“The believers will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection, inspired or worried.” – Sa’eed was not sure – “And they will say: ‘If we seek someone to intercede for us with our Lord, we may find relief from our situation.’ So they will go to Adam and will say: ‘You are Adam, the father of mankind. Allah created you with His Hand and His angels prostrated to you. Intercede for us with your Lord, that He might grant us relief from our situation.’ He will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention to them and complain of the sin that he committed. He will feel too shy to do that (and will say): ‘Rather go to Nuh, for he is the first Messenger whom Allah sent to the people of earth.’ So they will go to him, but he will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention of how he asked of Allah that of which he had no knowledge.* He will feel too shy to do that (and will say): ‘Rather go to the Close Friend of the Most Merciful, Ibrahim.’ So they will go to him and he will say: ‘I am not the one. Rather go to Musa, a slave to whom Allah spoke and to whom He gave the Torah.’ So they will go to him and he will say: ‘I am not the one,’ and he will mention how he killed a soul, not in retaliation for murder (and will say): ‘Rather go to ‘Isa, the slave of Allah and His Messenger, the Word of Allah and a spirit created by Him.’ So they will go to him, but he will say: ‘I am not the one. Rather go to Muhammad, a slave whose past and future sins Allah forgave.’ So they will come to me and I will go with them.” – There was a similar report from Hasan who added (the Prophet (saw) said:) And I will walk between two rows of the believers.” Then he went back to the Hadith of Anas. – And he said: “And I will ask my Lord for permission and permission will be given to me. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a second time. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a third time. When I see Him I will fall down prostrating, and I will be left as long as Allah wills to leave me. Then it will be said: ‘Get up, O Muhammad. Speak, you will be heard; ask, you will be given; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ I will praise Him with praise that He will teach me, then I will intercede, and a limit will be set. Then they will be admitted to Paradise, and I will come back a fourth time and will say: ‘O Lord, there is no one left except those who are detained by the Qur’an.’” **

Qatadah (the Tabi'ee in the chain) would narrate after this hadith that Anas (ra) said "Those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' (there is no god except Allah) and had the weight of a grain of barley in good in his heart will come out of the Fire, and those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' and had a weight of a grain of wheat in good in his heart will come out of the Fire, and those who said 'La illaha illa Allah' and had a weight of a grain of dust in good in his heart will come out of the Fire."

from Anas bin Malik: "The Messenger of Allah (SAW) got married, and he went in with his wife." He said: "So my mother, Umm Sulaim prepared some Hais in a Tawr (a vessel made of brass and stone) and said: 'O Anas! Take this to the Prophet (SAW).' I said to him: 'My mother sent this to you, and she conveys her Salam, and says: 'This is a little something from us for you.'" He said: 'Put it down.' Then he said: 'Go and invite so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so for me, and whomever you meet.'" He named some people, and said: "I invited those he named, and whomever I met." - He (Al-Ja'd) said: "I said to Anas: 'How many of you were there?' He said: 'Roughly about three-hundred.'" - He (Anas) said: "The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to me: 'O Anas! Bring me the Tawr.'" He said: "They entered until the Suffah (a shaded part of the Masjid in Al-Madinah) and the apartment were full. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'Let groups of ten in, and let each person eat what is near him.'" He said: "They ate until they were full." He said: "A group exited, and another group entered, until all of them ate.'" He said: "He said to me: 'O Anas! Remove it.'" He said: "So I took it. I could not tell if there was more when I first put it down, or when I picked it up." He said: "Groups of them sat talking in the house of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), while the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and his wife sat facing the wall. They began to be burdensome on the Messenger of Allah (SAW), so the Messenger of Allah (SAW) went out to greet his women folk, then he returned, they realized that they had overburdened him, so they hastened for the gate and all of them exited. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) came until he lowered the curtain, and entered while I was sitting in the apartment. He did not remain there long before he left me, and these Ayat were revealed. So the Messenger of Allah (SAW) went out to recite them to the people: 'O you who believe! Do not enter the Prophet's house unless permission is given to you for a meal, not to wait for its preparation. But when you are invited, enter, and when you have taken your meals, dispense without sitting for a talk. Verily, such annoys the Prophet...' till the end of the Ayah (33:53)' Al-Ja'd said: "Anas said: 'I am the earliest of the people to encounter these Ayat, and to be screened from the wives of the Prophet (SAW)."

Sa'id b. al-Musayyib told that he met Abu Huraira who said, "I ask God to bring us together in the market of paradise." Sa'id asked if it contained a market and he replied that it did, for God's messenger had informed him that when the inhabitants of paradise enter it they will alight in it by virtue of their deeds. They will then be granted permission for the period of a Friday in this world and will visit their Lord whose throne will be shown to them, and He will appear to them in one of the gardens of paradise. Pulpits of light, pulpits of pearls, pulpits of rubies, pulpits of chrysoprase, pulpits of gold and pulpits of silver will be placed for them, and the humblest of them, for there is no one worthless among them, will sit on mounds of musk and camphor, not considering that those who are on the chairs are in a more excellent position than they. Abu Huraira told that he asked, "Messenger of God, shall we see our Lord?" to which he replied, "Yes, are you in doubt about seeing the sun and the moon on the night when it is full?" On receiving the reply that they were not, he said, "Similarly you will have no doubts about the vision of your Lord, and no man will remain in that assembly without God conversing with him, till he says to one of them, `So and so son of so and so, do you remember the day you said such and such?' and He will remind him of one of the dishonest things he did in the world. He will say, `0 my Lord, hast Thou not forgiven me?' and He will reply, `Yes; by the wideness of my forgiveness, you have reached this station of yours.' While that is taking place a cloud will overshadow them from above and rain on them perfume whose fragrance will be such as they have never experienced my thing to compare with, and our Lord will say, `Get up and go to the honour I have prepared for you, and take what you desire.' We shall then come to a market surrounded by angels containing such things as eyes have never seen, ears have never heard, and hearts have never thought of. What we desire will be conveyed to us, there being no buying or selling in it, and in that market the inhabitants of paradise will meet one another. A man of exalted station will come forward and meet one who is humbler than he, though there is no one worthless among them, who will be charmed by the clothing he sees him wearing, but before their talk comes to an end, he will imagine that he has something more beautiful than the other. That is because it is not fitting for anyone to grieve in it. We shall then go to our dwellings and our wives will meet us and say, `Welcome; you have come with more excellent beauty than you had when you left us.' We shall reply, To-day we have had a meeting with our Lord, the Overpowering One, and it is fitting that we should come away as we have done'." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah trans - mitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition

"The people of As-Suffah were the guests of the people of Islam,they had nothing of people nor wealth to rely upon. And By Allah, the One Whom there is none worthy of worship besides Him – I would lay on the ground on my liver (side) due to hunger, And I would fasten a stone to my stomach out of hunger. One day I sat by the way that they (the Companions) use to come out through. Abu Bakr passed and so I asked him about an Ayah from Allah's Book, not asking him except that he might tell me to follow him (for something to eat). But he passed on without doing so. Then `Umar passed, so I asked him about an Ayah from Allah's Book, not asking him except that he might tell me to follow him. But he passed on without doing so. Then Abul-Qasim (s.a.w) passed, and he smiled when he saw me, and said: 'Abu Hurairah?' I said: 'I am here O Messenger of Allah!' He said: 'Come along.' He continued and I followed him, he entered his house, so I sought permission to enter, and he permitted me. He found a bowl of milk and said: 'Where did this milk come from?' It was said: 'It was a gift to us from so – and – so.' So the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: 'O Abu Hurairah' I said: 'I am here O Messenger of Allah!' He said: 'Go to the people of As-Suffah to invite them.' - Now, they were the guests of the people of Islam, they had nothing of people nor wealth to rely upon. Whenever some charity was brought to him, he would send it to them without using any of it. And when a gift was given to him (s.a.w), he would send for them to participate and share with him in it. I became upset about that, and I said (to myself): 'What good will this bowl be among the people of As-Suffah and I am the one bringing it to them?' Then he ordered me to circulate it among them (So I wondered) what of it would reach me from it, and I hoped that I would get from it what would satisfy me. But I would certainly not neglect to obey Allah and obey His Messenger, so I went to them and invited them. When they entered upon him they sat down. He said: 'Abu Hurairah, take the bowl and give it to them.' So I gave it to a man who drank his fill, then he gave it to another one, until it ended up with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), and all of the people had drank their fill. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) took the bowl, put it on his hand,then raised his head. He smiled and said: 'Abu Hurairah, drink.' So I drank, then he said: 'Drink.' I kept drinking and he kept on saying, 'Drink.' Then I said: 'By the One Who sent you with the truth! I have no more space for it.' So he took the bowl and praised Allah, mentioned His Name and drank.'” (Sahih)

