Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Sulayman ibn Yasar told him that one time the fodder of the animals of Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Aswad ibn Abd Yaghuth was finished so he said to his slave, "Take some of your family's wheat as food and buy with it barley, and take only a like quantity.' "

Malik related to me that Yahya ibn Said said, ''Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr died in his sleep, and A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, set free many slaves for him." Malik said, "This is what I like best of what I have heard on the subject."

A tailor invited Allah's Apostle to a meal which he had prepared. I went with Allah's Apostle to that meal, and the tailor served the Prophet with barley bread and soup of gourd and cured meat. I saw Allah's Apostle picking the pieces of gourd from around the dish, and since then I have kept on liking gourd.

The Prophet said, "Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah's Cause)."

Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A man who knows the Qur'an well is like a man who has a hobbled camel. If he takes care of it, he keeps it, and if he lets it go, it gets away."

The Prophet fasted for days continuously; the people also did the same but it was difficult for them. So, the Prophet forbade them (to fast continuously for more than one day). They slid, "But you fast without break (no food was taken in the evening or in the morning)." The Prophet replied, "I am not like you, for I am provided with food and drink (by Allah).

The Prophet (saws) kissed me and did not perform ablution.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition is Mursal (i.e. where the link of the Companions is missing and the Successor reports from the Prophet directly). Ibrahim at-Taimi did not hear anything from 'Aishah.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Firyabi and other narrated this tradition in a like manner.

`Aisha brought out to us a patched wool Len garment, and she said, "(It chanced that) the soul of Allah's Apostle was taken away while he was wearing this." Abu-Burda added, "Aisha brought out to us a thick waist sheet like the ones made by the Yemenites, and also a garment of the type called Al- Mulabbada."

The Prophet used to keep his hair falling loose while the pagans used to part their hair, and the People of the Scriptures used to keep their hair falling loose, and the Prophet liked to follow the People of the Scriptures in matters about which he had not been instructed differently, but later on the Prophet started parting his hair.

[Muslim].

When Allah's Apostle set out (towards Mecca) during the year of the Conquest (of Mecca) and this news reached (the infidels of Quraish), Abu Sufyan, Hakim bin Hizam and Budail bin Warqa came out to gather information about Allah's Apostle , They proceeded on their way till they reached a place called Marr-az-Zahran (which is near Mecca). Behold! There they saw many fires as if they were the fires of `Arafat. Abu Sufyan said, "What is this? It looked like the fires of `Arafat." Budail bin Warqa' said, "Banu `Amr are less in number than that." Some of the guards of Allah's Apostle saw them and took them over, caught them and brought them to Allah's Apostle. Abu Sufyan embraced Islam. When the Prophet proceeded, he said to Al-Abbas, "Keep Abu Sufyan standing at the top of the mountain so that he would look at the Muslims. So Al-`Abbas kept him standing (at that place) and the tribes with the Prophet started passing in front of Abu Sufyan in military batches. A batch passed and Abu Sufyan said, "O `Abbas Who are these?" `Abbas said, "They are (Banu) Ghifar." Abu Sufyan said, I have got nothing to do with Ghifar." Then (a batch of the tribe of) Juhaina passed by and he said similarly as above. Then (a batch of the tribe of) Sa`d bin Huzaim passed by and he said similarly as above. then (Banu) Sulaim passed by and he said similarly as above. Then came a batch, the like of which Abu Sufyan had not seen. He said, "Who are these?" `Abbas said, "They are the Ansar headed by Sa`d bin Ubada, the one holding the flag." Sa`d bin Ubada said, "O Abu Sufyan! Today is the day of a great battle and today (what is prohibited in) the Ka`ba will be permissible." Abu Sufyan said., "O `Abbas! How excellent the day of destruction is! "Then came another batch (of warriors) which was the smallest of all the batches, and in it there was Allah's Apostle and his companions and the flag of the Prophet was carried by Az-Zubair bin Al Awwam. When Allah's Apostle passed by Abu Sufyan, the latter said, (to the Prophet), "Do you know what Sa`d bin 'Ubada said?" The Prophet said, "What did he say?" Abu Sufyan said, "He said so-and-so." The Prophet said, "Sa`d told a lie, but today Allah will give superiority to the Ka`ba and today the Ka`ba will be covered with a (cloth) covering." Allah's Apostle ordered that his flag be fixed at Al-Hajun. Narrated `Urwa: Nafi` bin Jubair bin Mut`im said, "I heard Al-Abbas saying to Az-Zubair bin Al- `Awwam, 'O Abu `Abdullah ! Did Allah's Apostle order you to fix the flag here?' " Allah's Apostle ordered Khalid bin Al-Walid to enter Mecca from its upper part from Ka'da while the Prophet himself entered from Kuda. Two men from the cavalry of Khalid bin Al-Wahd named Hubaish bin Al-Ash'ar and Kurz bin Jabir Al-Fihri were martyred on that day.

AbuDharr said: Prophet of Allah. The wealthy people have all the rewards; they pray as we pray; they fast as we fast; and they have surplus wealth which they give in charity; but we have no wealth which we may give in charity.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: AbuDharr, should I not teach you phrases by which you acquire the rank of those who excel you? No one can acquire your rank except one who acts like you.

He said: Why not, Messenger of Allah? He said: Exalt Allah (say: Allah is Most Great) after each prayer thirty-three times; and praise Him (say: Praise be to Allah) thirty-three times; and glorify Him (say: Glory be to Allah) thirty-three times, and end it by saying, "There is no god but Allah alone, there is no partner, to Him belongs the Kingdom, to Him praise is due and He has power over everything". His sins will be forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea.

