While we were with God's messenger when he was dividing portions, Dhul Khuwaisira, a man of the B. Tamim, came to him and said, "Act equitably, messenger of God." He replied, "Out upon you! Who will act equitably if I do not? You will be disappointed and losing if I do not act equitably." `Umar asked permission to cut off his head, but he replied, "Leave him alone, for he has companions[1] in comparison with whose prayers any of you would despise his, and in comparison, with whose fasting any of you would despise his. They recite the Quran but it does not pass their collarbones. They swerve from the religion as an arrow goes through the animal aimed at. Their look is directed to its head, on to the sinew on its socket, on to its nadi, which is its rod, on to its feathers, but there is no sign of excrement or blood on it[2]. They will be recognised by the presence of a black man one of whose upper arms quivers like a woman's breast, or like a piece of meat, and they will revolt against the best section of mankind[3]. Abu Sa'id said: I testify that I heard this tradition from God's messenger, and I testify that `Ali b. Abu Talib fought with them and that I was with him. He gave orders about that man who was sought for, and when he was brought in and I looked at him, he was exactly as the Prophet had described him. A version has: A man with deep-set eyes, a projecting brow, a thick beard, high cheekbones and a shaven head came forward and said, "Fear God, Muhammad." He replied, "Who will obey God if I disobey Him? God entrusts me with power over the inhabitants of the earth but you[4] do not." A man asked to be allowed to kill him but he prevented him. Then when the man turned away, he said, "From this one's stock there will be people who recite the Quran, yet it will not pass their throats. They will swerve from Islam as an arrow goes through the animal shot at. They will kill the followers of Islam and leave the worshippers of idols alone; but if I live to their time, I shall certainly kill them as `Ad were killed." 1. People like him, or people at a later period who will acquire a reputation for piety. The reference is to the Kharijites. 2. Just as an arrow can go through an animal without traces of excrement or blood, they will abandon Islam so quickly that no trace of it will be left in them. 3. `Ali and his party. 4. The pronoun is plural, indicating the man and his people. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Hamnah said my menstruation was great in quantity and severe. So I came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) for a decision and told him. I found him in the house of my sister, Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh.

I said: Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who menstruates in great quantity and it is severe, so what do you think about it? It has prevented me from praying and fasting.

He said: I suggest that you should use cotton, for it absorbs the blood. She replied: It is too copious for that. He said: Then take a cloth. She replied: It is too copious for that, for my blood keeps flowing. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: I shall give you two commands; whichever of them you follow, that will be sufficient for you without the other, but you know best whether you are strong enough to follow both of them.

He added: This is a stroke of the Devil, so observe your menses for six or seven days, Allah alone knows which it should be; then wash. And when you see that you are purified and quite clean, pray during twenty-three or twenty-four days and nights and fast, for that will be enough for you, and do so every month, just as women menstruate and are purified at the time of their menstruation and their purification.

But if you are strong enough to delay the noon (Zuhr) prayer and advance the afternoon ('Asr) prayer, to wash, and then combine the noon and the afternoon prayer; to delay the sunset prayer and advance the night prayer, to wash, and then combine the two prayers, do so: and to wash at dawn, do so: and fast if you are able to do so if possible.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Of the two commands this is more to my liking.¹

Abu Dawud said: 'Amr b. Thabit narrated from Ibn 'Aqil: Hamnah said: Of the two commands this is the one which is more to my liking.² In this version these words were not quoted as the statement of the Prophet (saws); it gives it as a statement of Hamnah.

Abu Dawud said: 'Amr b. Thabit was a Rafidi. This has been said by Yahya b. Ma'in.

Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad (b. Hanbal) say: I am doubtful about the tradition transmitted by Ibn 'Aqil.

Zaid b. Wahb al-Juhani told us that he was in the army which proceeded to (fight with) the Khawarij in the company of `Ali. `Ali then said: O people! I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: there will appear from among my community people who recite the Qur'an, and your recitation has no comparison with their recitation, and your prayer has no comparison with their prayer, and your fasts have no comparison with their fasts. They will recite the Qur'an thinking that it is beneficial for them, while it is harmful for them. Their prayer will not pass their collar-bones. They will swerve from Islam as an arrow goes through the animal shot at. If the army that is approaching them knows what (reward) has been decided for them at the tongue of their Prophet (saws), they would leave (other good) activities. The sign of that is that among them there will be a man who has an upper arm, but not hand; on his upper arm there will be something like the nipple of a female breast, having white hair thereon. Will you go to Mu`awiyah and the people of Syria, and leave them behind among your children and property? I swear by Allah, I hope these are the same people, for they shed the blood unlawfully, and attacked the cattle of the people so go on in the name of Allah. Salamah b. Kuhail said: Zaid b. Wahb then informed me of all the halting places one by one, (saying): Until we passed a bridge. When we fought with each other, `Abd Allah b. Wahb al-Rasibi, who was the leader of the Khawarij, said to them: Throw away the lances and pull out the swords from their sheaths, for I am afraid they will adjure you as they had adjured on the day of Harura. So they threw away their lances and pulled out their swords, and the people pierced them with their lances. They were killed (lying one on the other). On that day only two persons of the partisans (of `Ali) were afflicted. `Ali said: Search for the man with the crippled hand. But they could not find him. Then `Ali got up himself and went to the people who had been killed and were lying on one another. He said: Take them out. They found him just near the ground. So he shouted: Allah is Most Great! He said: Allah spoke the truth, and His Apostle has conveyed. `Ubaidat al-Salmani stood up to him, saying: Commander of the Faithful! Have you heard it from the Messenger of Allah (saws)? He said: Yes, by him, there is no God but He. He put to swear thrice and he swore.