"I supplicate Allah to bring you and I together in the market of Paradise." So Sa'eed said: "Is there a market in it?" He said: "Yes, the messenger of Allah (s.a.w) informed me that: 'When the people of Paradise enter it, they shall take their places according to the virtue of their deeds. Then permission shall be granted to them to visit their Lord, for the length of a Friday from the days of the world. He shall present for them His Throne and He shall manifest the gardens of Paradise. Then lofty seats of light shall be erected for them, and lofty saets of pearl, and lofty seats or corundum, and lofty seats of peridots, and lofty seats of gold, and lofty seats of silver. And the lowest of them- and there is none of them that is low- shall sit upon a dune of musk and camphor, and they shall not regard those upon the chairs as having a better sitting place than them.' Abu Hurairah said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, and will we see our Lord?' He (S.a.w) said: 'Yes.[He said: ] Do you doubt [concerning] seeing the sun, or the moon on a night when it is full?' We said: 'No.' He said: 'Likewise, you will not doubt concerning seeing your Lord. And they shall not remain in that meeting any man except Allah shall give him a lecture until he says to a man from among them: "O so-and – so son of so - and – so, do you remember the day when you said such-and-such.” And He will remind him of some of his betrayals in the world, so he will say: “O my Lord, did you not forgive me?” So He will say: “Indeed! It is by the vastness of My Forgiveness that you reached this station of yours.” So while they are engaged in this they shall be covered by a cloud that shall rain upon them a perfume, the like of whose smell they have not smelled, ever. And our Lord [Blessed and Exalted is He] shall say: “Arise to what I have prepared for you of generosity, and take whatever you desire.” Then, we will come to a market which the angels will have already surrounded. [In it] shall be what no eyes have seen the like of, nor ears have heard of, nor ever has it occurred in the hearts (of men). And there shall be carried to us whatever we desire. There shall be not be anything sold or bought in this market, and, in that market, the people of Paradise shall meet one another.' He said: 'So the person of high rank shall come and meet the one below him in rank- and there is none among them that is low- so he shall be impressed by the clothes he sees on him, their discussion shall not come to an end until he shall imagine upon himself what is more beautiful than it, and that is because it is not fitting for anyone to feel regret therein. Then we will return to our places and our wives shall meet us saying: “Welcome and greetings, you have come, and you have beauty greater than what you parted us with.” So we will say: “Indeed we sat today with our Lord, the Powerful, and it is fitting that we should return with what we have returned with.'” (Da'if)

Abu Huraira told that God's Messenger sent some horsemen to Najd and they brought a man of the B. Hanifa called Thumama b. Uthal who was the chief of the people of al-Yamama and bound him to one of the pillars of the mosque. God’s Messenger came out to him and said, “What are you expecting, Thumama?” He replied, “I expect good, Muhammad. If you kill me you will kill one whose blood will be avenged, if you show favour you will show it to one who is grateful, and if you want property and ask you will be given as much of it as you wish.” God’s Messenger left him till the next day, and asked him, “What are you expecting, Thumama?” He replied, “I am expecting what I said to you. If you show favour you will show it to one who is grateful, if you kill me you will kill one whose blood will be avenged, and if you want property and ask you will be given as much of it as you wish.” God's Messenger left him till the following day, and asked him, “What are you expecting, Thumama?” He replied, “I am expecting what I said to you. If you show favour you will show it to one who is grateful, if you kill me you will kill one whose blood will be avenged, and if you want property and ask you will be given as much of it as you wish.” God’s Messenger then said, “Set Thumama free.” He went off to some palm-trees near the mosque, and after bathing he entered the mosque and said, “I testify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. I swear by God, Muhammad, that there was no face on the face of the earth more hateful to me than yours, but your face has become the dearest of all to me. I swear by God that there was no religion more hateful to me than yours, but your religion has become the dearest of all to me. I swear by God that there was no town more hateful to me than yours, but your town has become the dearest of all to me. Your cavalry seized me when I was on my way to perform the umra, so what do you think I should do? God’s Messenger congratulated him and told him to perform the umra. When he came to Mecca someone asked him whether he had turned to folly* and he replied, “No, but I have accepted Islam along with God’s Messenger. I swear by God that not one grain of wheat will come to you from al-Yamama till God’s Messenger gives permission for it.” *Sabaut. The verb saba has as one of its meanings to turn to folly. It has been suggested that here it is used in the sense of the verb saba’a which means to change one’s religion. Final Hamza verbs very often do drop the Hamza, but they more normally follow the pattern of final ya’ verbs rather than final waw when they do so. Muslim transmitted it, and Bukhari gave it more concisely.

"By Allah I will not ever accept the intercession of anyone for him, and I will not ever break my vow that I have vowed." When it went on long for Ibn Az-Zubair, he spoke to Al-Miswar bin Makhramah and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Aswad bin Yaghut and they were from Bani Zuhrah. So he said to them: "I beseech you in the Name of Allah that you enter me upon (the place of) 'Aishah because it is unlawful for her to vow to sever relations with me." So Al-Miswar and 'Abdur-Rahman approached with him under their upper garments until they sought her permission, saying: "As-salamu 'alaiki wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Shall we come in?" 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: "Come in," They asked: "All of us, o mother of the believers?" She said: "Yes all of you," and she did know that Ibn Az-Zubair was with them. So, when they entered, Ibn Az-Zubair entered the screened place and hugged 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) and began beseeching her and wept. And Al-Miswar and 'Abdur-Rahman began to plead her to but speak to him and to accept from him, also saying to her: "You know that the Messenger Allah ﷺ forbade what you know of abandonment and that it is not permissible for a man to abandon his brother over three nights." He said: So when they did a great deal of reminding and urging, she began remind them and weep, saying: "I have made a vow which is a matter of very serious nature." They persisted in their appeal till she spoke with 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair. Then she freed forty slaves as an expiation for breaking her vow. Later on she would remember, after freeing forty slaves, then she would weep so much that her veil would become wet with tears.

Abu Huraira told that the people asked, "Messenger of God, shall we see our Lord on the day of resurrection?" and then mentioned something to the same general effect as Abu Sa'id's tradition, except for "things will be made plain[1]." The Prophet then said, "The Path will be set over the main part of jahannam and I shall be the first of the messengers to take his people across. On that day only the messengers will speak and what they say that day will be, `0 God, keep safe, keep safe.' In jahannam there will be pronged flesh-hooks like sadan[2] thorns whose size is known only to God, and they will seize people for their deeds, some being confined for what they have done and others being cut in small pieces and escaping. Then when God finishes judging His servants and desires to take out of hell such people as He pleases among those who testified that there is no god but God, He will command the angels to bring out those who worshipped God. They will do so, recognising them by the marks of prostration, God most high having prevented hell from devouring the mark of prostration, for hell will devour everything in the sons of Adam except the mark of prostration. They will come forth from hell having been burned, the water of life will be poured over them, and they will sprout as a seed does in the rubbish carried away by a flood. Bat a man who will be the last of the inhabitants of hell to enter paradise will remain between paradise and hell facing hell and will say, `0 my Lord, turn my face away from hell, for its odour has annoyed me and its fierce blaze has burned me; but God will reply, 'If I do that you will perhaps ask something else.' He will say, `No, by Thy might,' giving God such covenant and agreement as God wishes, and He will turn his face away from hell. When he is turned to face paradise and sees its beauty, he will remain silent as long as God wishes him to remain so, and will then say, 'O my Lord, bring me forward to the gate of paradise.' God who is blessed and exalted will reply, `Did you not give covenants and agreement that you would not ask anything beside what you have asked?' and he will say, `O my Lord, let me not be made the most miserable of Thy creatures.' He will ask, `What else are you likely to ask for if you are granted that?' and he will reply, `No, by Thy might, I shall ask nothing else.' He will then give his Lord such covenant and agreement as He wishes, and He will bring him forward to the gate of paradise. Then when he reaches its gate and sees its freshness and the splendour and joy it contains, he will remain silent as long as God wishes him to remain so, and will then say, `O my Lord, bring me into paradise.' God who is blessed and exalted will reply, `Woe to you, son of Adam, how treacherous you are! Have you not given covenants and agreement that you would not ask anything more than you have been granted?' and he will say, `O my Lord, do not make me the most miserable of Thy creatures.' He will continue making supplication till God laughs at him, and when He does so He will give him permission to enter paradise, and will say, `State your wish.' When he has done so till his wishing has come to an end God most high will say, `State your wish from such and such,' his Lord mentioning the matters to him. Then when there is nothing more he can wish God will say, `You can have that and a similar amount along with it'." In Abu Sa'id's version God says, "You can have that and ten times as much." i.e., they will have everything as far as their eyes can see. The name of a plant with a prickly head on which camels pasture. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) put me in charge of charity of Ramadan (Sadaqat-ul- Fitr). Somebody came to me and began to take away some food-stuff. I caught him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." He said, "I am a needy man with a large family, and so I have a pressing need." I let him go. When I saw the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) next morning, he asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him so I let him go." He (PBUH) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." I was sure, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that he would return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff from the Sadaqah. I caught him and said; "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." He said, "Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back." So I took pity on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) who asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing want and the burden of a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go." He (PBUH) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." (That man) came again to steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and this is the last of three times. You promised that you would not come again but you did." He said, "Let go of me, I shall teach you some words with which Allah may benefit you." I asked, "What are those words?" He replied, "When you go to bed, recite Ayat-ul- Kursi (2:255) for there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah, and Satan will not be able to approach you till morning." So I let him go. Next morning the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked me, "What did your prisoner do last night." I answered, "He promised to teach me some words which he claimed will benefit me before Allah. So I let him go." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked, "What are those words that he taught you?" I said, "He told me: 'When you go to bed, recite Ayat- ul-Kursi from the beginning to the end i.e.,[ Allah! none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not fatigue Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great].' (2:255). He added: 'By reciting it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah who will protect you during the night, and Satan will not be able to come near you until morning'." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily, he has told you the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were speaking for the last three nights?" I said, "No." He (PBUH) said, "He was Shaitan (Satan)."

