The Prophet (saws) as saying to him: Complete the recitation of the Qu'ran in one month. He said: I have more strength. He (the Prophet) said: Complete the recitation in twenty days. He again said: I have more energy. He said : Recite in fifteen days. He again said: I have more energy. He said: Recite in ten days. He again said: I have more energy. He said: Recite in seven days, do not add to it.

Abu Dawud said: The tradition narrated by Muslim is more perfect.

AbulJawza' said: A man who attended the company of the Prophet (saws) narrated to me (it is thought that he was Abdullah ibn Amr): The Prophet (saws) said to me: Come to me tomorrow; I shall give you something, I shall give you something, I shall reward you something, I shall donate something to you. I thought that he would give me some present.

He said (to me when I came to him): When the day declines, stand up and pray four rak'ahs. He then narrated something similar.

This version adds: Do not stand until you glorify Allah ten times, and praise Him ten times, and exalt Him ten times, and say, "There is no god but Allah" ten times. Then you should do that in four rak'ahs. If you are the greatest sinner on earth, you will be forgiven (by Allah) on account of this (prayer).

I asked: If I cannot pray this the appointed hour, (what should I do)? He replied: Pray that by night or by day (at any time).

Abu Dawud said: Habban b. Hilal is the maternal uncle of Hilal al-Ra'i.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by al-Mustamir b. al-Riyyan from Ibn al-Jawza' from 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr without referring to the Prophet (saws), - narrated as a statement of 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr himself (mauquf). This has also been narrated by Rawh b. al-Musayyab, and Ja'far b. Sulaiman from 'Amr b. Malik al-Nakri from Abu al-Jauza' from Ibn 'Abbas as his own statement (and not the statement of the Prophet). But the version of Rawh has the words: "The tradition of the Prophet (saws)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr al-Makki that somebody asked a man for his sister in marriage and the man mentioned that she had committed fornication. Umar ibn al-Khattab heard about it and he beat the man or almost beat him, and said, "What did you mean by giving him such information?"

Malik spoke to me about a man who wrote a kitaba for his slave for gold or silver and stipulated against him in his kitaba a journey, service, sacrifice or similar, which he specified by its name, and then the mukatab was able to pay all his instalments before the end of the term.

He said, "If he pays all his instalments and he is set free and his inviolability as a free man is complete, but he still has this condition to fulfil, the condition is examined, and whatever involves his person in it, like service or a journey etc., is removed from him and his master has nothing in it. Whatever there is of sacrifice, clothing, or anything that he must pay, that is in the position of dinars and dirhams, and is valued and he pays it along with his instalments, and he is not free until he has paid that along with his instalments."

Malik said, "The generally agreed-on way of doing things among us about which there is no dispute, is that a mukatab is in the same position as a slave whom his master will free after a service of ten years. If the master who will free him dies before ten years, what remains of his service goes to his heirs and his wala' goes to the one who contracted to free him and to his male children or paternal relations."

Malik spoke about a man who stipulated against his mukatab that he could not travel, marry, or leave his land without his permission, and that if he did so without his permission it was in his power to cancel the kitaba. He said, "If the mukatab does any of these things it is not in the man's power to cancel the kitaba. Let the master put that before the Sultan. The mukatab, however, should not marry, travel, or leave the land of his master without his permission, whether or not he stipulates that. That is because the man may write a kitaba for his slave for 100 dinars and the slave may have 1000 dinars or more than that. He goes off and marries a woman and pays her bride-price which sweeps away his money and then he cannot pay. He reverts to his master as a slave who has no property. Or else he may travel and his instalments fall due while he is away. He cannot do that and kitaba is not to be based on that. That is in the hand of his master. If he wishes, he gives him permission in that. If he wishes, he refuses it."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Bakr ibn Nafi from his father that the daughter of one of Safiyya bint Abi Ubayd's brothers was bleeding after she had given birth to a child at Muzdalifa. She and Safiyya were delayed and did not arrive at Mina until after the sun had set on the day of sacrifice. Abdullah ibn Umar told them both to stone the jamra at the time they arrived and he did not think that they owed anything.

Yahya said that Malik was asked about some one who forgot to stone one of the jamras on one of the days of Mina until it was evening and he said, "He should throw the stones at whatever time of day or night he remembers, just as he would pray the prayer if he forgot it and then remembered it at any time of day or night. If he remembers (that he has not done the stoning) after he has returned to Makka, or after he has left, he must sacrifice an animal."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to observe the witr prayer with nine rak'ahs. Then he used to pray seven rak'ahs (of witr prayer). He would pray two rak'ahs sitting after the witr in which he would recite the Qur'an (sitting). When he wished to bow, he stood up and bowed and prostrated.