Ja’far bin Muhammad reported on the authority of his father “We entered upon Jabir bin ‘Abd Allaah. When we reached him, he asked about the people (who had come to visit him). When my turn came I said “I am Muhammad bin Ali bin Hussain. He patted my head with his hand and undid my upper then lower buttons. He then placed his hand between my nipples and in those days I was a young boy.” He then said “welcome to you my nephew, ask what you like. I questioned him he was blind. The time of prayer came and he stood wrapped in a mantle. Whenever he placed it on his shoulders its ends fell due to its shortness. He led us in prayer while his mantle was placed on a rack by his side. I said “tell me about the Hajj of the Apostle of Allaah(saws).”He signed with his hand and folded his fingers indicating nine. He then said Apostle of Allaah(saws) remained nine years (at Madeenah ) during which he did not perform Hajj, then made a public announcement in the tenth year to the effect that the Apostle of Allaah(saws) was about to (go to) perform Hajj. A large number of people came to Madeenah everyone desiring to follow him and act like him. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) went out and we too went out with him till we reached Dhu Al Hulaifah. Asma’ daughter of ‘Umais gave birth to Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. She sent message to Apostle of Allaah(saws) asking him What should I do?He replied “take a bath, bandage your private parts with a cloth and put on ihram.” The Apostle of Allaah(saws) then prayed (in the masjid) and mounted Al Qaswa’ and his she Camel stood erect with him on its back. Jabir said “I saw (a large number of) people on mounts and on foot in front of him and a similar number on his right side and a similar number on his left side and a similar number behind him. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) was among us, the Qur’an was being revealed to him and he knew its interpretation. Whatever he did, we did it. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) then raised his voice declaring Allaah’s unity and saying “Labbaik ( I am at thy service), O Allaah, labbaik, labbaik, Thou hast no partner praise and grace are Thine and the Dominion. Thou hast no partner. The people too raised their voices in talbiyah which they used to utter. But the Apostle of Allaah(saws) did not forbid them anything. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) continued his talbiyah. Jabir said “We did not express our intention of performing anything but Hajj, being unaware of ‘Umrah (at that season), ...

a man from among the Ansar came to the Prophet (SAW) and begged from him. He said, "Do you have anything in your house?" He said: "Yes, a blanket, part of which we cover ourselves with and part we spread beneath us, and a bowl from which we drink water." He said: "Givethem to me." So he brought them to him, and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) took them in his hand and said, "Who will by these two things?" A man said: "I will by them for one Dirham." He said: "Who will offer more than a Dirham?" two or three times. A man said: "I will buy them for two Dirham." So he gave them to him and took the two Dirham, which he gave to the Ansari and said: "Buy food with one of them and give it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me." So he did that, and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) took it and fixed a handle to it, and said: "Go and gather firewood, and I do not want to see you for fifteen days." So he went and gathered firewood and sold it, then he came back, and he had earned ten Dirham. (The Prophet (SAW)) said: "Buy food with some of it and clothes with some." Then he said: "This is better for you than coming with begging (appearing) as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is only appropriate for one who is extremely poor or who is in severe debt, or one who must pay painful blood money.”[1]

"Gog and Magog people will be set free and they will emerge as Allah says: "swoop(ing) down from every mound."[21:96] They will spread throughout the earth, and the Muslims will flee from them until the remainder of the Muslims are in their cities and fortresses, taking their flocks with them. They will pass by a river and drink from it, until they leave nothing behind, and the last of them will follow in their footsteps and one of them will say: 'There was once water in this place.' They will prevail over the earth, then their leader will say: 'These are the people of the earth, and we have finished them off. Now let us fight the people of heaven!' Then one of them will throw his spear towards the sky, and it will come back down smeared with blood. And they will say: 'We have killed the people of heaven.' While they are like that, Allah will send a worm like the worm that is found in the noses of sheep, which will penetrate their necks and they will die like locusts, one on top of another. In the morning the Muslims will not hear any sound from them, and they will say: 'Who will sell his soul for the sake of Allah and see what they are doing?' A man will go down, having prepared himself to be killed by them, and he will find them dead, so he will call out to them: 'Be of good cheer, for your enemy is dead!' Then the people will come out and let their flocks loose, but they will not have anything to graze on except their flesh, and they will become very fat as if they were grazing on the best vegetation they ever found.'"