Mahmud ibn Labid said, "When Sa'd's eye was gravely wounded in the Battle of the Ditch, they moved him to the house of a woman called Rufayda who used to treat the wounded. When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by him, he would inquire, 'How are you this evening?' and in the morning, 'How are you this morning?' and he would tell him."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from Fatima bint al-Mundhir ibn az-Zubayr that Asma bint Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said, "A woman questioned the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, 'If menstrual blood gets onto our clothes how do you think we should deal with it?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If menstrual blood gets onto your clothes you should wash them, and sprinkle them with water before you pray in them.' "

“Umar used to ask me questions in front of the Companions of the Prophet. So Abdur-Rahman bin Awf said to him: ‘Why do you ask him, while we have children like him?’” He said: “Umar said to him: ‘It is because of what you know (about him).’ So he asked him about this Ayah: ‘When there comes the help of Allah and the Conquest.’ I said: “It is only regarding the (end of the) life span of the Messenger of Allah, informing him of it.” Then he recited the Surat until its end. So Umar said to him: “By Allah! I know not about it, but what you know.”

God created all things, but who created God? When they propound that, say, ‘God is one. God is He to whom men repair. He has not begotten and He has not been begotten, and no one is equal to Him.” ¹ Then one should spit three times on his left side and seek refuge in God from the accursed devil.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. We shall mention the tradition of ‘Amr b. al-Ahwas in the chapter on the sermon on the day of sacrifice, if God will. ¹ Book XI; Ch. xi

I* pray at home and then go to the mosque and the time to begin the prayer comes, so I pray along with the congregation, but I feel some uneasiness about that. Abu Ayyub replied, “We asked the Prophet about that and he said that such a person gets a portion of the reward for corporate prayer.” * The Arabic has “One of us prays . . . then goes . . .” After that the first person singular is used. While such a construction is quite usual in 'Arabic, it makes impossible English, so I have used the first person all through. Malik and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

'Asim, what did Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say to you? 'Asim said to 'Uwaimir: You did not bring something good. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) did not like this religious verdict that I sought from him. 'Uwaimir said: By Allah, I will not rest until I have asked him about it. 'Uwaimir proceeded until he came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as he was sitting amidst people, and said: Messenger of Allah, tell me about a person who found a man with his wife. Should he kill him, and then you would kill him, or how should he act? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: (Verses) have been revealed concerning you and your wife; so go and bring her. Sahl said that they both invoked curses (and further said): I was along with people in the company of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). And when they had finished, Uwaimir said: Allah's Messenger, I shall have told a lie against her if I keep her (now). So he divorced her with three pronouncements before Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had commanded him. Ibn Shihab said: Subsequently that was the practice of invokers of curses (al Mutala'inain)

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was asked: "What other good deed could be an equivalent of Jihad in the way of Allah?" He (PBUH) replied, "You do not have the strength to do it." (The narrator said:) The question was repeated twice or thrice, but every time he (PBUH) answered, "You do not have the strength to do it." Then he (PBUH) said, "One who goes out for Jihad in the Cause of Allah is like a person who observes Saum (fasting), stands in Salat (prayer) constantly, recites the Ayat of the Qur'an and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the participant of Jihad in the way of Allah returns."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Anas told of a man who came and said, “Messenger of God, I have done something which merits punishment, so appoint it for me.” He did not question him about it, and when the time for prayer came the man prayed along with him. Then when the Prophet had finished the prayer the man got up and said, “Messenger of God, I have done something which merits punishment, so appoint for me that God has decreed.” He asked, “Did you not pray along with us?” and when he replied that he had, he said, “Well, God has forgiven you your offence, or “your punishment”. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“The affairs of the Children of Israel were administered by their Prophets. Every time a Prophet left, he was followed by another, but there will be no Prophet among you after I am gone.” They said: “What will happen, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “There will be caliphs and there will be many of them.” They said: “What should we do?” He said: “Fulfill your pledge to the first one, then the one who comes after him, and do the duties required of you, for Allah will question them about the duties upon them.”

Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, "When you have love for your brother, do not quarrel with him or treat him badly nor ask questions about him, It may be that an enemy of his will appear and say something about him which is not true and will thereby cause a split between you."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Humayd ibn Qays al-Makki that Mujahid said, "I was with Abdullah ibn Umar and an artisan came to him and said, 'Abu Abd ar-Rahman - I fashion gold and then sell what I have made for more than its weight. I take an amount equivalent to the work of my hand.' Abdullah forbade him to do that, so the artisan repeated the question to him, and Abdullah continued to forbid him until he came to the door of the mosque or to an animal that he intended to mount. Then Abdullah ibn Umar said, 'A dinar for a dinar, and a dirham for a dirham. There is no increase between them. This is the command of ourProphet to us and our advice to you.' "

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."

