Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham that he heard Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham say, "My father and I were with Marwan ibn al Hakam at the time when he was amir of Madina, and someone mentioned to him that Abu Hurayra used to say, 'If someone begins the morning junub, he has broken the fast for that day.' Marwan said, 'I swear to you, Abdar-Rahman, you must go to the two umm al muminin, A'isha and Umm Salama, and ask them about it.'

''Abd ar-Rahman went to visit A'isha and I accompanied him. He greeted her and then said, 'Umm al-muminin, we were with Marwan ibn al Hakam and someone mentioned to him that Abu Hurayra used to say that if some one had begun the morning junub, he had broken the fast for that day.' A'isha said, 'It is not as Abu Hurayra says Abd ar-Rahman. Do you dislike what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do?', and Abd ar-Rahman said, 'No, by Allah.' A'isha said, 'I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to get up in the morning junub from intercourse, not a dream, and would then fast for that day.' "

He continued, "Then we went and visited Umm Salama, and Abd ar- Rahman asked her about the same matter and she said the same as A'isha had said. Then we went off until we came to Marwan ibn al-Hakam Abd ar-Rahman told him what they had both said and Marwan said, 'I swear to you, Abu Muhammad, you must use the mount which is at the door, and go to Abu Hurayra, who is on his land at al Aqiq, and tell him this.' So Abd ar-Rahman rode off, and I went with him, until we came to Abu Hurayra. Abd ar-Rahman talked with him for a while, and then mentioned the matter to him, and Abu Hurayra said, 'I don't know anything about it. I was just told that by someone.'"

Ibn `Umar never used to take his meal unless a poor man was called to eat with him. One day I brought a poor man to eat with him, the man ate too much, whereupon Ibn `Umar said, "O Nafi`! Don't let this man enter my house, for I heard the Prophet saying, "A believer eats in one intestine (is satisfied with a little food), and a kafir (unbeliever) eats in seven intestines (eats much food).

The Prophet said, "Avoid the seven great destructive sins." They (the people!) asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What are they?" He said, "To join partners in worship with Allah; to practice sorcery; to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause (according to Islamic law); to eat up usury (Riba), to eat up the property of an orphan; to give one's back to the enemy and fleeing from the battle-field at the time of fighting and to accuse chaste women who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers."

A woman who used to practise tattooing was brought to `Umar. `Umar got up and said, "I beseech you by Allah, which of you heard the Prophet saying something about tattooing?" l got up and said, "0 chief of the Believers! l heard something." He said, "What did you hear?" I said, "I heard the Prophet (addressing the ladies), saying, 'Do not practise tattooing and do not get yourselves tattooed.'"

Allah's Apostle came across me and I was Junub. He took my hand and I went along with him till he sat down I slipped away, went home and took a bath. When I came back, he was still sitting there. He then said to me, "O Abu Huraira! Where have you been?' I told him about it. The Prophet said, "Subhan Allah! O Abu Huraira! A believer never becomes impure."

I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shouldn't we participate in Holy battles and Jihad along with you?" He replied, "The best and the most superior Jihad (for women) is Hajj which is accepted by Allah." `Aisha added: Ever since I heard that from Allah's Apostle I have determined not to miss Hajj.

The Prophet used to recite the following invocations during Qunut: "O Allah! Save Salama bin Hisham. O Allah! Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid. O Allah! Save `Aiyash bin Rabi`a O Allah ! Save the weak Muslims. O Allah! Be very hard on Mudar tribe. O Allah! Afflict them with years (of famine) similar to the (famine) years of the time of Prophet Joseph."

The Prophet said, "A tent (in Paradise) is like a hollow pearl which is thirty miles in height and on every corner of the tent the believer will have a family that cannot be seen by the others." (Narrated Abu `Imran in another narration, "The tent is sixty miles in height.")

Allah's Apostle said, "O Allah! Save `Aiyyash bin Abi Rabi`a (from the unjust treatment of the infidels). O Allah! Save Salama bin Hisham. O Allah! Send your Punishment on (the tribe of) Mudar. O Allah! Let them suffer from years (of drought) similar to that inflicted during the life-time of Joseph."

