The Prophet said to Abu Talha, "Choose one of your boy servants to serve me in my expedition to Khaibar." So, Abu Talha took me letting me ride behind him while I was a boy nearing the age of puberty. I used to serve Allah's Apostle when he stopped to rest. I heard him saying repeatedly, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from distress and sorrow, from helplessness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt and from being overcome by men." Then we reached Khaibar; and when Allah enabled him to conquer the Fort (of Khaibar), the beauty of Safiya bint Huyai bin Akhtab was described to him. Her husband had been killed while she was a bride. So Allah's Apostle selected her for himself and took her along with him till we reached a place called Sa`d-AsSahba,' where her menses were over and he took her for his wife. Haris (a kind of dish) was served on a small leather sheet. Then Allah's Apostle told me to call those who were around me. So, that was the marriage banquet of Allah's Apostle and Safiya. Then we left for Medina. I saw Allah's Apostle folding a cloak round the hump of the camel so as to make a wide space for Safiya (to sit on behind him) He sat beside his camel letting his knees for Safiya to put her feet on so as to mount the camel. Then, we proceeded till we approached Medina; he looked at Uhud (mountain) and said, "This is a mountain which loves us and is loved by us." Then he looked at Medina and said, "O Allah! I make the area between its (i.e. Medina's) two mountains a sanctuary as Abraham made Mecca a sanctuary. O Allah! Bless them (i.e. the people of Medina) in their Mudd and Sa (i.e. measures).

"When the period of four months has expired, the husband should be put in prison so that he should divorce his wife, but the divorce does not occur unless the husband himself declares it. This has been mentioned by `Uthman, `Ali, Abu Ad-Darda, `Aisha and twelve other companions of the Prophet ."

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "War is deceit."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from 'Ali, Zaid bin Thabit, 'Aishah, Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Asma' bint Yazid bin As-Sakan, Ka'b bin Malik and Anas bin Malik. This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

The following Verse: If a woman fears cruelty or desertion on her husband's part (i.e. the husband notices something unpleasant about his wife, such as old age or the like, and wants to divorce her, but she asks him to keep her and provide for her as he wishes). (4.128) "There is no blame on them if they reconcile on such basis."

Yahya said: Narrate from me that both these traditions are weak in respect of their chains.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Thawri is reported to have said: Habib narrated this tradition to us only on the authority of 'Urwat al-Muzani, that is, he did not narrated any tradition on the authority of 'Urwah b. al-Zubair.

Abu Dawud said: Hamzah al-Zayyat reported a sound tradition on the authority of Habib, from 'Urwah b. al-Zubair from 'Aishah.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr, from Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha and Umm Salama, the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to get up in the morning junub from intercourse, not a dream, and would then fast."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The marriage of a woman who marries without the consent of her guardians is void. (He said these words) three times. If there is cohabitation, she gets her dower for the intercourse her husband has had. If there is a dispute, the sultan (man in authority) is the guardian of one who has none.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to setup a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan who would stand on it and satirise those who spoke against the Messenger of Allah (saws). The Messenger of Allah (saws) would say: The spirit of holiness (i.e. Gabriel) is with Hassan so long as he speaks in defence of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

¹: These verses were abrogated in recitation but not ruling. Other ahadith establish the number for fosterage to be 5.

The commencement of (the Divine Inspirations to) Allah's Apostle was in the form of true dreams. The Angel came to him and said, "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created all exists), has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is Most Generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. (96.1-4)

that the Prophet entered upon her while a man was sitting with her. Signs of answer seemed to appear on his face as if he disliked that. She said, "Here is my (foster) brother." He said, "Be sure as to who is your foster brother, for foster suckling relationship is established only when milk is the only food of the child."

An Ansari girl was married and she became sick and all her hair fell out intending to provide her with false hair. They asked the Prophet who said, "Allah has cursed the lady who artificially lengthens (her or someone else's) hair and also the one who gets her hair lengthened."

May Allah bestow His Mercy on the early emigrant women. When Allah revealed: "... and to draw their veils all over their Juyubihinna (i.e., their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)..." (V.24:31) they tore their Murat (woolen dresses or waist-binding clothes or aprons etc.) and covered their heads and faces with those torn Muruts.