Sa'id b. al-Musayyib said God’s Messenger gave judgment that a male or girl slave of the best quality should be paid for a child which is killed in its mother’s womb. When the one against whom this judgment was given asked, “How should I be fined for one who has not eaten or drunk, or spoken, or raised his voice?” adding that compensation is not to be paid for such, God’s Messenger said, “This man simply belongs to the kahins.”* Malik and Nasa’i transmitted it in mursal form, but Abu Dawud transmitted it on his authority (i.e. Sa'id’s) on the authority of Abu Huraira with a fully connected isnad. * There is a suggestion of rhyme in the Arabic used by the man who asked the question, so he is compared to the kahins who made their utterances in this form.

Talq ibn Habib said, "I was the most vehement person in denying intercession. I questioned Jabir and he said, 'Tulayq, I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "They will come out of the Fire after entering it," and we recite (the same Book) you recite.'"

"I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying that a man was injured in the head at the time of the Messenger of Allah, then he had a wet dream. He was told to have a bath, so he took the bath, became rigid and stiff, and died. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah and he said: 'They have killed him, may Allah kill them! Is not the cure for a lack of knowledge to ask questions?'"'Ata' said: "We heard that the Messenger of Allah said: 'If only he had washed his body and left his head alone where the wound was.'"

I was a man who used to give (riding-beasts) on hire for this purpose (for travelling during the pilgrimage) and the people would tell (me): Your hajj is not valid. So I met Ibn Umar and told him: AbuAbdurRahman, I am a man who gives (riding-beast) on hire for this purpose (i.e. for hajj), and the people tell me: Your hajj is not valid. Ibn Umar replied: Do you not put on ihram (the pilgrim dress), call the talbiyah (labbayk), circumambulate the Ka'bah, return from Arafat and lapidate jamrahs? I said: Why not? Then he said: Your hajj is valid. a man came to the Prophet (saws) and asked him the same question you have asked me. The Messenger of Allah (saws) kept silence and did not answer him till this verse came down: "It is no sin for you that you seek the bounty of your Lord." The Messenger of Allah (saws) sent for him and recited this verse to him and said: Your hajj is valid.

Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said from Sulayman ibn Yasar from Abu Waqid al-Laythi that a man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab while he was in ash-Sham . He mentioned to him that he had found a man with his wife Umar sent Abu Waqid al-Laythi to the wife to question her about that. He came to her while there were women around her and mentioned to her what her husband had mentioned to Umar ibn al- Khattab, and informed her that she would not be punished on his word and began to suggest to her by that, that she should retract. She refused to retract and held firm to confession. Umar gave the order and she was stoned.

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the major sins?" Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked this question thrice. We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah. (Please inform us.)". He said, "Ascribing partners to Allah, and to be undutiful to your parents". Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sat up from his reclining position and said, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony; I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony". Messenger of Allah (PBUH) kept on repeating that warning till we wished he would stop.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Sa'id told a woman coming to God’s messenger and saying, “Messenger of God, the men have a monopoly of what you say, so appoint us a day on which we may come to you to teach us some of what God has taught you.” He told them to gather on such and such a day in such and such a place, and when they did so he came to them and taught them some of what God had taught him. Then he said, “No woman among you will be predeceased by three of her children without that being a curtain from hell for her." One of the women asked whether that applied if there were two, repeating the question twice, and he replied, “Two also, two also, two also." Bukharl transmitted it.

"The Messenger of Allah sat on the Minbar, and we sat around him. He said: 'What I fear most for you after I am gone is the (worldly) delights that will come to you.' And he spoke of this world and its attractions. A man said: 'Can good bring forth evil? 'The Messenger of Allah remained silent and it was said to him (that man): 'What is the matter with you? You speak to the Messenger of Allah when he does not speak to you? We noticed that he was receiving Revelation. Then he recovered and wiped off his sweat and said: I know what the questioner meant: he means that good never brings forth evil. But some of that which grows in the spring kills the animals or makes them sick, unless they eat Al-Khadir (kind of plant): if they eat their fill or it then turn to face the sun and then defecate and urinate and start to graze again. This wealth is fresh and sweet. Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to a Muslim from which he gives to orphans, the poor and wayfarers. The one who takes it unlawfully is like the one who eats but is never satisfied, and who eats but is never satisfied, and it will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection."'

"The people asked 'Abdullah too many questions one day, and 'Abdullah said: 'There was a time when we did not pass so many judgments, but now that time is over. Now Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has decreed that we reach a time when, as you see, (we are asked to pass many judgments). Whoever among you is asked to pass a judgment after this day, let him pass judgment according to what is in the Book of Allah. If he is faced with a matter that is not mentioned in the Book of Allah, let him pass judgment according to the way His Prophet [SAW] passed judgment. If he is faced with a matter that is not mentioned in the Book of Allah and concerning which His Prophet did not pass judgment, then let him pass judgment according to the way the righteous passed judgment. If he is faced with a matter that is not mentioned in the Book of Allah, and concerning which His Prophet and the righteous did not pass judgment, then let him strive to work it out, and let him not say 'I am afraid, I am afraid.' For that which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between them are matters which are not as clear. Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.'"