Abu Dawud said: These two traditions have been transmitted by Khalid b. 'Abd Allah al-Wasiti. In his version he said: 'Alqamah b. Waqqas said: O mother, how did he pray the two rak'ahs ? He narrated the rest of the tradition to the same effect.

They came to an-Nu'man and said: You have set them free without beating and investigation. An-Nu'man said: What do you want? You want me to beat them. If your goods are found with them, then it is all right; otherwise, I shall take (retaliation) from your back as I have taken from their backs. They asked: Is this your decision? He said: This is the decision of Allah and His Apostle (saws).

Abu Dawud said: By this statement he frightened them ; that is, beating is not necessary except after acknowledgement.

When it was the day (of the battle) of Hunain, the tributes of Hawazin and Ghatafan and others, along with their animals and offspring (and wives) came to fight against the Prophet The Prophet had with him, ten thousand men and some of the Tulaqa. The companions fled, leaving the Prophet alone. The Prophet then made two calls which were clearly distinguished from each other. He turned right and said, "O the group of Ansar!" They said, "Labbaik, O Allah's Apostle! Rejoice, for we are with you!" Then he turned left and said, "O the group of Ansar!" They said, "Labbaik! O Allah's Apostle! Rejoice, for we are with you!" The Prophet at that time, was riding on a white mule; then he dismounted and said, "I am Allah's Slave and His Apostle." The infidels then were defeated, and on that day the Prophet gained a large amount of booty which he distributed amongst the Muhajirin and the Tulaqa and did not give anything to the Ansar. The Ansar said, "When there is a difficulty, we are called, but the booty is given to other than us." The news reached the Prophet and he gathered them in a leather tent and said, "What is this news reaching me from you, O the group of Ansar?" They kept silent, He added," O the group of Ansar! Won't you be happy that the people take the worldly things and you take Allah's Apostle to your homes reserving him for yourself?" They said, "Yes." Then the Prophet said, "If the people took their way through a valley, and the Ansar took their way through a mountain pass, surely, I would take the Ansar's mountain pass." Hisham said, "O Abu Hamza (i.e. Anas)! Did you witness that? " He replied, "And how could I be absent from him?"

The Prophet said, "If somebody fights (or beats somebody) then he should avoid the face."

Abu Huraira said, "A man who drank wine was brought to the Prophet. The Prophet said, 'Beat him!" Abu Huraira added, "So some of us beat him with our hands, and some with their shoes, and some with their garments (by twisting it) like a lash, and then when we finished, someone said to him, 'May Allah disgrace you!' On that the Prophet said, 'Do not say so, for you are helping Satan to overpower him.' "

The Prophet (saws) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife.

The Prophet (saws) said: When one of you inflicts a beating, he should avoid striking the face.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "Once Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban and I were sitting down, and Muhammad called a man over to him and said to him, 'Tell me what you have heard from your father.' The man replied that his father had told him that he went to Zayd ibn Thabit and asked him, 'What do you think of reciting the whole Qur'an in seven days?' Zayd said, 'That's good, but I prefer to recite it in two weeks, or ten days. Ask me why that is.' He said, 'I ask you then.' Zayd said, 'So that I can reflect on it and pause in it.' "

that Ibn `Umar disliked the branding of animals on the face. Ibn `Umar said, "The Prophet forbade beating (animals) on the face."

The Prophet beat a drunk with palm-leaf stalks and shoes. And Abu Bakr gave (such a sinner) forty lashes.

Abu Dawud said: It has also been transmitted by Ibn Al 'Arubah from Qatadah from the Prophet (saws) to the effect that he gave a beating forty times with palm branches and sandals. And Shu'bah narrated it from Qatadah on the authority of Anas from Prophet (saws). This version has: He gave a beating with two palm-branches about forty times.