[Al-Bukhari].

Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwa ‘l-Ḥayyul-Qayyūm, lā ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa lā nawm, lahu mā fis-samāwāti wa mā fil-ardh, man dhal-ladhī yashfa`u `indahu illā bi'idhnih, ya`lamu mā bayna 'aydīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥītūna bishay'im-min `ilmihi illā bimā shā'a, wasi `a kursiyyuhus-samāwāti wal-ardh, wa lā ya'ūduhu hifẓuhumā, wa huwal-`Aliyyu ‘l-`Aẓīm. Allah! There is none worthy of worship but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. (Recite in Arabic after each prayer.) Reference: An-Nasa'i, 'Amalul-Yawm wal-Laylah (Hadith no. 100), also Ibn As-Sunni (no. 121). See also Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 5/339 and Silsilatul-Ahadith As-Sahihah 2/697 (no. 972).

Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwa ‘l-Ḥayyul-Qayyūm, lā ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa lā nawm, lahu mā fis-samāwāti wa māfil-ardh, man dhal-ladhī yashfa`u `indahu illā bi'idhnih, ya`lamu mā bayna aydīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥītūna bishay'im-min `ilmihi illā bimā shā', wasi`a kursiyyuhus-samāwāti wal-ardh, wa lā ya'ūduhu hifẓuhumā, wa huwal-`Aliyyu‘l-`Aẓīm. Allah! There is none worthy of worship but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. Reference: Al-Baqarah 2:255. Whoever reads this when he lies down to sleep will have a guardian from Allah remain with him and Satan will not be able to come near him until he rises in the morning. See Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 4/487.

“I supplicate Allah to bring you and I together in the marketplace of Paradise,” Sa’eed said: “Is there a marketplace there?” He said: “Yes. The Messenger of Allah (saw) told me that when the people of Paradise enter it, they will take their places according to their deeds, and they will be given permission for a length of time equivalent to Friday on earth, when they will visit Allah. His Throne will be shown to them and He will appear to them in one of the gardens of Paradise. Chairs of light and chairs of pearls and chairs of rubies and chairs of chrysolite and chairs of gold and chairs of silver will be placed for them. Those who are of a lower status than them, and none of them will be regarded as insignificant, will sit on sandhills of musk and camphor, and they will not feel that those who are sitting on chairs are seated better than them.” Abu Hurairah said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord?’ He said: ‘Yes. Do you dispute that you see the sun and the moon on the night when it is full?’ We said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Likewise, you will not dispute that you see your Lord, the Glorified. There will be no one left in that gathering with whom Allah does not speak face to face, until He will say to a man among you: “Do you not remember, O so-and-so, the day you did such and such?” And He will remind him of some of his sins in this world. He will say: “O Lord, have You not forgiven me?” He will say: “Yes, it is by the vastness of My forgiveness that You have reached the position you are in.” While they are like that, a cloud will cover them from above and will rain down on them perfume the like of whose fragrance they have never smelled before. Then He will say: “Get up and go to the honor that has been prepared for you, and take whatever you desire.” So we will go to a marketplace surrounded by the angels, in which there will be such things as eyes have never seen, ears have never heard and it has not entered the heart of man. Whatever we desire will be carried for us. Nothing will be bought or sold therein. In that marketplace the people of Paradise will meet one another. A man of elevated status will meet those who are of lower status than him, but none shall be regarded as insignificant, and he will be dazzled by the clothes that he sees on him. He will not finish the last of his conversation before better clothes appear on him. That is because no one should be sad there.’” “He said: ‘Then we will go back to our homes where we will be met by our wives, and they will say: ‘Welcome. You have come looking more handsome and with a better fragrance than when you left us.’ And we will say: ‘Today we sat with our Lord, the Compeller, the Glorified, and we deserve to come back as we have come back.’”

On the day of the battle of Al-Khandaq (the Trench), we were digging the trench when a very hard boulder came in our way. The Companions went to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and told him about it. He said, "I will go down the trench to see it." He stood up and it was noticed that he had tied a stone over his stomach due to intense hunger. We had not tasted anything for three days. He took up a spade and struck the hard rock with it and it turned into sand. I sought his permission to go home, (after reaching home I) said to my wife, "I have seen the Prophet (PBUH) in a state that I am unable to endure. Have you got anything in the house?" She said, "I have a small quantity of barley and a lamb." I slaughtered the lamb, ground the barley and put the meat in the cooking pot. Then I went to the Prophet (PBUH). In the meantime the flour had been kneaded and the meat in the pot was nearly cooked. I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, I have some food, will you come along with one or two Companions?" He asked, "How many men should go there?" I told him the number. He said, "It will be better if they are more in number. Tell your wife not to remove the pot from the hearth nor the bread from the oven till I arrive." Then he said to the Muhajirun and the Ansar: "Let us go (to eat)." They all rose (and went with him). I went to my wife and said, "Bless you, the Prophet (PBUH), the Muhajirun, the Ansar and the whole company are coming." She said, "Did he (PBUH) ask you?" I replied in the affirmative. (When they arrived) Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to his Companions, "Enter, but do not crowd in." Then he started breaking up the bread and putting meat on it. He would take from the pot and the oven then would cover them up, approach his Companions and hand it over to them. He would then go back and uncover the pot and the oven. He continued to break up the bread and put meat on it till all had eaten to their fill and still some of the food remained. Then he said to my wife, "Eat from it, and send it as a present, for the people have been afflicted with severe hunger."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration is: Jabir said: When the trench was being dug, I noticed the signs of hunger on the face of the Prophet (PBUH). I returned to my wife and said to her, "Have you got anything in the house? I have seen the signs of severe hunger on the face of Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." She brought out a bag which contained a Sa' (a measure that equals approximately 3kg.) of barley. We had a lamb which was reared in the home. I slaughtered the lamb and she ground the flour for baking bread. I then cut the meat and put it in the cooking pot. When I was returning to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), my wife said to me, "Do not embarass me before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and his Companions." (She said this because she thought that the food would not be enough for everyone, for how can very little food cater for a thousand people?) When I came to him, I said to him in a low tone, "O Messenger of Allah (PBUH), we have slaughtered a small lamb and have ground a Sa' of barley. Please accompany me with a few of your Companions." Thereupon he (PBUH) announced in a loud voice, "O people of the Trench, Jabir has arranged a feast for you, so all of you are welcome." And addressing me he said, "Do not take the pot off the fire, nor bake the kneaded flour till I arrive." So I came home and he came ahead of the people. My wife said, "It will be a matter of disgrace for you (because there is not enough food)." I said, "I did only what you told me." She brought out the kneaded flour and Messenger of Allah (PBUH) spat into it, and invoked the blessing of Allah on it, and then he spat into the cooking pot and invoked the blessing of Allah on it. Then he said, "Call another woman to help bake bread and let her take out from the cooking pot, but do not take it off the fire." There were about a thousand guests. All of them ate till they left the food and went off. Our pot still bubbled as before and the dough was being baked as before.

a half or a third or a quarter or whatever."

Malik said, "Share-cropping is also permitted in any crop which emerges from the earth if it is a crop which is picked, and its owner cannot water, work on it and tend it.