Abu Rukana divorced his wife with three pronouncements, in one sitting. Then, he was grieved about her and Allah's Messenger (SAW) told him, "They (the three pronouncements) are reckoned as a single (utterance of divorce)." [The two Ahadith have Ibn Ishaq, in their chains of narrators, and his reliability has been questioned].

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, “What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. For verily, it was only the excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

“I met Thawban and said to him: ‘Tell me a Hadith that Allah may benefit me thereby.’ But he remained silent. Then I said the same and he remained silent. That happened three times. Then he said to me: ‘You should prostrate to Allah; for I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: “No one prostrates to Allah but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby and will erase one of his sins.” Ma’dan said: “Then I met Abu Darda’ and asked him the same question, and he gave a similar answer.”

"while we were with the Messenger of Allah, sitting in the Masjid, a man entered on a camel. He made it kneel in the Masjid, then he hobbled it. Then he said; 'Which of you is Muhammad?' He was reclining among them, and we said to him: 'This white man who is reclining.' The man said to him: 'O son of 'Abdul-Muttalib.' The Messenger of Allah said to him: 'I have answered you.' The man said: 'O Muhammad, I am going to ask you questions and I will be harsh in asking.' He said; 'Ask whatever you like.' The man said; 'I adjure you by your Lord, and the Lord of those who came begfore you, has Allah sent you to all the people?' The messenger of Allah said: 'by Allah, yes,' He said: 'Iadjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month each year?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to take this charity from our rich and divide it among our poor?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'By Allah, Yes.' The ma said; 'I believe in that which you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who are coming after me. I am Dimam bin Thalabah, the brother of Banu sad bin Bakr."' (Sahih) 'Ubaidullah bin 'Umar contradicted him.

"A man among us married a woman, but he did not name a dowry for her, and he did not have intercourse with her before he died." 'Abdullah said: 'Since I left the Messenger of Allah I have never been asked a more difficult question than this. Go to someone else.' They kept coming to him for a month, then at the end of that they said: 'Who shall we ask if we do not ask you? You are one of the most prominent Companions of Muhammad in this land and we cannot find anyone else.' He said: 'I will say what I think, and if it is correct then it is from Allah alone, with no partner, and if it is wrong then it is from me and from the Shaitan, and Allah and His Messenger have nothing to do with it. I think she should be given a dowry like that of her peers and no less, with no injustice, and she may inherit from him, and she has to observe the 'Iddah, four months and ten days.'" He said: "And that was heard by some people from Ashja', who stood up and said: 'We bear witness that you have passed the same judgment as the Messenger of Allah did concerning a woman from among us who was called Birwa' bint Washiq.'" He said: "Abdullah was never seen looking so happy as he did on that day, except with having accepted Islam."

AbuMisbah al-Muqra'i said: We used to sit in the company of AbuZuhayr an-Numayri. He was a companion of the Prophet (saws), and he used to narrate good traditions. Once a man from among us made a supplication. He said: End it with the utterance of Amin, for Amin is like a seal on the book.

AbuZuhayr said: I shall tell you about that. We went out with the Messenger of Allah (saws) one night and came upon a man who made supplication with persistence. The Prophet (saws) waited to hear him. The Prophet (saws) said: He will have done something which guarantees (Paradise for him) if he puts a seal to it. One of the people asked: What should he use as a seal? He replied: Amin, for if he ends it with Amin, he will do something which guarantees (Paradise for him).

Then the man who questioned the Prophet (saws) came to the man who was supplicating, and said to him: So-and-so, end it with Amin and receive the good news. These are the words of Mahmud.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Muqra'i is a clan of Himyar.

I said to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Tell me about lailat al-qadr, O Abu al-Mundhir, for our companion (Ibn Mas'ud) was questioned about it, and he said: Anyone who gets up for prayer every night all the year round will hit upon it (i.e. lailat al-qadr). He replied: May Allah have mercy on Abu 'Abd al-Rahman. By Allah, he knew that it was in Ramadan, (Musaddad's version goes) but he disliked that the people should content themselves (with that night alone); or he liked that the people should not content themselves (with the night alone). According to the agreed version: By Allah, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan, without any reservation. I said: How did you know that, Abu al-Mundhir? He replied: By the indication (or sign) of which the Messenger of Allah (saws) informed us. I asked Zirr: What is the sign ? He replied: The sun rises like a vessel of water in the morning following that night; it has no rays until it rises high up.