Allah's Apostle in his fatal illness said, "Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians, for they built the places of worship at the graves of their prophets." And if that had not been the case, then the Prophet's grave would have been made prominent before the people. So (the Prophet ) was afraid, or the people were afraid that his grave might be taken as a place for worship.

The Prophet said, "If a woman gives in charity from her house meals without wasting (i.e. being extravagant), she will get the reward for her giving, and her husband will also get the reward for his earning and the storekeeper will also get a similar reward. The acquisition of the reward of none of them will reduce the reward of the others."

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "On the day of judgement, Allah will not look at one who arrogantly drags his garment.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from Hudhaifah, Abu Sa'eed, Abu Hurairah, Samurah, Abu Dharr, 'Aishah and Hubaib bin Mughfil. The Hadith of Ibn 'Umar is Hasan Sahih.

That there was a dispute between him and some people (about a piece of land). When he told `Aisha about it, she said, "O Abu Salama! Avoid taking the land unjustly, for the Prophet said, 'Whoever usurps even one span of the land of somebody, his neck will be encircled with it down the seven earths."

'Ashura' (i.e. the tenth of Muharram) was a day on which the tribe of Quraish used to fast in the prelslamic period of ignorance. The Prophet also used to fast on this day. So when he migrated to Medina, he fasted on it and ordered (the Muslims) to fast on it. When the fasting of Ramadan was enjoined, it became optional for the people to fast or not to fast on the day of Ashura.

Um Habiba and Um Salama mentioned a church they had seen in Ethiopia and in the church there were pictures. When they told the Prophet of this, he said, "Those people are such that if a pious man amongst them died, they build a place of worship over his grave and paint these pictures in it. Those people will be Allah's worst creatures on the Day of Resurrection . "

The revelation came down to Messenger of Allah (saws) and he recited to is: "A surah which We have sent down and which We have ordained (faradnaha)"

Abu Dawud said: The letter ra (r) is the word faradnaha has short vowel a (with out doubling of consonant r), and then he reached the verses after this verse.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) liked to begin with the right side as far as possible in all conditions: in his purification, and combing. The narrator Muslim added: "in using tooth-stick," and he did not mention "in all his conditions".

Abu Dawud said: Shu'bah transmitted it from Mu'adh, but did not mention "his tooth-stick."

(the wife of the Prophet) The commencement (of the Divine Inspiration) to Allah's Apostle was in the form of true dreams in his sleep, for he never had a dream but it turned out to be true and clear as the bright daylight. Then he began to like seclusions, so he used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship Allah continuously for many nights before going back to his family to take the necessary provision (of food) for the stay. He come back to (his wife) Khadija again to take his provision (of food) likewise, till one day he received the Guidance while he was in the cave of Hira. An Angel came to him and asked him to read. Allah's Apostle replied, "I do not know how to read." The Prophet added, "Then the Angel held me (forcibly) and pressed me so hard that I felt distressed. Then he released me and again asked me to read, and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he held me again and pressed me for the second time till I felt distressed. He then released me and asked me to read, but again I replied. 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he held me for the third time and pressed me till I got distressed, and then he released me and said, 'Read, in the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists), has created man out of a clot, Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen, has taught man that which he knew not." (96.1-5). Then Allah's Apostle returned with that experience; and the muscles between his neck and shoulders were trembling till he came upon Khadija (his wife) and said, "Cover me!" They covered him, and when the state of fear was over, he said to Khadija, "O Khadija! What is wrong with me? I was afraid that something bad might happen to me." Then he told her the story. Khadija said, "Nay! But receive the good tidings! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you, for by Allah, you keep good relations with your Kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, entertain your guests generously and assist those who are stricken with calamities." Khadija then took him to Waraqa bin Naufil, the son of Khadija's paternal uncle. Waraqa had been converted to Christianity in the Pre-lslamic Period and used to write Arabic and write of the Gospel in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said (to Waraqa), "O my cousin! Listen to what your nephew is going to say." Waraqa said, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" The Prophet then described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same Angel (Gabriel) who was sent to Moses. I wish I were young." He added some other statement. Allah's Apostle asked, "Will these people drive me out?" Waraqa said, "Yes, for nobody brought the like of what you have brought, but was treated with hostility. If I were to remain alive till your day (when you start preaching). then I would support you strongly." But a short while later Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was paused (stopped) for a while so that Allah's Apostle was very much grieved.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir from Said ibn al-Jubayr that a man who has approval (as a relater of hadith), told him that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If a man prays in the night and sleep overcomes him during it, Allah writes for him the reward of his prayer, and his sleep is sadaqa for him."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn Qusayt from Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Thawban from his mother that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered that the skins of carrion be used after they had been tanned.