Allah's Apostle said, "Not to wish to be the like except of two men. A man whom Allah has given the (knowledge of the) Qur'an and he recites it during the hours of night and day and the one who wishes says: If I were given the same as this (man) has been given, I would do what he does, and a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the just and right way, in which case the one who wishes says, 'If I were given the same as he has been given, I would do what he does.' " (See Hadith 5025 and 5026)

Allah's Apostle finished his prayer after offerings two rak`at only. Dhul-Yaddain asked him whether the prayer had been reduced, or you had forgotten?" The Prophet said, "Is Dhul-Yaddain speaking the truth?" The people said, "Yes." Then Allah's Apostle stood up and performed another two rak`at and then finished prayer with Taslim, and then said the Takbir and performed a prostration similar to or longer than his ordinary prostrations; then he raised his head, said Takbir and prostrated and then raised his head (Sahu prostrations).

When the Muslims arrived at Medina, they used to assemble for the prayer, and used to guess the time for it. During those days, the practice of Adhan for the prayers had not been introduced yet. Once they discussed this problem regarding the call for prayer. Some people suggested the use of a bell like the Christians, others proposed a trumpet like the horn used by the Jews, but `Umar was the first to suggest that a man should call (the people) for the prayer; so Allah's Apostle ordered Bilal to get up and pronounce the Adhan for prayers.

I saw Allah's Apostle opening the prayer with the Takbir and raising his hands to the level of his shoulders at the time of saying the Takbir, and on saying the Takbir for bowing he did the same; and when he said, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah ", he did the same and then said, "Rabbana wa laka lhamd." But he did not do the same on prostrating and on lifting the head from it."

`Umar sent the Muslims to the great countries to fight the pagans. When Al-Hurmuzan embraced Islam, `Umar said to him. "I would like to consult you regarding these countries which I intend to invade." Al-Hurmuzan said, "Yes, the example of these countries and their inhabitants who are the enemies. of the Muslims, is like a bird with a head, two wings and two legs; If one of its wings got broken, it would get up over its two legs, with one wing and the head; and if the other wing got broken, it would get up with two legs and a head, but if its head got destroyed, then the two legs, two wings and the head would become useless. The head stands for Khosrau, and one wing stands for Caesar and the other wing stands for Faris. So, order the Muslims to go towards Khosrau." So, `Umar sent us (to Khosrau) appointing An-Nu`man bin Muqrin as our commander. When we reached the land of the enemy, the representative of Khosrau came out with forty-thousand warriors, and an interpreter got up saying, "Let one of you talk to me!" Al-Mughira replied, "Ask whatever you wish." The other asked, "Who are you?" Al-Mughira replied, "We are some people from the Arabs; we led a hard, miserable, disastrous life: we used to suck the hides and the date stones from hunger; we used to wear clothes made up of fur of camels and hair of goats, and to worship trees and stones. While we were in this state, the Lord of the Heavens and the Earths, Elevated is His Remembrance and Majestic is His Highness, sent to us from among ourselves a Prophet whose father and mother are known to us. Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. tribute); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says:-- "Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master." (Al-Mughira, then blamed An-Nu`man for delaying the attack and) An-Nu' man said to Al-Mughira, "If you had participated in a similar battle, in the company of Allah's Apostle he would not have blamed you for waiting, nor would he have disgraced you. But I accompanied Allah's Apostle in many battles and it was his custom that if he did not fight early by daytime, he would wait till the wind had started blowing and the time for the prayer was due (i.e. after midday).

Allah's Apostle performed four `Umras, all in the month of Dhul-Qa'da, except the one which he performed with his Hajj (i.e. in Dhul-Hijja). He performed one `Umra from Al-Hudaibiya in Dhul- Qa'da, another `Umra in the following year in Dhul Qa'da a third from Al-Jirana where he distributed the war booty of Hunain, in Dhul Qa'da, and the fourth `Umra he performed was with his Hajj.

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

`Ali delivered a sermon saying, "We have no book to read except the Book of Allah and what is written in this paper which contains verdicts regarding (retaliation for) wounds, the ages of the camels (given as Zakat or as blood money) and the fact that Medina is a sanctuary in between Air mountain to so-and-so (mountain). So, whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits a sin or gives shelter in it, to such an innovator will incur the Curse of Allah, the angels and all the people, and none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted. And whoever (freed slave) takes as his master (i.e. befriends) other than his real masters will incur the same (Curse). And the asylum granted by any Muslim is to be secured by all the other Muslims, and whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect will incur the same (Curse).