Anas bin Malik said Among the Jews when a woman menstruated, they did not eat with her and drink with her and did not associate with her in their houses, so the Apostle of Allaah(saws) was questioned about it. Hence, Allah the Exalted revealed “And they ask you about menstruation,. Say “It is harmful, so keep aloof from women during menstruation till the end of the verse. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) said “Associate with them in the houses and do everything except sexual intercourse. The Jews thereupon said “This man does not leave anything we do without opposing us in it. Usaid bin Hudair and Abbad bin Bishr came to the Apostle of Allaah(saws) and said, Apostle of Allaah(saws) the Jews are saying such and such. Shall we not have intercourse with them during their menstruation? The face of the Apostle of Allaah(saws) underwent such a change that we thought he was angry with them, so they went out. They were met by a gift of milk which was being brought to the Apostle of Allaah(saws) and he sent after them, whereby we felt that he was not angry with them.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd ibn Aslam said, ''Umar ibn al Khattab drank some milk which he liked (very much) and he asked the man who had given it to him, 'Where did this milk come from?' The man told him that he had come to a watering-place, which he named, and had found grazing livestock from the zakat watering there. He was given some of their milk, which he then put into his water-skin, and that was the milk in question. Umar ibn al-Khattab then put his hand into his mouth to make himself vomit."

Malik said, "The position with us is that if anyone refuses to honour one of the obligatory demands of Allah, and the muslims are unable to get it, then they have the right to fight him until they get itfrom him."

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that one of the Ansar came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a black slave- girl of his. He said, "Messenger of Allah, I must set a slave free who is a mumina. If you think that she is mumina, I will free her." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, questioned her, "Do you testify that there is no god but Allah?" She said, "Yes." "Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" She said, "Yes." "Are you certain about the rising after death?" She said, "Yes." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Free her."

from their father: "The Companions of the Prophet (SAW) said, to an unknowing Bedouin man: 'Ask him who it is that has fulfilled his vow.' They were not in the habit of asking him questions out of their respect and reverence for him. So the Bedouin asked him, but he turned away from him. Then he asked him again, but he turned away from him. Then again he asked him, but he turned away from him. Then I stood looking from the door of the Masjid, while I was wearing a green garment, and I saw the Prophet (SAW), he said: 'Where is the one who was asking about the one who fulfilled his vow?' The Bedouin said: 'Here I am O Messenger of Allah!' The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'This is one who has fulfilled his vow.'"

from their father: "The Companions of the Prophet (SAW) said, to an unknowing Bedouin man: 'Ask him who it is that has fulfilled his vow.' They were not in the habit of asking questions out of their respect and reverence for him. So the Bedouin asked him, but he turned away from him. Then he asked him again, but he turned away from him. Then again he asked him, but he turned away from him. Then I stood looking from the door of the Masjid, while I was wearing a green garment, and I saw the Prophet (SAW), he said: 'Where is the one who was asking about the one who fulfilled his vow?' The Bedouin said: 'Here I am O Messenger of Allah!' The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'This is one who has fulfilled his vow.'"

We were sitting in the company of Sa'd bin 'Ubadah (May Allah be pleased with him), when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to us. Bashir bin Sa'd said: "O Messenger of Allah! Allah has commanded us to supplicate for you, but how should we do that?" The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) kept silent. We were much perturbed over his silence and we wished he did not asked him this question. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Say: 'O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted the family of Ibrahim. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Glorified,' and the method of greeting (i.e., Salam) is as you know."

[Muslim].

Abu Musa was asked about a case where there were a daughter, a son’s daughter and a sister and replied, “The daughter gets half and the sister gets half. Go to Ibn Mas'ud and you will find that he agrees with me.” When Ibn Mas'ud was asked and told what Abu Musa had said he replied, “I would then be in error and not be one of those who are rightly guided. I decide concerning the matter as the Prophet did: The daughter gets half and the son’s daughter a sixth, making two-thirds, and what remains goes to the sister.” We then went to Abu Musa and when we told him what Ibn Mas'ud had said he replied, “Do not question me as long as this learned man is among you.” Bukhari transmitted it. (Here again we find a tradition by Bukhari in Section 2.)

Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib told of a desert Arab who came to the Prophet and said, "Teach me an action which will bring me into paradise.” He replied, "You have asked a large question in few words. Emancipate, a man and set free a slave." He asked if the two were not the same thing, and he replied, "No; emancipating a man is doing it by yourself, and setting free a slave is contributing towards his price. You must also lend for milking a she-camel which has much milk and be well disposed towards a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, recommend what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable. And if you cannot do that, restrain your tongue from everything but what is good.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.

Abu Umama said that a Jewish doctor asked the Prophet what places were best, but he did not answer his question, saying, “I shall say nothing till Gabriel comes.” So he remained silent, and when Gabriel came he asked him, but he replied, “The one who is asked knows no more than the one who asks, but I shall ask my Lord.” Later Gabriel said, “Muhammad, I approached my Lord nearer than I have ever come before.” When Muhammad asked about that, he replied, “Between Him and me there were seventy thousand veils of light, and He said that the worst places were their markets and the best their mosques.”* *The source of the tradition is not given in the text. The editor of the Damascus edition says it comes rightly from Ibn Hibban from Ibn ‘Umar.

