desert trees) so that we discharged excrement like that of sheep (i.e. unmixed droppings). Today the (people of the) tribe of Bani Asad teach me the laws of Islam. If so, then I am lost, and all my efforts of that hard time had gone in vain.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard Ibn Shihab say, "When a man who is terminally ill divorces his wife three times, she inherits from him."

Malik said, "If he divorces her while he is terminally ill before he has consummated the marriage, she has half of the bride-price and inherits, and she does not have to do an idda. If he consummated the marriage, she has all the dowry and inherits. The virgin and the previously married woman are the same in this situation according to us."

Prophet said, "If anyone of you stands for prayer, he should not spit in front of him because in prayer he is speaking in private to Allah and he should not spit on his right as there is an angel, but he can spit either on his left or under his left foot and bury it (i.e. expectoration).

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle used to let his head in (the house) while he was in the mosque and I would comb and oil his hair. When in I`tikaf he used not to enter the house except for a need.

Ibn Umar was informed about the death of Safiyyah (the wife of the Prophet) when he was at Mecca. He proceeded till the sun set and the stars shined. He said: When the Prophet (saws) was in a hurry about something while on a journey, he would combine both these prayers. He proceed till twilight had disappeared. He then combined both of them (the prayers).

Ibn'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that when Allah's messenger (may peace be upon him) circumambulated in Hajj and Umra he walked swiftly in the first three circuit about the House, and then walked in four circuits, and then observed two rak'ahs of prayer, and then ran between al-Safa and al-Marwa.

If you wish to know about the ignorance of the Arabs, refer to Surat-al-Anam after Verse No. 130:-- Indeed lost are those who have killed their children From folly without knowledge and have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.' (6.14)

Some Sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and woman only) were brought before the Prophet and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son."

The Prophet said, "The first man to be called on the Day of Resurrection will be Adam who will be shown his offspring, and it will be said to them, 'This is your father, Adam.' Adam will say (responding to the call), 'Labbaik and Sa`daik' Then Allah will say (to Adam), 'Take out of your offspring, the people of Hell.' Adam will say, 'O Lord, how many should I take out?' Allah will say, 'Take out ninety-nine out of every hundred." They (the Prophet's companions) said, "O Allah's Apostle! If ninety-nine out of every one hundred of us are taken away, what will remain out of us?" He said, "My followers in comparison to the other nations are like a white hair on a black ox."

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was more modest than the virgin behind the curtain (or in the apartment), and when he disliked anything, we recognised that from his face.

When the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam ) went to the privy, I took to him water in a small vessel or a skin, and he cleansed himself. He then wiped his hand on the ground. I then took to him another vessel and he performed ablution.

Abu Dawud said : The tradition is transmitted by al-Aswad b. 'Amir is more perfect.

1: At-Tawbah 9:104.

2: Al-Baqarah 2:276.

3: Anthropomorphism, resembling Allah to creatures.

On his father's authority, said that his grandfather reported the Prophet (saws) said: When one of you marries his female servant to his slave or to his employee, he should not look at her private part below the navel and above the knees.

Abu Dawud said: The correct name is Sawwad b. Dawud al-Muzani al-Sairafi (and not Dawud b. Sawwad as mentioned in the chain). The narrator waki' misunderstood it.

I did not see the Prophet reciting (the Qur'an) in the night prayer while sitting except when he became old; when he used to recite while sitting, and when thirty or forty verses remained from the Sura, he would get up and recite them and then bow.

The Prophet set out from Medina with over one thousand of his companions (at the time of the Treaty of Hudaibiya) and when they reached Dhul-Hulaifa, the Prophet garlanded his Hadi and marked it and assumed Ihram for `Umra.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Gabriel (saws) came to me and said: I came to you last night and was prevented from entering simply because there were images at the door, for there was a decorated curtain with images on it in the house, and there was a dog in the house. So order the head of the image which is in the house to be cut off so that it resembles the form of a tree; order the curtain to be cut up and made into two cushions spread out on which people may tread; and order the dog to be turned out.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) then did so. The dog belonged to al-Hasan or al-Husayn and was under their couch. So he ordered it to be turned out.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Nadd means a thing on which clothes are placed like a couch.