"Share- cropping becomes reprehensible in anything in which share-cropping is normally permitted if the fruit is sound and the good condition is clear and it is halal to sell it. He must share-crop in it the next year. If a man waters fruit whose good condition is clear and it is halal to sell it, and he picks it for the owner, for a share of the crop, it is not sharecropping. It is similar to him being paid in dirhams and dinars. Share-cropping is what is between pruning the palms and when the fruit becomes sound and its sale is halal."

Malik said, "If some one makes a share-cropping contract for fruit trees before the condition becomes clear and its sale is halal, it is share-cropping and is permitted . "

Malik said, "Uncultivated land must not be involved in a share-cropping contract. That is because it is halal for the owner to rent it for dinars and dirhams or the equivalent for an accepted price."

Malik said, "As for a man who gives his uncultivated earth for a third or a fourth of what comes out of it, that is an uncertain transaction because crops may be scant one time and plentiful another time. It may perish completely and the owner of the land will have abandoned a set rent which would have been good for him to rent the land for. He takes an uncertain situation, and does not know whether or not it will be satisfactory. This is disapproved. It is like a man having someone travel for him for a set amount, and then saying, 'Shall I give you a tenth of the profit of the journey as your wage?' This is not halal and must not be done."

Malik summed up,"A man must not hire out himself or his land or his ship unless for a set amount."

Malik said, "A distinction is made between sharecropping in palms and in cultivated land because the owner of the palms cannot sell the fruit until its good condition is clear. The owner of the land can rent it when it is uncultivated with nothing on it."

Malik said, "What is done in our community about palms is that they can also be share-cropped for three and four years, and less or more than that."

Malik said, "That is what I have heard. Any fruit trees like that are in the position of palms. Contracts for several years are permissible for the sharecropper as they are permissible in the palms."

Malik said about the owner, "He does not take anything additional from the share-cropper in the way of gold or silver or crops which increases him. That is not good. The share-cropper also must not take from the owner of the garden anything additional which will increase him of gold, silver, crops or anything. Increase beyond what is stipulated in the contract is not good. It is also not good for the lender of a qirad to be in this position. If such an increase does enter share- cropping or quirad, it becomes by it hire. It is not good when hire enters it. Hire must never occur in a situation which has uncertainty in it."

Malik spoke about a man who gave land to another man in a share-cropping contract in which there were palms, vines, or the like of that of fruit trees and there was also uncultivated land in it. He said, "If the uncultivated land is secondary to the fruit trees, either in importance or in size of land, there is no harm in share-cropping. That is if the palms take up two-thirds of the land or more, and the uncultivated land is a third or less. This is because when the land that the fruit trees take up is secondary to the uncultivated land and the cultivated land in which the palms, vines or the like is a third or less, and the uncultivated land is two-thirds or more, it is permitted to rent the land and share-cropping in it is haram."

"One of the practices of people is to give out sharecropping contracts on property with fruit trees when there is uncultivated land in it, and to rent land while there are fruit trees on it, just as a Qur'an or sword which has some embellishment on it of silver is sold for silver, or a necklace or ring which have stones and gold in them are sold for dinars. These sales continue to be permitted. People buy and sell by them. Nothing described or instituted has come on that which if exceeded, makes it haram, and if fallen below makes it halal. What is done in our community about that is what people practise and permit among themselves. That is, if the gold or silver is secondary to what it is incorporated in, it is permitted to sell it. That is, if the value of the blade, the Qur'an, or the stones is two-thirds or more, and the value of the decoration is one-third or less."

One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and prayed Fajr, then he sat until the forenoon, then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled. Then he sat where he was until he had prayed Zuhr, 'Asr and Maghrib, and he did not speak until he had prayed 'isha'. Then he got up and went to his family. The people said to Abu Bakr: Why don't you ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what is the matter? He did something today that he never did before. So he asked him and he said: `Yes, I was shown what is to come of this world and the Hereafter. The earlier and later generations were gathered in one place and the people got terrified because of that. They went to Adam when the sweat was about to reach their mouths, and they said: O Adam, you are the father of mankind and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose you. Intercede for us with your Lord, He said: I am in the same position as you. Go to your father after your father, to Nooh, “Allah chose Adam, Nooh (Noah), the family of Ibraheem (Abraham) and the family of 'Imran above the 'Alameen (mankind and jinn) (of their times)` (Al 'Imran 3:33}. Then they will go to Nooh and will say: Intercede with your Lord for us, for Allah chose you and answered your supplication, and He did not leave one of the disbelievers on the Earth (cf. 71:26). He will say: I am not the one you want; go to Ibraheem for Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, took him as a close friend (khaleel). So they will go to Ibraheem but he will say: I am not the one you want; go to Moosa, for Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, spoke directly to him (cf. 4:164). But Moosa will say: I am not the one you want; go to 'Eesa Ibn Maryam, for he healed those born blind and the lepers, and he brought forth the dead. But 'Eesa will say: I am not the one you want; go to the leader of the sons of Adam, for he is the first one for whom the earth is split on the Day of Resurrection. Go to Muhammad, for he will intercede for you with your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. Then (the Prophet) will go and Jibreel will come to his Lord and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Give him permission and give him the glad tidings of Paradise. Jibreel will take him and he will fall down in prostration for a week. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Raise your head, O Muhammad; speak and you will be heard, intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So he will raise his head, and when he looks at his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, he will fall down in prostration for another week. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Raise your head, O Muhammad; speak and you will be heard, intercede and your intersession will be accepted. He will start to fall down in prostration again, but Jibreel (peace be upon him) will take hold of his upper arms and Allah, may he be glorified and exalted, will inspire him to offer a supplication such as no human being was ever inspired with. He will say: `O Lord, You created me as the leader of the sons of Adam, and no boast; the first one for whom the earth is split on the Day of Resurrection, and no boast; there will come to my Cistern more people than there can be between San‘a’ and Allah (Eilat).` Then it will be said: Call the Siddeeq's so that they might intercede. Then it will be said: Call the Prophets. So one Prophet will come with a group, and another Prophet will come with five or six people, and another Prophet will come with nobody. Then it will be said: Call the martyrs so that they might intercede for whoever they want. When the martyrs do that, Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: I am the Most Merciful of those who show mercy; I admit to My Paradise anyone who does not associate anything with Me. So they will enter Paradise. Then Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Look in Hell; can you find anyone who ever did anything good? And they will find a man in Hell, and He will say to him: Did you ever do anything good? He will say: No, except that I was easy-going with people in buying and selling. And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Be easy-going with My slave as he was easygoing with My slaves. Then they will bring a man out of Hell and He will say to him: Did you ever do anything good? He will say: No, except that l instructed my sons: When I die, burn me with fire, then grind me until I am like kohl powder. Then take me to the sea and scatter me in the wind, for by Allah the Lord of the Worlds will never be able to punish me. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Why did you do that? He will say: For fear of You. And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say: Look at the kingdom of the greatest king and you will have the like thereof and ten times as much. He will say: Are You making fun of me when You are the Sovereign? He (the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “That is what I was smiling at, at the time of the foremoon.`

The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand, He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with your Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the taking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will feel ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Qur'an has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

(A`ūdhu billāhi min ash-shaytāni 'r-rajīm) Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwa ‘l-Ḥayyul-Qayyūm, lā ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa lā nawm, lahu mā fis-samāwāti wa māfil-arḍ, man dhal-ladhī yashfa`u `indahu illā bi'idhnih, ya`lamu mā bayna aydīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥīṭūna bishay'im-min `ilmihi illā bimā shā', wasi`a kursiyyuhus-samāwāti wal-arḍ, wa lā ya'ūduhu hifẓuhumā, wa huwal-`Aliyyu‘l-`Aẓīm. (Ayat al-Kursi; Al-Qur'an 2:255) Allah! There is none worthy of worship but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. Reference: Whoever says this when he rises in the morning will be protected from jinns until he retires in the evening, and whoever says it when retiring in the evening will be protected from them until he rises in the morning. It was reported by Al-Hakim 1 / 562, Al-Albani graded it as authentic in Sahihut-Targhib wat-Tarhib 1/273, and traces it to An-Nasa'i and At-Tabarani. He says that At-Tabarani's chain of transmission is reliable (Jayyid).