Allah's Apostle used to pray eleven rak`at at night and that was his night prayer and each of his prostrations lasted for a period enough for one of you to recite fifty verses before Allah's Apostle raised his head. He also used to pray two rak`at (Sunnah) before the (compulsory) Fajr prayer and then lie down on his right side till the Mu'adh-dhin came to him for the prayer.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: When one of you throws pebbles at the last jamrah (Jamrat al-Aqabah), everything becomes lawful for him except women (sexual intercourse).

Abu Dawud said: This is a weak tradition. The narrator al-Hajjaj neither saw al-Zuhri nor heard tradition from him.

The Prophet (saws) got some ornaments presented by Negus as a gift to him. They contained a gold ring with an Abyssinian stone. The Messenger of Allah (saws) turning his attention from it took it by means of a stick or his finger, then called Umamah, daughter of Abul'As and daughter of his daughter Zaynab, and said: Wear it, my dear daughter.

A woman borrowed jewellery through some known persons and she herself was unknown. She then sold them. She was seized and brought to the Prophet (saws). He gave orders that her hand should be cut off. It is this woman about whom Usamah interceded and of her the Messenger of Allah (saws) said whatever he said.

When Allah's Apostle decided to leave Mecca after the Hajj, he saw Safiyya, sad and standing at the entrance of her tent. He said to her, "Aqr (or) Halq! You will detain us. Did you perform Tawaf-al- Ifada on the day of Nahr? She said, "Yes." He said, "Then you can depart."

The Prophet did not do that (i.e., forbade the storage of the meat of sacrifices for three days) except (he did so) so that the rich would feed the poor. But later we used to keep even trotters to cook, fifteen days later. The family of Muhammad did not eat wheat bread with meat or soup to their satisfaction for three successive days.

The Prophet used to take the Pledge of allegiance from the women by words only after reciting this Holy Verse:--(60.12) "..that they will not associate anything in worship with Allah." (60.12) And the hand of Allah's Apostle did not touch any woman's hand except the hand of that woman his right hand possessed. (i.e. his captives or his lady slaves).

Whenever the Prophet took a bath after Janaba he started by washing his hands and then performed ablution like that for the prayer. After that he would put his fingers in water and move the roots of his hair with them, and then pour three handfuls of water over his head and then pour water all over his body.

Um Habiba and Um Salama mentioned about a church they had seen in Ethiopia in which there were pictures. They told the Prophet about it, on which he said, "If any religious man dies amongst those people they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it. They will be the worst creature in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection."

Had Allah's Apostle known what the women were doing, he would have forbidden them from going to the mosque as the women of Bani Israel had been forbidden. Yahya bin Sa`id (a sub-narrator) asked `Amra (another sub-narrator), "Were the women of Bani Israel forbidden?" She replied "Yes."

Allah's Apostle said, "When a woman gives in charity some of the foodstuff (which she has in her house) without spoiling it, she will receive the reward for what she has spent, and her husband will receive the reward because of his earning, and the storekeeper will also have a reward similar to it. The reward of one will not decrease the reward of the others . "

The Prophet went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She replied that she had nothing except the mutton (piece) which Nusaiba (Um 'Atiyya) had sent to us (Barira) in charity." The Prophet said, "It has reached its place and now it is not a thing of charity but a gift for us."

Quraish used to fast on the day of 'Ashura' in the Pre-Islamic period, and Allah's Apostle too, used to fast on that day. When he came to Medina, he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast, too. Later when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, he gave up fasting on the day of 'Ashura' and it became optional for one to fast on it or not.