In the lifetime of Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) the people were afflicted with a (famine) year. While the Prophet was delivering the Khutba (sermon) on the pulpit on a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The livestock are dying and the families (offspring) are hungry: please pray to Allah to bless us with rain." Allah's Apostle raised both his hands towards the sky and at that time there was not a trace of cloud in they sky. Then the clouds started gathering like mountains. Before he got down from the pulpit I saw rainwater trickling down his beard. It rained that day, the next day, the third day, the fourth day and till the next Friday, when the same Bedouin or some other person stood up (during the Friday Khutba) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The houses have collapsed and the livestock are drowned. Please invoke Allah for us." So Allah's Apostle raised both his hands and said, "O Allah! Around us and not on us." Whichever side the Prophet directed his hand, the clouds dispersed from there till a hole (in the clouds) was formed over Medina. The valley of Qanat remained flowing (with water) for one month and none, came from outside who didn't talk about the abundant rain.

I spent a night with the Prophet (saws) to see how he prayed. He got up, performed ablution and prayed two rak'ahs. His standing was like his bowing (i.e. equal in duration), and his bowing was like his prostration (equal in length). Then he slept. Afterwards he awoke, performed ablution, and used tooth-stick. He then recited five verses from Surah Al-'Imran : "In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day". He went on doing so till he prayed ten rak'ahs. He then stood up and prayed one rak'ah observing witr with it. In the meantime the mu'adhdhin called to prayer. The Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up after the mu'adhdhin had kept silent. He prayed two light rak'ahs and remained sitting till he offered the dawn prayer.

Abu Dawud said: A part of the tradition transmitted by Ibn Bashshar remained hidden from me.

While I was praying, the Prophet called me but I did not respond to his call. Later I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I was praying." He said, "Didn't Allah say: 'O you who believe! Give your response to Allah (by obeying Him) and to His Apostle when he calls you'?" (8.24) He then said, "Shall I not teach you the most superior Surah in the Qur'an?" He said, '(It is), 'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. ' (i.e., Surat Al-Fatiha) which consists of seven repeatedly recited Verses and the Magnificent Qur'an which was given to me."

Malik said, "The inheritance of a husband from a wife when she leaves no children or grandchildren through sons is a half. If she leaves children or grandchildren through sons, male or female, by her present or previous husbands, the husband has a quarter after bequests or debts. The inheritance of a wife from a husband who does not leave children or grandchildren through sons is a quarter. If he leaves children or grandchildren through sons, male or female, the wife has an eighth after bequests and debts. That is because Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted! said in His Book, 'You have a half of what your wives leave if they have no children. If they have children, you have a fourth of what they leave after bequests and debts. They have a fourth of what you leave if you have no children. If you have children, they have an eighth after bequests or debts.' " (Sura4ayat 11).

Allah's Apostle said, "My example and the example o the people is like that of a person who lit a fire and let the moths, butterflies and these insects fall in it." He also said, "There were two women, each of whom had a child with her. A wolf came and took away the child of one of them, whereupon the other said, 'It has taken your child.' The first said, 'But it has taken your child.' So they both carried the case before David who judged that the living child be given to the elder lady. So both of them went to Solomon bin David and informed him (of the case). He said, 'Bring me a knife so as to cut the child into two pieces and distribute it between them.' The younger lady said, 'May Allah be merciful to you! Don't do that, for it is her (i.e. the other lady's) child.' So he gave the child to the younger lady."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abu'z-Zubayr al-Makki said, "I saw the House deserted both after subh and asr, with no-one doing tawaf."

Malik said, "If someone does some of his circuits and then the subh or asr prayer is begun, he should pray with the imam and then complete the rest of his circuits but should not pray at all until the sun has either risen or set "

He added, "There is no harm in delaying the two rakas until after he has prayed maghrib."

Malik said, "There is no harm in someone doing a single tawaf after subh or after asr, not to do more than one group of seven circuits, and then as long as he delays the two rakas until after the sun has risen, as Umar ibn al-Khattab did, or he delays them until after the sun has set if it is after asr. Then when the sun has set he can pray them if he wants, or, if he wants, he can delay them until after he has prayed maghrib. There is no harm in that."

(During the early days of Islam), the inheritance used to be given to one's offspring and legacy used to be bequeathed to the parents, then Allah cancelled what He wished from that order and decreed that the male should be given the equivalent of the portion of two females, and for the parents one-sixth for each of them, and for one's wife one-eighth (if the deceased has children) and one-fourth (if he has no children), for one's husband one-half (if the deceased has no children) and one-fourth (if she has children).

When the children of a woman (in pre-Islamic days) did not survive, she took a vow on herself that if her child survives, she would convert it a Jew. When Banu an-Nadir were expelled (from Arabia), there were some children of the Ansar (Helpers) among them. They said: We shall not leave our children. So Allah the Exalted revealed; "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error."

Abu Dawud said: Muqlat means a woman whose children do not survive.