`Abdullah bin Shaddad came and entered upon `A`ishah (رضي الله عنها) when we were sitting with her, as he was returning from Iraq during the time when ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) was murdered. She said to him: O `Abdullah bin Shaddad, will you tell me the truth about what I am going to ask you? Tell me about these people whom ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) killed. He said: Why shouldn`t I tell you the truth? She said: Tell me about them. He said: When `Ali (رضي الله عنه) corresponded with Mu`awiyah and the two arbitrators gave their verdict, eight thousand of the pious rebelled against him and camped in a land called Haroora`, near Koofah. They criticised him and said: You have taken off a chemise that Allah caused you to wear and a title that Allah gave to you, then you went ahead and asked people to issue a decree concerning the religion of Allah. There is no ruling except the ruling of Allah, may He be exalted. When `Ali (رضي الله عنه) heard about their criticism of him and the reason why they had split from him, he told his caller not to admit anyone but those who had memorised the Qur`an. When the house was filled with people who had memorised the Qur`an, he called for a large Mushaf and put it front of him, and he started tapping it with his hand, saying: O Mushaf, tell the people. The people called out: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, how could you ask it? It is only ink and paper, but we could speak on the basis of what we understand from it. What do you want? He said: These companions of yours who rebelled, between me and them is the Book of Allah, and Allah says in His Book concerning a woman and a man: `If you fear a breach between them twain (the man and his wife), appoint (two) arbitrators, one from his family and the other from hers; if they both wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation.` [an-Nisa 4:35]. The ummah of Muhammad is more important with regard to life and sanctity than a woman and a man. They got angry with me when I wrote a document between me and Mu`awiyah and wrote `Ali bin Abi Talib [without adding the title Ameer al-Mu`mineen]. But Suhail bin `Amr came to us when we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at al-Hudaibiyah, when he made a peace deal with Quraish, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wrote, `In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.` Suhail said: Do not write, In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. He said: What should we write? He said: Write: `In Your Name, O Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Write `Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).` He [Suhail] said: If I knew that you were the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I would not have opposed you. So he wrote: This is what was agreed by Muhammad bin `Abdullah with Quraish. And Allah says in His Book: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day` [Al-Ahzab 33:21]. So `Ali sent `Abdullah bin `Abbas (رضي الله عنه) to them and I went out with him until we reached the middle of their camp. Ibnul-Kawwa` stood up and addressed the people, saying: O bearers of the Qur`an, this is `Abdullah bin `Abbas (رضي الله عنه). Whoever does not know him, I know of the Book of Allah what can tell you about him, He is one of those concerning whom the words `they are a quarrelsome people` [Az-Zukhruf 43:58] were revealed. Tell him to go back to the one who sent him and do not discuss the Book of Allah with him. Their spokesmen stood up and said: By Allah, we will discuss the Book of Allah. If he says something sound and true that we recognise we will follow him, and if he says something false we will reject his false argument. So they discussed the Book with ‘Abdullah for three days, and four thousand of them recanted and all of them repented, including Ibnul-Kawwa`. He took them to `Ali in Koofah, and `Ali sent word to the rest of them, saying: You know the turmoil between us and our opponents. Stay wherever you wish until the ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ) is united. The deal between us and you is that you should not shed any blood that it is forbidden to shed or commit acts of banditry on the roads or do wrong to any Non Muslim under Muslim protection. If you do that, we will declare war, for Allah does not love those who betray. `A`ishah (رضي الله عنها) said: O Ibn Shaddad, did he kill them? He said: By Allah, no sooner had he sent this message to them but they committed acts of banditry, shed blood and regarded it as permissible to harm Ahludh-Dhimmah (non-Muslims living under Muslim protection). She said: Do you swear by Allah? He said: I swear by Allah besides Whom there is no other god that this is what happened. She said: I have heard that the people of Iraq are talking and saying dhuth-thuda, dhuth-thuda [i.e., the one with a deformed arm that looks like a breast]. He said: I saw him and I was with ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) when he was examining the slain. He called the people and said: Do you know this one? How many of them came and said: I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu So and so, and I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu So and so. And there was no proof of who he was except that. She said: What did `Ali say when he stood over him, as the people of Iraq claim? He said: I heard him say: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. She said: Did you hear him say anything other than that? He said: No, by Allah. She said: Yes, Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. May Allah have mercy on `Ali (رضي الله عنه): it was his habit, if he saw something he liked, to say: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. But the people of Iraq fabricated lies against him and added words to what he said.

I heard Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) narrating the story of his remaining behind instead of joining Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he left for the battle of Tabuk. Ka'b said: "I accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in every expedition which he undertook excepting the battle of Tabuk and the battle of Badr. As for the battle of Badr, nobody was blamed for remaining behind as Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims, when they set out, had in mind only to intercept the caravan of the Quraish. Allah made them confront their enemies unexpectedly. I had the honour of being with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on the night of 'Aqabah when we pledged our allegiance to Islam and it was dearer to me than participating in the battle of Badr, although Badr was more well-known among the people than that. And this is the account of my staying behind from the battle of Tabuk. I never had better means and more favourable circumstances than at the time of this expedition. And by Allah, I had never before possessed two riding-camels as I did during the time of this expedition. Whenever Messenger of Allah (PBUH) decided to go on a campaign, he would not disclose his real destination till the last moment (of departure). But on this expedition, he set out in extremely hot weather; the journey was long and the terrain was waterless desert; and he had to face a strong army, so he informed the Muslims about the actual position so that they should make full preparation for the campaign. And the Muslims who accompanied Messenger of Allah (PBUH) at that time were in large number but no proper record of them was maintained." Ka'b (further) said: "Few were the persons who chose to remain absent believing that they could easily hide themselves (and thus remain undetected) unless Revelation from Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious (revealed relating to them). And Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out on this expedition when the fruit were ripe and their shade was sought. I had a weakness for them and it was during this season that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims made preparations. I also would set out in the morning to make preparations along with them but would come back having done nothing and said to myself: 'I have means enough (to make preparations) as soon as I like'. And I went on doing this (postponing my preparations) till the time of departure came and it was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out along with the Muslims, but I had made no preparations. I would go early in the morning and come back, but with no decision. I went on doing so until they (the Muslims) hastened and covered a good deal of distance. Then I wished to march on and join them. Would that I had done that! But perhaps it was not destined for me. After the departure of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) whenever I went out, I was grieved to find no good example to follow but confirmed hypocrites or weak people whom Allah had exempted (from marching forth for Jihad). Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made no mention of me until he reached Tabuk. While he was sitting with the people in Tabuk, he said, 'What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?' A person from Banu Salimah said: "O Messenger of Allah, the (beauty) of his cloak and an appreciation of his finery have detained him.' Upon this Mu'adh bin Jabal (MatAllah be pleased with him) admonished him and said to Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "By Allah, we know nothing about him but good.' Messenger of Allah (PBUH), however, kept quiet. At that time he (the Prophet (PBUH)) saw a person dressed in white and said, 'Be Abu Khaithamah.' And was Abu Khaithamah Al- Ansari was the person who had contributed a Sa' of dates and was ridiculed by the hypocrites." Ka'b bin Malik further said: "When the news reached me that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was on his way back from Tabuk, I was greatly distressed. I thought of fabricating an excuse and asked myself how I would save myself from his anger the next day. In this connection, I sought the counsels of every prudent member of my family. When I was told that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was about to arrive, all the wicked ideas vanished (from my mind) and I came to the conclusion that nothing but the truth could save me. So I decided to tell him the truth. It was in the morning that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) arrived in Al-Madinah. It was his habit that whenever he came back from a journey, he would first go to the mosque and perform two Rak'ah (of optional prayer) and would then sit with the people. When he sat, those who had remained behind him began to put forward their excuses and take an oath before him. They were more than eighty in number. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) accepted their excuses on the very face of them and accepted their allegiance and sought forgiveness for them and left their insights to Allah, until I appeared before him. I greeted him and he smiled and there was a tinge of anger in that. He then said to me, 'Come forward'. I went forward and I sat in front of him. He said to me, 'What kept you back? Could you not afford to go in for a ride?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, if I were to sit before anybody else, a man of the world, I would have definitely saved myself from his anger on one pretext or the other and I have a gifted skill in argumentation, but, by Allah, I am fully aware that if I were to put forward before you a lame excuse to please you, Allah would definitely provoke your wrath upon me. In case, I speak the truth, you may be angry with me, but I hope that Allah would be pleased with me (and accept my repentance). By Allah, there is no valid excuse for me. By Allah, I never possessed so good means, and I never had such favourable conditions for me as I had when I stayed behind.' Thereupon, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'This man spoke the truth, so get up (and wait) until Allah gives a decision about you.' I left and some people of Banu Salimah followed me. They said to me, 'By Allah, we do not know that you committed a sin before. You, however, showed inability to put forward an excuse before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) like those who stayed behind him. It would have been enough for the forgiveness of your sin that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would have sought forgiveness for you.' By Allah, they kept on reproaching me until I thought of going back to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and retract my confession. Then I said to them, 'Has anyone else met the same fate?' They said, 'Yes, two persons have met the same fate. They made the same statement as you did and the same verdict was delivered in their case.' I asked, 'Who are they?' They said, 'Murarah bin Ar-Rabi' Al-'Amri and Hilal bin Umaiyyah Al- Waqifi.' They mentioned these two pious men who had taken part in the battle of Badr and there was an example for me in them. I was confirmed in my original resolve. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) prohibited the Muslims to talk to the three of us from amongst those who had stayed behind. The people began to avoid us and their attitude towards us changed and it seemed as if the whole atmosphere had turned against us, and it was in fact the same atmosphere of which I was fully aware and in which I had lived (for a fairly long time). We spent fifty nights in this very state and my two friends confined themselves within their houses and spent (most of their) time weeping. As I was the youngest and the strongest, I would leave my house, attend the congregational Salat, move about in the bazaars, but none would speak to me. I would come to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) as he sat amongst (people) after the Salat, greet him and would ask myself whether or not his lips moved in response to my greetings. Then I would perform Salat near him and look at him stealthily. When I finish my Salat, he would look at me and when I would cast a glance at him he would turn away his eyes from me. When the harsh treatment of the Muslims to me continued for a (considerable) length of time, I walked and I climbed upon the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah, who was my cousin, and I had a great love for him. I greeted him but, by Allah, he did not answer to my greeting. I said to him, 'O Abu Qatadah, I adjure you in the Name of Allah, are you not aware that I love Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)?' I asked him the same question again but he remained silent. I again adjured him, whereupon he said, 'Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) know better.' My eyes were filled with tears, and I came back climbing down the wall.