We asked God’s Messenger this question, “How is blessing to be invoked on you who belong to the prophetic family? God has taught us [only] how to salute you.” He told us to say, “O God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad’s family as Thou didst bless Abraham and Abraham’s family. Thou art indeed praiseworthy and glorious. O God, grant favours to Muhammad and Muhammad’s family as Thou didst grant favours to Abraham and Abraham’s family. Thou art indeed praiseworthy and glorious.” (Bukhari and Muslim, but Muslim did not mention Abraham in the two places.)

Shariq al-Hauzani told that he visited ‘A’isha and asked her what God’s Messenger said first when he rose during the night. Replying that he had asked her a question she had never been asked by anyone before, she said that when he rose during the night he said “God is most great” ten times, “Praise be to God” ten times, “Glory be to God, and praise be to him” ten times, “Glory be to the King most holy” ten times, he asked pardon from God ten times, said “There is no god but God” ten times, then said, “O God, I seek refuge in Thee from the distress of this world and from the distress of the day of resurrection” ten times, then he began the prayer. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

As-Sa'b ibn Hakim reported that his grandfather said, "I came to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. He began to say, 'Nephew.' Then he questioned me and I told him my lineage and so he knew that my father had not become Muslim. He began to say, 'My son, my son.'"

"The Messenger of Allah [SAW] would sit among his Companions and if a stranger came, he would not know which of them was he (the Prophet [SAW]) until he asked. So we suggested to the Messenger of Allah [SAW] that we should make a dais for him so that any stranger would know him if he came to him. So we built for him a bench made of clay on which he used to sit. (One day) we were sitting and the Messenger of Allah [SAW] was sitting in his spot, when a man came along who was the most handsome and good-smelling of all people, and it was as if no dirt had ever touched his garments. He came near the edge of the rug and greeted him, saying: 'Peace be upon you, O Muhammad!' He returned the greeting, and he said: 'Shall I come closer, O Muhammad?' He came a little closer, and he kept telling him to come closer, until he put his hands on the knees of the Messenger of Allah [SAW]. He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is Islam?' He said: 'Islam means to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him; to establish Salah, to pay Zakah, to perform Hajj to the House, and to fast Ramadan.' He said: 'If I do that, will I have submitted (be a Muslim)?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth,' we found it odd. He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is faith?' He said: 'To believe in Allah [SWT], His Angels, the Book, the Prophets, and to believe in the Divine Decree.' He said: 'If I do that, will I have believed?' The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'Yes.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me, what is Al-Ihsan?' He said: 'To worship Allah [SWT] as if you can see Him, for although you cannot see Him, He can see you.' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' He said: 'O Muhammad, tell me about the Hour.' He lowered his head and did not answer. Then he repeated the question, and he did not answer. Then he repeated the question (a third time) and he did not answer. Then he raised his head and said: 'The one who is being asked does not know more than the one who is asking. But it has signs, by which it may be known. When you see the herdsmen competing in building tall buildings, when you see the barefoot and naked ruling the Earth, when you see a woman giving birth to her mistress. Five things which no one knows except Allah [SWT]. Verily, Allah, with Him (alone) is the knowledge of the Hour up to His saying: 'Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things).' Then he said: 'No, by the One who sent Muhammad with the truth, with guidance and glad tidings, I did not know him more than any man among you. That was Jibril, peace be upon you, who came down in the form of Dihyah Al-Kalbi.'"

What is this hadith that you narrate that the Last Hour would come at such and such time? Thereupon he said: Hallowed be Allah, there is no god but Allah (or the words to the same effect). I have decided that I would not narrate anything to anyone now. I had only said that you would see after some time an important event that the (sacred) House (Ka'ba) would be burnt and it would happen and definitely happen. He then reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: The Dajjal would appear in my Ummah and he would stay (in the world) for forty - I cannot say whether he meant forty days, forty months or forty years. And Allah would then send Jesus son of Mary who would resemble 'Urwa b Mas'ud. He (Jesus Christ) would chase him and kill him. Then people would live for seven years that there would be no rancour between two persons. Then Allah would send cold wind from the side of Syria that none would survive upon the earth having a speck of good in him or faith in him but he would die, so much so that even if some amongst you were to enter the innermost part of the mountain, this wind would reach that place also and that would cause his death. I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Only the wicked people would survive and they would be as careless as birds with the characteristics of beasts. They would never appreciate the good nor condemn evil. Then Satan would come to them in human form and would say: Don't you respond? And they would say: What do you order us? And he would command them to worship the idols but, in spite of this, they would have abundance of sustenance and lead comfortable lives. Then the trumpet would be blown and no one would hear that but he would bend his neck to one side and raise it from the other side and the first one to hear that trumpet would be the person who would be busy in setting right the tank meant for providing water to the camels. He would swoon and the other people would also swoon, then Allah would send or He would cause to send rain which would be like dew and there would grow out of it the bodies of the people. Then the second trumpet would be blown and they would stand up and begin to look (around). Then it would be said: O people, go to your Lord, and make them stand there. And they would be questioned. Then it would be said: Bring out a group (out of them) for the Hell-Fire. And then it would be asked: How much? It would be said: Nine hundred and ninty-nine out of one thousand for the Hell-Fire and that would be the day which would make the children old because of its terror and that would be the day about which it has been said: "On the day when the shank would be uncovered" (lxviii. 42).