I said to the Prophet, "We will be facing the enemy tomorrow and we have no knives (for slaughtering)' He said, "If you slaughter the animal with anything that causes its blood to flow out, and if Allah's Name is mentioned on slaughtering it, eat of it, unless the killing instrument is a tooth or nail. I will tell you why: As for the tooth, it is a bone; and as for the nail, it is the knife of Ethiopians." The quick ones among the people got the war booty while the Prophet was behind the people. So they placed the cooking pots on the fire, but the Prophet ordered the cooking pots to be turned upside down. Then he distributed (the war booty) among them, considering one camel as equal to ten sheep. Then a camel belonging to the first party of people ran away and they had no horses with them, so a man shot it with an arrow whereby Allah stopped it. The Prophet said, "Of these animals there are some which are as wild as wild beasts. So, if anyone of them runs away like this, do like this (shoot it with an arrow).

The people of Medina had a drought during the time of the Prophet (saws).

While he was preaching on a Friday, a man stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, the horses have perished, the goats have perished, pray to Allah to give us water. He spread his hands and prayed.

Anas said: The sky was like a mirror (there was no cloud). Then the wind rose; a cloud appeared (in the sky) and it spread : the sky poured down the water. We came out (from the mosque after the prayer) passing through the water till we reached our homes. The rain continued till the following Friday. The same or some other person stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, the houses have been demolished, pray to Allah to stop it.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) smiled and said: (O Allah), the rain may fall around us but not upon us. Then I looked at the cloud which dispersed around Medina just like a crown.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: If any of you can become like the man who had a faraq of rice, he should become like him. They (the people) asked: Who is the man who had a faraq of rice with him, Messenger of Allah ? Thereupon he narrated the story of the cave when a hillock fell on them (three persons), each of them said: Mention any best work of yours. The narrator said: The third of them said: O Allah, you know that I took a hireling for a faraq of rice. When the evening came, I presented to him his due (i.e. his wages). But he refused to take it and went away. I then cultivated it until I amassed cows and their herdsmen for him. He then met me and said: Give me my dues. I said (to him): Go to those cows and their herdsmen and take them all. He went and drove them away.

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.

"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the ompassionate."

The Book of Zakat.

On twenty-four camels or less zakat is paid with sheep, one ewe for every five camels.

On anything above that, up to thirty-five camels, a she-camel in its second year, and, if there is no she camel in its second year, a male camel in its third year.

On anything above that, up to forty-five camels, a she- camel in its third year.

On anything above that, up to sixty camels, a she camel in its fourth year that is ready to be sired.

On anything above that, up to seventy-five camels, a she-camel in its fifth year.

On anything above that, up to ninety camels, two she-camels in their third year.

On anything above that, up to one hundred and twenty camels, two she-camels in their fourth year that are ready to be sired.

On any number of camels above that, for every forty camels, a she-camel in its third year, and for every fifty, a she-camel in its fourth year.

On grazing sheep and goats, if they come to forty or more, up to one hundred and twenty head, one ewe.

On anything above that, up to two hundred head, two ewes.

On anything above that, up to three hundred, three ewes.

On anything above that, for every hundred, one ewe.

A ram should not be taken for zakat. nor an old or an injured ewe, except as the zakat-collector thinks fit.

Those separated should not be gathered together nor should those gathered together be separated in order to avoid paying zakat.

Whatever belongs to two associates is settled between them proportionately.

On silver, if it reaches five awaq (two hundred dirhams), one fortieth is paid."

Abu Huraira said, "Allah's Apostle led us in one of the two `Isha' prayers (Abu Huraira named that prayer but I forgot it)." Abu Huraira added, "He prayed two rak`at and then finished the prayer with Taslim. He stood up near a piece of wood Lying across the mosque and leaned on it in such a way as if he was angry. Then he put his right hand over the left and clasped his hands by interlacing his fingers and then put his J right cheek on the back of his left hand. The people who were in haste left the mosque through its gates. They wondered whether the prayer was reduced. And amongst them were Abu Bakr and `Umar but they hesitated to ask the Prophet. A long-handed man called Dhul- Yadain asked the Prophet, 'O Allah's Apostle! Have you forgotten or has the prayer been reduced?' The Prophet replied, 'I have neither forgotten nor has the prayer been reduced' The Prophet added, 'Is what Dhul Yadain has said true?' They (the people) said, 'Yes, it is true.' The Prophet stood up again and led the prayer, completing the remaining prayer, forgotten by him, and performed Taslim, and then said, 'Allahu Akbar.' And then he did a prostration as he used to prostrate or longer than that. He then raised his head saying, 'Allahu Akbar; he then again said, 'Allahu Akbar', and prostrated as he used to prostrate or longer than that. Then he raised his head and said, 'Allahu Akbar.' " (The subnarrator added, "I think that they asked (Ibn Seereen) whether the Prophet completed the prayer with Taslim. He replied, "I heard that `Imran bin Husain had said, 'Then he (the Prophet) did Taslim.")

The Messenger of Allah (saws) raised his voice in talbiyah; he then mentioned the wordings of talbiyah like the tradition narrated by Ibn Umar. The people used to add the words dhal-ma'arij (the Possessor of ladders) and similar other words (to talbiyah) while the Prophet (saws) heard them utter these words, but he did not say anything to them.

I liked to enter the House (the Ka'bah) and pray therein. The Messenger of Allah (saws) caught me by hand and admitted me to al-Hijr. He then said: Pray in al-Hijr when you intend to enter the House (the Ka'bah), for it is a part of the House (the Ka'bah). Your people shortened it when they built the Ka'bah, and they took it out of the House.

The Prophet (saws) said: I and a woman whose cheeks have become black shall on the Day of Resurrection be like these two (pointing to the middle and forefinger), i.e. a woman of rank and beauty who has been bereft of her husband and devotes herself to her fatherless children till they go their separate ways or die.