As I was walking in the bazaars of Al-Madinah, a man from the Syrian peasants, who had come to sell food grains in Al-Madinah, asked people to direct him to Ka'b bin Malik. People pointed towards me. He came to me and delivered a letter from the King of Ghassan, and as I was a scribe, I read that letter whose purport was: 'It has been conveyed to us that your friend (the Prophet (PBUH)) was treating you harshly. Allah has not created you for a place where you are to be degraded and where you cannot find your right place; so come to us and we shall receive you graciously.' As I read that letter I said: 'This is too a trial,' so I put it to fire in an oven. When forty days had elapsed and Messenger of Allah (PBUH) received no Revelation, there came to me a messenger of the Messenger of Allah and said, 'Verily, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has commanded you to keep away from your wife.' I said, 'Should I divorce her or what else should I do?' He said, 'No, but only keep away from her and don't have sexual contact with her.' The same message was sent to my companions. So, I said to my wife: 'You better go to your parents and stay there with them until Allah gives the decision in my case.' The wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hilal bin Umaiyyah is a senile person and has no servant. Do you disapprove if I serve him?' He said, 'No, but don't let him have any sexual contact with you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no such desire left in him. By Allah, he has been in tears since (this calamity) struck him.' Members of my family said to me, 'You should have sought permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in regard to your wife. He has allowed the wife of Hilal bin Umaiyyah to serve him.' I said, 'I would not seek permission from Messenger of Allah (PBUH) for I do not know what Messenger of Allah might say in response to that, as I am a young man'. It was in this state that I spent ten more nights and thus fifty days had passed since people boycotted us and gave up talking to us. After I had offered my Fajr prayer on the early morning of the fiftieth day of this boycott on the roof of one of our houses, and had sat in the very state which Allah described as: 'The earth seemed constrained for me despite its vastness', I heard the voice of a proclaimer from the peak of the hill Sal' shouting at the top of his voice: 'O Ka'b bin Malik, rejoice.' I fell down in prostration and came to know that there was (a message of) relief for me. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had informed the people about the acceptance of our repentance by Allah after he had offered the Fajr prayer. So the people went on to give us glad tidings and some of them went to my companions in order to give them the glad tidings. A man spurred his horse towards me (to give the good news), and another one from the tribe of Aslam came running for the same purpose and, as he approached the mount, I received the good news which reached me before the rider did. When the one whose voice I had heard came to me to congratulate me, I took off my garments and gave them to him for the good news he brought to me. By Allah, I possessed nothing else (in the form of clothes) except these garments, at that time. Then I borrowed two garments, dressed myself and came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) On my way, I met groups of people who greeted me for (the acceptance of) repentance and they said: 'Congratulations for acceptance of your repentance.' I reached the mosque where Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting amidst people. Talhah bin 'Ubaidullah got up and rushed towards me, shook hands with me and greeted me. By Allah, no person stood up (to greet me) from amongst the Muhajirun besides him." Ka'b said that he never forgot (this good gesture of) Talhah. Ka'b further said: "I greeted Messenger of Allah (PBUH) with 'As-salamu 'alaikum' and his face was beaming with pleasure. He (PBUH) said, 'Rejoice with the best day you have ever seen since your mother gave you birth. 'I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Is this (good news) from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.' And it was common with Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that when ever he was happy, his face would glow as if it were a part of the moon and it was from this that we recognized it (his delight). As I sat before him, I said, I have placed a condition upon myself that if Allah accepts my Taubah, I would give up all of my property in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)!' Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'Keep some property with you, as it is better for you.' I said, 'I shall keep with me that portion which is in Khaibar'. I added: 'O Messenger of Allah! Verily, Allah has granted me salvation because of my truthfulness, and therefore, repentance obliges me to speak nothing but the truth as long as I am alive." Ka'b added: "By Allah, I do not know anyone among the Muslims who has been granted truthfulness better than me since I said this to the Prophet (PBUH). By Allah! Since the time I made a pledge of this to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), I have never intended to tell a lie, and I hope that Allah would protect me (against telling lies) for the rest of my life. Allah, the Exalted, the Glorious, revealed these Verses:

'Allah has forgiven the Prophet (PBUH), the Muhajirun (Muslim Emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al- Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad (PBUH)) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful. And (He did forgive also) the three who did not join [the Tabuk expedition and whose case was deferred (by the Prophet (PBUH)) for Allah's Decision] till for them the earth, vast as it is, was straitened and their ownselves were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no fleeing from Allah, and no refuge but with Him. Then, He forgave them (accepted their repentance), that they might beg for His Pardon [repent (unto Him)]. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds)." (9:117,118).

Ka'b said: "By Allah, since Allah guided me to Islam, there has been no blessing more significant for me than this truth of mine which I spoke to Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and if I were to tell a lie I would have been ruined as were ruined those who had told lies, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else, as He sent down the Revelation:

They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijsun [i.e., Najasun (impure) because of their evil deeds], and Hell is their dwelling place - a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Al- Fa'siqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)". (9:95,96)

Ka'b further added: "The matter of the three of us remained pending for decision apart from the case of those who had made excuses on oath before Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and he accepted those, took fresh oaths of allegiance from them and supplicated for their forgiveness. The Prophet (PBUH) kept our matter pending till Allah decided it. The three whose matter was deferred have been shown mercy. The reference here is not to our staying back from the expedition but to his delaying our matter and keeping it pending beyond the matter of those who made their excuses on oath which he accepted".

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]

Another version adds: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) set out for Tabuk on Thursday. He used to prefer to set out on journey on Thursday." Another version says: "Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to come back from a journey in the early forenoon and went straight to the mosque where he would perform two Rak'ah prayer. Afterwards he would seat himself there".