I and my father set out in search of knowledge to a tribe of the Ansar before their death (i. e. before the Companions of the Holy Prophet left the world) and I was the first to meet Abu Yasar, a Companion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and there was a young man with him who carried the record of letters with him and there was a mantle prepared by the tribe of Ma'afiri upon him. And his servant too had a Ma'afiri mantle over him. My father said to him: My uncle, I see the signs of anger or that of agony on your face. He said: Yes, such and such person, the son of so and so, of the tribe of Harami owed me a debt. I went to his family, extended salutations and said: Where is he? They said: He is not here. Then came out to me his son who was at the threshold of his youth. I said to him: Where is your father? He said: No sooner did he hear your sound than he hid himself behind my mother's bedstead. I said to him: Walk out to me, for I know where you are. He came out. I said to him: What prompted you to hide yourself from me? He said: By God, whatever I would say to you would not be a lie. By Allah, I fear that I should tell a lie to you and in case of making promise with you I should break it, as you are the Companion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). The fact is that I was hard up in regard to money. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. I said: Do you adjure by Allah? He said: I adjure by Allah. Then he brought his promissory note and he wrote off (the debt) with his hand and said: Make payment when you find yourself solvent enough to pay me back; if you are not, then there is no liability upon you. These two eyes of mine saw, and he (Abu'I-Yasar) placed his fingers upon his eyes and these two ears of mine heard and my heart retained, and he pointed towards his heart that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He who gives time to one who is financially hard up (in the payment of debt) or writes off his debt, Allah will provide him His shadow. I said to him: My uncle, if you get the cloak of your servant and you give him your two clothes, or take his two clothes of Ma'afir and give him your cloak, then there would be one dress for you and one for him. He wiped my head and said: O Allah, bless the son of my brother. O, son of my brother, these two very eyes of mine saw and these two ears of mine listened to and this heart of mine retained this, and he pointed towards the heart that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Feed them (the servants) and clothe them (the servants) what you wear, and if I give him the goods of the world, it is easy for me than this that he should take my virtues on the Day of Resurrection. We went on till we came to Jabir b. Abdullah in the mosque and he was busy in observing prayer in one cloth which he had joined at its opposite ends. I made my way through the people till I sat between him and the Qibla and I said: May Allah have mercy upon you. Do you observe prayer with one cloth on your body whereas your mantle is lying at your side? He pointed me with his hand towards my breast just like this and he separated his fingers and bent them in the shape of a bow. And (he said): I thought that a fool like you should come to me so that he should see me as I do and he should then also do like it. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us in this very mosque and he had in his hand the twig of the palm-tree and he saw mucus towards the Qibla of the mosque and he erased it with the help of the twig. He then came to us and said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We were afraid. He then again said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We were afraid. He again said: Who amongst you likes that Allah should turn His face away from him? We said: Allah's Messenger, none of us likes it. And he said: If one amongst you stands for prayer, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, is before him he should not spit in front of him, or on his right side, but should spit on his left side beneath his left foot and if he is impelled to do so all of a sudden (in spite of himself) he should then spit in his cloth and fold it in some part of it. (and he further said: ) Bring some sweet-smelling thing. A young man who belonged to our tribe stood up, went and brought scent in his palm. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took that and applied it to the end of that twig and then touched the place where there had been mucus. Jabir said: This is why you should apply scent to your mosques. It is reported on the same authority: We set out along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on an expedition of Batn Buwat. He (the Holy Prophet) was in search of al-Majdi b. 'Amr al-Juhani. (We had so meagre equipment) that five. six or seven of us had one camel to ride and so we mounted it turn by turn. Once there wan. the turn of an Ansari to ride upon the camel. He made it kneel down to ride over it (and after having. mounted it), he tried to raise it up but it hesitated. So he said. May there be curse of Allah upon you! Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who is there to curse his camel? He said: Allah's Messenger, it' is I. Thereupon he said: Get down from the camel and let us not have in our company the cursed one. Don't curse your own selves, nor your children. nor your belongings. There is the possibility that your curse may synchronies with the time when Allah is about to confer upon you what you demand and thus your prayer may be readily responded. It is reported on the same authority: We set out on an expedition along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) until it was evening, and we had been near a. water reservoir of Arabia. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who would be the person who would go ahead and set right the reservoir and drink water himself and serve us with it? Jabir said: I stood up and said: Allah's Messenger, it is I who am ready to do that. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who is the person to accompany Jabir? And then Jabbar b. Sakhr stood up. So we went to that well and poured in that tank a bucket or two of water and plastered it with clay and then began to fill it (with water) until it was filled to the brim. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was the first who appeared before us, and he said: Do you (both) permit me to drink water out of it? We said: Yea, Allah's Messenger. He led his camel to drink water and it drank. He then pulled its rein and it stretched its legs and began to urinate. He then took it aside and made it kneel down at another place and then came to the tank and performed ablution. I then got up and performed ablution like the ablution of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and Jabbar b. Sakhr went in order to relieve himself and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) got up to observe prayer and there was a mantle over me. I tried to invert its ends but it was too short (to cover my body easily). It had its borders. I then inverted it (the mantle) and drew its opposite ends and then tied them at my neck. I then came and stood upon the left side of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He caught hold of me and made me go round behind him, until he made me stand on his right side. Then Jabbar b. Sakhr came. He performed ablution and then came and stood on the left side of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) caught hold of our hands together, pushed us back and made us stand behind him. Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) began to look upon me with darting looks, but I did not perceive that. After that I became aware of it and he pointed with the gesture of his hand that I should wrap my loin-cloth. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had finished the prayer, he said: Jabir! I said: Allah's Messenger, at thy beck and call. He said: When the cloth around you is inadequate, then tie the opposite ends but when it is small, tie it over the lower body. Jabir reported: We set out on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and the only means of sustenance for every person amongst us was only one date for a day and we used to chew it. And we struck the leaves with the help of our bow and ate them until the sides of our mouths were injured. It so happened one day that a person was overlooked and not given a date. We carried that person and bore witness to the fact that he had not been given that date so he was offered that and he got up and received that. Jabir reported: We set out on an expedition along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) until we got down at a spacious valley and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) went to relieve himself. I followed him with a bucket full of water and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) looked about and he found no privacy but two trees at the end of the valley and Allah's Messenger (may. peace be upon him) went to one of them and took hold of one of its twigs and said: Be thou under my control by the permission of Allah, and so it came under his control like the camel who has its nosestring in the hand of its rider, and then he came to the second tree and took hold of a twig and said: Be thou under my control with the permission of Allah, and it came under his control, and when he came in the middle of the two trees he joined together the two twigs and said: join with the permission of Allah. Jabir said: I was afraid lest Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) should be aware of my nearness and go still farther. And Muhammad b. Abbad has used the word" faitab'd" and I began to talk to myself. And as I saw, I suddenly found Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) before me and the two trees were separated and each one of them was standing at its place. I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) standing for a short time, nodding his head towards right and left. Isma'il pointed towards the right and left with the help of his head (in order to demonstrate how the Holy Prophet had pointed). Then he (the Holy Prophet) came to me and said: Jabir did you see my place where I was standing? I said: Allah's Messenger, yes. He then said: Then you should go to those two trees and cut a twig from each of them and go to that place with them where I was standing and stand there where I was standing and place a twig on the right and a twig on the left. Jabir said: I set out and took hold of a stone and broke it and sharpened it and then I came to those trees and cut a twig from each one of them. I then came dragging them until I stood at the place where Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had been standing and placed a twig on the right and a twig on the left. Then I met him and said: Allah's Messenger, I have done that, but (kindly) explain to me the reason for it. Thereupon he said: I passed by two graves the occupants of which had been undergoing torment. I liked to make intercession for them so that the might be relieved of this torment y as long as these twigs remain fresh. Jabir said: We came back to the (camp of the) army and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Jabir, call people for per- forming wudu. I cried: Come and perform wudu, come and perform wudu, come and perform wudu. I said: Allah's Messenger, there is not even a drop of water in the army camp, and there. was a person who used to cool the water for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in the old water-skin which kept hanging by the twig. He asked me to go to such and such Ansari and ask him to see if there was any water in that skin. I went to him and cast a glance in it but did not find anything but a drop in the mouth of that water-skin and if I were to draw that, the water-skin's,. dried part would suck it up. I came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, I have not found anything in it but a drop of water in the mouth of the water-skin and now if I were to draw that, it would be absorbed. He said: Go and bring that to me. I brought that to him. He took hold of it -and began to utter something which I could not understand and then pressed it with his hand and gave that to me and said: Jabir, announce for the tub to be brought. So I announced that the tub of the army (be brought). It was brought accordingly and I placed it before him (the Holy Prophet). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) placed his hands in the tub like this: with his fingers stretched out, and then he placed his fingers at the bottom of the tub and said: Jabir, take it (that waters-skin) and pour water over me, by reciting Bismillah, and I poured water and I said: Bismillah, and found water sprouting out between the fingers of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Then that tub gushed forth until it was filled up and the Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Jabir, make an announcement to the effect: He who needs water should take that. Jabir said: The people came and got water until they were all satiated. I said: Is there anyone left who wants to get it? And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) then lifted up his hand from that tub and it was still full. Then the people made a complaint to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) about hunger and he said: May Allah provide you food! We came to the bank of the ocean and the ocean was tossing and it threw out a big animal and we lit fire and cooked it and took it until we had eaten to our heart's content. Jabir said: I and such and such five persons entered Its socket and nobody could see us until we had come out, and we took hold of one of its ribs and twisted it into a sort of arch, then we called the tallest of the persons of the army and the hugest of the camels of the army and it had the big saddle over it, and it could easily pass through it without the rider having need to bend down.