I used to recite to ‘AbdurRahman bin ‘Awf, and he found me waiting for him. That was in Mina during the last Hajj performed by `Umar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf said: A man came to `Umar bin al-Khattab and said: So and so is saying: If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I will swear allegiance to So and so. ʼUmar (رضي الله عنه) said: I will stand before the people today and warn them against these people who want to deprive them of their rights, `Abdur-Rahman said: I said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, do not do that, for the Hajj season brings together the riffraff and rabble among the people, and most of the people who gather around and listen to you will be of that type. Is you stand before the people, I am afraid that you will say something that they will spread and not understand it properly or interpret it properly. Rather wait until you come to Madinah, for it is the land of Hijrah and the Sunnah, and you will meet the most knowledgeable and noble people there, and you can say what you want to say with confidence; they wilt understand what you say and will interpret it correctly, `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: If I reach Madinah safe and sound, I shall certainly talk to the people there in the first speech I deliver. When we came to Madinah at the end of Dhul-I-Iijah, it was a Friday. I set out early, ‘Umar did not care at what time he went out, because he did not pay attention to heat and cold and so on. I found Sa`eed bin Zaid at the right-hand corner of the minbar, he had got there before me. I sat down next to him, with my knee touching his knee, and it was not long before `Umar (رضي الله عنه)came. When I saw him, I said: He will certainly speak today on this minbar and say something that no one ever heard before. Sa`eed bin Zaid objected to that and said: What do you think he will say that no one said before? `Umar (رضي الله عنه)sat on the minbar, and when the mu`dhdhin fell silent, he stood up and praised and glorified Allah as He deserves, then he said: To proceed o people, I am going to tell you something that it has been decreed I should say. I do not know, perhaps it may signal my death. So whoever understands it and remembers it, let him narrate it to others wherever his mount takes him; whoever does not understand il, it is not permissible for him to tell lies about me. Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, sent Muhammad (ﷺ) with the truth and revealed the Book to him; among the things that were revealed to him was the verse of stoning [adulterers). We read it and understood it; the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stoned [adulterers] and we stoned adulterers] after him. But I fear that with the passage of time, some people will say: We do not find the verse of stoning in the Book of Allah, thus they will go astray by forsaking an obligation that Allah revealed. Stoning is the due punishment in the Book of Allah for those who commit zina, both men and women, if they have been married and if proof is established, or there is a pregnancy or a confession, And we used to recite: Do not claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, as it is disbelief (or ingratitude) on your part to claim to be the offspring of anyone other than your fathers, Verily the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Do not praise me excessively as `Eesa, the son of Maryam, was praised; rather I am the slave of Allah, so say, the slave of Allah and His Messenger.` I have heard that some among you are saying. If `Umar (رضي الله عنه) dies, I shall swear allegiance to So and so. No man should deceive himself by saying that the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr was given suddenly and it was is successful. There is no doubt that this is the case, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, saved the to 2 people from its bad consequences and there is no one among you today who has the qualities of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) What happened to us when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died was that ‘Ali, az-Zubair and those who were with them stayed behind in the house of Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and all the Ansar stayed behind and gathered in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, whilst the Muhajireen gathered around Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I said to him; O Abu Bakr, let us go to our brothers, the Ansar. So we set out, looking for them, then we were met by two righteous men who told us what the people had done, and said: where are you going, O Muhajireen? I said: We are looking for these brothers of ours, the Ansar, They said. You should not go near them; do whatever you have already decided, O Muhajireen. I said: By Allah, we will go to them. So we carried on until we came to them in Saqeefat Banu Sa`idah, where we found them gathered and among them was a man wrapped up [in a garment. I said: Who is this? They said: Sa`d bin `Ubadah. ! said: What is the matter with him? They said: He is sick. After we sat down, their spokesman stood up and praised and glorified Allah, may He glorified and exalted, as He deserves, then he said: To proceed. We are the supporters (Ansar) of Allah and the majority of the Muslim army. You, O Muhajireen, are a small group among us. Some of you came to us, wanting to deny who we are and prevent us from attaining a position of authority. When he fell silent, I wanted to present a speech that I had prepared and that I liked in front of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) I used to avoid provoking him and he was more forbearing and more dignified than me. But Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) said: Wait a while. I did not like to make him angry, and he was more knowledgeable and more dignified than me. By Allah, he did not omit any word that I liked in the speech I had prepared but he said something like it or better, speaking spontaneously, until he finished speaking. Then he said: To proceed. Whatever you have mentioned about your achievements and virtues, is correct. The Arabs would not acknowledge the leadership of anyone except someone from this tribe of Quraish, for they are the best of the Arabs in lineage and location. I am pleased to suggest to you one of these two men, whichever of them you want. Then he took hold of my hand and the hand of Abu `Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, and I disliked nothing of what he had said apart from this, for by Allah, I would rather have my neck struck for no sin on my part than to become the leader of people among whom was Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) unless my own self suggested something at the time of death. One of the Ansar said: I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree [i.e., a noble]. [I suggest] a ruler from among us and a ruler from among you, O Quraish. - I the narrator said to Malik; What does ‘I am the post on which the cainc! with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree` mean? He said:It is as if he is saying, I am the smart one who has the answer. - Then there was a great deal of clamour and raised voices, to such an extent that I feared there would be a conflict, so I said: Hold out your hand, O Abu Bakr. So he held out his hand and I swore allegiance to him, and the Muhajireen swore allegiance to him, then the Ansar swore allegiance to him. Thus we surrounded Sa`d bin ‘Ubadah. One of them said: You have killed Sa`d i said: May Allah kill Sa’d! And `Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: By Allah, we never encountered any problem greater than the swearing of allegiance to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) . We were afraid that if we left the people without having sworn allegiance to anyone, they might swear allegiance after we were gone, so we would either follow in their footsteps and swear allegiance to someone we were not pleased with, or we would disagree with them and that would cause trouble. If anyone swears allegiance to a leader without consulting the Muslims, there is no allegiance for him and no allegiance to the one who swore allegiance to him, lest both of them be killed. Malik said: Ibn Shihab told me, from `Urwah bin az-Zubair, that the men whom they met were `Uwaim bin Sa`idah and Ma`n bin `Adiyy. Ibn Shihab said. Sa`eed bin al-Musayyab told me that the one who said, I am the post on which the camel with a skin disease scratches itself and I am like a high class palm tree, was al-lubab bin al-Mundhir.

“We entered upon Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, and when we reached him he asked about the people (i.e., what their names were, etc.). When he reached me, I said: ‘I am Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Husain.’ He stretched forth his hand towards my head, and undid my top button, then undid my lower button. Then he placed his hand on my chest, and I was a young boy at that time. Then he said: ‘Welcome to you, ask whatever you want.’ So I asked him, and he was blind. The time for prayer came, so he stood up, wrapping himself in a woven cloth. Every time he put it on his shoulders, its edges came up, because it was too small. And his cloak was beside him on a hook. He led us in prayer, then he said: ‘Tell us about the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (saw).’ He held up his hands, showing nine (fingers), and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed for nine years without performing Hajj, then it was announced to the people in the tenth year that the Messenger of Allah (saw) was going for Hajj. So many people came to Al-Madinah, all of them seeking to follow the Messenger of Allah (saw) and do what he did. He set out and we set out with him, and we came to Dhul-Hulaifah where Asma’ bint ‘Umais gave birth to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. She sent word to the Messenger of Allah (saw) asking what she should do. He said: “Perform Ghusl, fasten a cloth around your waist and enter Ihram.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) prayed in the mosque, then he rode Qaswa’ (his she-camel) until, when his she-camel arose with him upon Baida’,’ Jabir said: ‘As far as I could see, I saw people riding and walking in front of him, and I saw the same to his right and left, and behind him, and the Messenger of Allah (saw) was among us and Qur’an was being revealed to him, and he understood its meaning. Whatever he did, we did too. Then he began the Talbiyah of monotheism: “Labbaika Allahumma labbaik, labbaika la sharika laka labbaik. Innal-hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka (Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner).” And the people repeated his words. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) approved of that. And the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued to recite the Talbiyah.’ Jabir said: ‘We did not intend (to do) anything but Hajj. We were not aware of ‘Umrah. Then when we reached the House with him, he touched the Corner, and walked quickly (Ramal) for three circuits and walked (normally) for four. Then he stood at the place of Ibrahim and said: “And take you (people) the place of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.” [2:125] He stood with the place between him and the House. My father used to say:* “And I do not think that he mentioned it other than from the Prophet (saw): ‘That he used to recite in those two Rak’ah (at the place of Ibrahim): “Say: ‘O you disbelievers!’” [Al-Kafirun (109)] and “Say: ‘He is Allah, (the) One.’” [Al-Ikhlas (112)] “Then he went back to the House and touched the Corner, then he went out through the gate to Safa. When he drew near to Safa he recited: “Verily, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah,” [2:158] (and said:) “We will start with that with which Allah started.” So he started with Safa and climbed it until he could see the House, then proclaimed the greatness of Allah (by saying: Allahu Akbar) and said Tahlil (La ilaha illallah) and praised Him (saying Al-Hamdulillah), and he said: “La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, yuhyi wa yumit wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in Qadir. La ilaha illallah wahdahu, La sharika lahu anjaza wa’dahu, wa nasara ‘abduhu, wa hazamal-Ahzaba wahdahu (None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, all praise is due to Him, He gives life and causes death and He is able to do all things. None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone; He has no partner or associate, He fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave, and defeated the Confederates alone).” And he said that three times, supplication in between. Then he headed towards Marwah walking normally until, when he started to go downhill, he walked quickly (Ramal) in the bottom of the valley. When he started to go uphill, he walked normally, until he reached Marwah, and he did atop Marwah what he had done atop Safa. At the end of his Sa’y, atop Marwah he said: “If I had known before what I have come to know now, I would not have garlanded the sacrificial animal, and I would have made it ‘Umrah. Whoever among you does not have a sacrificial animal with him, let him exit Ihram and make it ‘Umrah.” So all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, except the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju’shum stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Is this for this year only, or forever and ever?” The Messenger of Allah (saw) interlaced his fingers and said: “‘Umrah is included in Hajj like this,” twice. “No, it is forever and ever.” ‘Ali brought the camels of the Prophet (saw), and he found that Fatimah was one of those who had exited Ihram. She had put on a dyed garment and used kohl. ‘Ali disliked this action on her part, but she said: “My father told me to do this.” ‘Ali used to say in Iraq: “So I went to the Messenger of Allah (saw), feeling upset with Fatimah because of what she had done, to ask the Messenger of Allah (saw) about what she had said that he said, and that I had disliked that. He said: ‘She spoke the truth, she spoke the truth. What did you say when you began your Hajj?’” He said: “I said: ‘O Allah, I begin the Talbiyah for that for which your Messenger (saw) begins the Talbiyah.’ (He said:) ‘And I have the sacrificial animal with me, so do not exit Ihram.’ He said: “The total number of sacrificial animals that ‘Ali had brought from Yemen and that the Prophet (saw) brought from Al-Madinah were one hundred. Then all the people exited Ihram and cut their hair, apart from the Prophet (saw) and those who had sacrificial animals with them. When the day of Tarwiyah came (the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah), they headed for Mina and began the Talbiyah for Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (saw) rode. He prayed Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr at Mina. Then he stayed for a short while until the sun rose, and he ordered that a tent of goat hair be pitched for him in Namirah. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out, and the Quraish were certain that he was going to stay at Al-Mash’ar Haram or at Al-Muzdalifah, as Quraish used to do during the Ignorance days. But the Messenger of Allah (saw) continued until he came to ‘Arafat, where he found that the tent had been pitched for him in Namirah, and he stopped there. Then when the sun had passed its zenith, he called for Qaswa’ and she was saddled for him. He rode until he came to the bottom of the valley, and he addressed the people and said: ‘Your blood and your wealth are sacred to you, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this land of yours. Every matter of Ignorance days is abolished, beneath these two feet of mine. The blood feuds of the Ignorance days are abolished, and the first blood feud of Rabi’ah bin Harith, who was nursed among Banu Sa’d and killed by Hudhail. The usuries of Ignorance days are abolished, and the first usury (that I abolish) is our usury, the usury due to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib. It is all abolished. Fear Allah with regard to women, for you have taken them as a trust from Allah, and intimacy with them has become permissible to you through Allah’s Word. Your rights over them are that they should not allow anyone whom you dislike to sit on your bedding.** If they do that, then hit them, but in a manner that does not cause injury or leave a mark. Their rights over you are that you should provide for them and clothe them in a reasonable manner. I have left behind you something which, if you adhere to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah. You will be asked about me. What will you say?’ They said: ‘We bear witness that you have conveyed (the message) and fulfilled (your duty) and offered sincere advice.’ He gestured with his forefinger towards the sky and then towards the people, (and said:) ‘O Allah, bear witness, O Allah bear witness,’ three times. Then Bilal called the Adhan, then the Iqamah, and he prayed Zuhr. Then he made Iqamah and prayed ‘Asr, and he did not offer any prayer between them. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) rode until he came to the place of standing, and he made his she-camel face Sakharat*** with the path in the sand in front of him, and he faced the Qiblah, then he remained standing until the sun had set and the afterglow had lessened somewhat, when the disk of the sun disappeared. Then he seated Usamah bin Zaid behind him and the Messenger of Allah (saw) set out. He pulled Qaswa’s reins tight until her head was touching the saddle, and he gestured with his right hand: ‘O people, calmly, calmly!’ Every time he came to a hill, he released the reins a little so that she could climb. Then he came to Muzdalifah where he prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one Adhan and two Iqamah, offering no prayer in between. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) lay down until dawn came, and he prayed Fajr, when he saw that morning had come, with one Adhan and one Iqamah. Then he rode Qaswa’ until he came to Al-Mash’ar Al-Haram. He climbed it and praised Allah and proclaimed His greatness and that He is the only One worthy of worship. Then he remained standing until it had become quite bright, then he moved on before the sun rose. He seated Fadl bin ‘Abbas behind him, who was a man with lovely hair, white and handsome. When the Messenger of Allah (saw) moved on, he passed some women riding camels. Fadl started to look at them, so the Messenger of Allah (saw) put his hand on the other side. Fadl turned his face to the other side to look. When he came to Muhassir, he sped up a little. Then he followed the middle road that brings you out to the biggest Pillar, until he reached the Pillar that is by the tree. He threw seven pebbles, saying the Takbir with each throw, pebbles suitable for Khadhf (i.e., the size of a chickpea) throwing from the bottom of the valley. Then he went to the place of slaughter, and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand. Then he handed it over to ‘Ali who slaughtered the rest, and he gave him a share in his sacrificial animal. Then he ordered that a piece from each camel be brought; (the pieces) were put in a pot and cooked, and they (the Prophet (saw) and ‘Ali) ate from the meat and drank from the soup. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) hastened to the House, and prayed Zuhr in Makkah. He came to Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who were providing water to the pilgrims at Zamzam, and said: ‘Draw me some water, O Banu ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Were it not that the people would overwhelm you, I would have drawn water with you.’ So they drew up a bucket for him and he drank from it.’”

* It appears that the speaker is Ja’far bin Muhammad who is narrating from his father, from Jabir.
**And they say that the meaning if ‘your furniture’ or, ‘your special place’ in which case the objective is to say that the wife is not to admit anyone in the house whom the husband would be displeased with.
***Sakharat plural of Sakhrah rock or boulder. Nawawi said: “They are the rocks that lay at the base of the Mount of Mercy, and it is the mount in the middle of ‘Arafat.”

“I asked my maternal uncle, Hind ibn Abi Hala, who was an expert describer, about the finery of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), and I asked him to describe something of it for me, so he said: ‘Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was an honored dignitary, whose face shone with the radiance of the moon on the night of the full moon.’" Then he related the tradition in its full length. Al-Hasan said: “I concealed it from al-Husain for some time, then I related it to him, so I found that he had beaten me to it.” He therefore asked him about what he had asked him about, and he found that he had asked his father about his entrance and his exit and his outward appearance, so he did not leave anything out of it. Al-Husain said: “I asked my father about the entry of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), so he said: ‘When Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) betook himself to his residence, he divided his entry into three sections: a section for Allah’s sake, a section for his family’s sake, and a section for his own sake. Then he divided his section between himself and the people, so he was assigning that in particular to the common folk, and he was not keeping anything from them. His conduct in the section of the Community included preference for the people of excellent merit, with his permission, and its allotment according to the value of their excellent merit in the religion, for among them was the one burdened with one need, and among them was the one burdened with two needs, and among them was the one burdened with multiple needs. He would therefore preoccupy himself with them, and preoccupy them with what would benefit them and the Community, including questioning them about it and informing them of what would be appropriate for them. He would say: 'Let the one of you who is present inform the absentee, and notify me of the need of someone who is incapable of notification, for if someone notifies a Sultan of the need of someone who is incapable of its notification, Allah will establish his feet firmly on the Day of the Resurrection. Nothing but that will be mentioned in His presence, and it will not be accepted from anyone other than him. They will enter as seekers, and they will not separate except on the strength of an intuition, and they will emerge as guides (meaning to goodness).’” He said: “Then I asked him about his exit: ‘How was he used to behaving in it?’ He said: ‘Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to hold his tongue with regard to anything that did not concern him. He used to bring people together and not alienate them. He would honor the noble, generous man of every community, and put him in charge of them. He would caution people and be wary of them, without concealing his good humor and his natural disposition from anyone among them. He would watch out for his Companions, and he would ask people about their affairs. He would present the beautiful in a favorable light and strengthen it, and he would reveal the ugly for what it was and weaken it. He was equitable, not argumentative. He remained vigilant lest others be negligent or deviate from the right path. He had a means of dealing with every situation. He would neither fall short of the truth, nor overstep it. Those who followed him were the best of people. The most meritorious in his sight were those most receptive to sincere advice and most elevated in status those most generous in consolation and support.’” He said: “Then I asked him about his session, so he said: ‘Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) would neither stand up nor sit down without observing the remembrance of Allah. When he eventually joined a group of people, he would take whatever seat was available, and he instructed others to do the same. He would give each of his sitting companions his share of time and attention, and every one of them would feel equally honored. If someone sat with him, or conferred with him about a need, he would bear with him patiently, so that the person who had sought him out would be the first to leave. If someone asked him for something he needed, he would not send him away without what he had requested, or least some comforting words. His munificence and his good nature encompassed people such that he became a father to them, and they became truly equal in his presence. His session was a session of knowledge, forbearance, modesty, trust and patience. Voices were not raised there, there was no talk of women, and people’s lapses were not broadcast. They were on a par with one another, contending with each other only in piety, humbly revering the elderly and showing compassion for the young. They were solicitous to the needy, and took good care of the stranger.’”