"Uwaimir came to 'Asim bin 'Adi and said: 'Ask the Messenger of Ailah (SAW) for me: "Do you think that if a man finds another man with his wife and kills him, he should be killed in retaliation, or what should he do?" 'Asim asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW) about that, and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) disapproved of the question. Then 'Uwaimir met him ('Asim) and asked him about that, saying: 'What did you do?’ He said: I did that and you have not brought me any good. I asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and he disapproved of this question.’ Uwaimir said: 'By Allah, I will go to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) myself and ask him.' So he went to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and found that Qur'an had been revealed concerning them, and the Prophet (SAW) told them to go through the procedure of Li'an. 'Uwaimir said: 'O Messenger of Allah, (SAW) by Allah if I take her back, I would have been telling lies about her.' So he left her before the Messenger of Allah (SAW) told him to do so, and that became the Sunnah for two who engage in the procedure of Li'an. Then the Prophet (SAW) said: 'Wait and see. If she gives birth to a child who is black in color with widely-spaced dark eyes and large buttocks, then I think that he was telling the truth about her, but if she gives birth to a child with a red complexion like a Wahrah,[1] then I think that he was lying.' Then she gave birth to a child with features resembling those of the man concerning whom she was accused."

"While the Prophet was with his Companions a man from among the desert people came and said: 'Which of you is the son of 'Abdul-Muttalib?' They said: 'This Anghar man who is reclining on a pillow.' (One of the narrators) Hamzah said: "Amghar means white with a reddish complexion.'- The man said: 'I am going to ask you questions and I will be harsh in asking.' He said: 'ask whatever you like.' He said: 'I ask you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you, and the Lord of those who will come after you; has Allah sent you?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.' He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to offer five prayers each day and night?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.; He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to take from the wealth of our rich and give it to our poor?' he said: 'By Allah, yes He said: 'I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month out of the twelve months?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.' He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to go on pilgrimage to this House, where can afford it?' He said: 'By Allah yes.' He said: 'I belive, and I am Dimam bin Thalabah."'

While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (saws) there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet (saws) rested his knees against the knees of the Prophet (saws) and placed his palms over his thighs, and said: "O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (saws), that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." He said: "You have spoken the truth." We were astonished at his thus questioning him (saws) and then telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken the truth." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Prophet) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about its signs." He said, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Prophet) said, "O `Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim]

One day when we were with God's messenger, a man with very white clothing and very black hair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and none of us recognised him. Sitting down beside the Prophet, leaning his knees against his, and placing his hands on his thighs, he said, “Tell me, Muhammad, about Islam." He replied, “Islam means that you should testify that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger, that you should observe the prayer, pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House if you have the means to go." He said, “You have spoken the truth." We were surprised at his questioning him and then declaring that he spoke the truth. He said, “Now tell me about faith.” He replied, “It means that you should believe in God, His angels, His books, His apostles, and the last day, and that you should believe in the decreeing both of good and evil." Remarking that he had spoken the truth, he then said, “Now tell me about doing good." He replied, “It means that you should worship God as though you saw Him, for He sees you though you do not see Him." He said, “Now tell me about the Hour." He replied, “The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the one who is asking." He said, “Then tell me about its signs." He replied, “That a maid-servant should beget her mistress, and that you should see barefooted, naked, poor men and shepherds exalting themselves in buildings." [‘Umar] said: He then went away, and after I had waited for a long time [the Prophet] said to me, “Do you know who the questioner was, ‘Umar?" I replied, “God and His messenger know best." He said, “He was Gabriel who came to you to teach you your religion." Muslim transmitted it.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from clsa ibn Talha that Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stopped for the people at Mina, and they questioned him and a man came and said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, I was unclear about what to do and I shaved before sacrificing,' and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Sacrifice, and don't worry.' Then another came to him and said 'Messenger of Allah, I was unclear about what to do and I sacrificed before throwing the stones.' He advised, 'Throw, and don't worry.' "

Amr continued, saying that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not asked about anything done before or after without his saying, "Do it, and don't worry."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Urwa ibn Udhayna al-Laythi said, "I went out with my grandmother who had vowed to walk to the House of Allah. When we had gone part of the way, she could not go on. I sent one of her mawlas to question Abdullah ibn Umar and I went with him. He asked Abdullah ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn Umar said to him, 'Take her and let her ride, and when she has the strength let her ride back, and start to walk from the place from which she was unable to go on.'~

Yahya said that he had heard Malik say, "I think that she must sacrifice an animal."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Said ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salama ibn Abd ar- Rahman said the same as Abdullah ibn Umar.