During the Pre-lslamic period of ignorance if any tribe became great in number, we used to say, "Amira the children of so-and-so." Narrated Al-Humaidi: Sufyan narrated to us something and used the word 'Amira'.

The Prophet visited me during Hajjat ul-Wada` while I was suffering from a disease which brought me to the verge of death. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! My ailment has reached such a (bad) state as you see, and I have much wealth, but I have no-one to inherit from me except my only daughter. Shall I give 2/3 of my property as alms (in charity)?" The Prophet said, "No," I said, "Shall I give half of my property as alms?" He said, "No." I said, "(Shall I give) 1/3 of it? " He replied, " 1/3, and even 1/3 is too much. It is better for you to leave your inheritors wealthy rather than to leave them poor, begging people (for their sustenance); and whatever you spend for Allah's Sake, you will get reward for it even for the morsel of food which you put in your wives mouth." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Should I remain (in Mecca) behind my companions (who are going with you to Medina)?" The Prophet said, "If you remain behind, any good deed which you will do for Allah's Sake, will upgrade and elevate you. May be you will live longer so that some people may benefit by you and some other (i.e. infidels) may get harmed by you." The Prophet then added, "O Allah! Complete the Migration of my companions and do not turn them on their heels. But the poor Sa`d bin Khaula (not the above mentioned Sa`d) (died in Mecca) ." Allah's Apostle pitied Sa`d for he died in Mecca.

Malik said, "It is not halal to marry a christian or jewish slave-girl because Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, said in His Book, 'Believing women who are muhsanat and women of those who were given the Book before you who are muhsanat', (sura 5 ayat 6) and they are free women from the Christians and Jews. Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, said in His Book, 'If you are not affluent enough to marry believing women who are muhsanat, take believing slave-girls whom your right hands own.' " (Sura 4 ayat 24)

Malik said, "In our opinion, Allah made marriage to believing slave-girls halal, and He did not make halal marriage to christian and jewish slave-girls from the People of the Book."

Malik said, "The christian and jewish slave-girl are halal for their master by right of possession, but intercourse with a magian slave-girl is not halal by the right of possession."

I asked Anas how many times the Prophet had performed `Umra. He replied, "Four times. 1. `Umra of Hudaibiya in Dhi-l-Qa'da when the pagans hindered him; 2. `Umra in the following year in Dhi-l- Qa'da after the peace treaty with them (the pagans); 3. `Umra from Al-Ja'rana where he distributed the war booty." I think he meant the booty (of the battle) of Hunain. I asked, "How many times did he perform Hajj?" He (Anas) replied, "Once. "

Allah's Apostle said, "There will be three types of people whom Allah will neither speak to them on the Day of Resurrection nor will purify them from sins, and they will have a painful punishment: They are, (1) a man possessed superfluous water (more than he needs) on a way and he withholds it from the travelers. (2) a man who gives a pledge of allegiance to an Imam (ruler) and gives it only for worldly benefits, if the Imam gives him what he wants, he abides by his pledge, otherwise he does not fulfill his pledge; (3) and a man who sells something to another man after the `Asr prayer and swears by Allah (a false oath) that he has been offered so much for it whereupon the buyer believes him and buys it although in fact, the seller has not been offered such a price." (See Hadith No. 838, Vol. 3)

The Prophet said, "There are three types of people whom Allah will neither talk to, nor look at, on the Day of Resurrection. (They are): -1. A man who takes an oath falsely that he has been offered for his goods so much more than what he is given, -2. a man who takes a false oath after the `Asr prayer in order to grab a Muslim's property, and -3. a man who withholds his superfluous water. Allah will say to him, "Today I will withhold My Grace from you as you withheld the superfluity of what you had not created."

In Surat al-Muzzammil (73), the verse: "Keep vigil at night but a little, a half thereof" (2-3) has been abrogated by the following verse: "He knoweth that ye count it not, and turneth unto you in mercy. Recite then of the Qur'an that which is easy for you" (v.20). The phrase "the vigil of the night" (nashi'at al-layl) means the early hours of the night. They (the companions) would pray (the tahajjud prayer) in the early hours of the night.

He (Ibn Abbas) says: It is advisable to offer the prayer at night (tahajjud), prescribed by Allah for you (in the early hours of the night). This is because when a person sleeps, he does not know when he will awake. The words "speech more certain" (aqwamu qilan) means that this time is more suitable for the understanding of the Qur'an. He says: The verse: "Lo, thou hast by day a chain of business" (v.7) means engagement for long periods (in the day's work).

The clerk of Al-Mughira bin Shu`ba narrated, "Muawiya wrote to Al-Mughira bin Shu`ba: Write to me something which you have heard from the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ." So Al-Mughira wrote: I heard the Prophet saying, "Allah has hated for you three things: -1. Vain talks, (useless talk) that you talk too much or about others. -2. Wasting of wealth (by extravagance) -3. And asking too many questions (in disputed religious matters) or asking others for something (except in great need). (See Hadith No. 591, Vol. Ill)

In the year of Hajjat-ul-Wada` the Prophet visited me when I fell ill and was about to die because of that illness. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I am very ill as you see, and I am a rich man and have no heir except my only daughter. Shall I give 2/3 of my property in charity?" He said, "No." I said, "Shall I then give one half of it in charity?" He said, "O Sa`d! Give 1/3 (in charity) and even 1/3 is too much. No doubt, it is better to leave your children rich than to leave them poor, reduced to begging from others. And Allah will reward you for whatever you spend with the intention of gaining Allah's Pleasure even if it were a mouthful of food you put into your wives mouth." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Am I to be left behind (in Mecca) after my companions have gone?" He said, "If you should be left behind, you will be upgraded and elevated for every deed you will do with a desire to achieve Allah's Pleasure. I hope that you will live long so that some people will benefit by you while others will be harmed. O Allah! Please fulfill the migration of my companions and do not make them turn back on their heels. But (we feel sorry for) the unlucky Sa`d bin Khaulah." Allah's Apostle lamented his death in Mecca.

The Prophet said, "(There are) three (types of persons to whom) Allah will neither speak to them on the Day of Resurrections, nor look at them (They are):--(1) a man who takes a false oath that he has been offered for a commodity a price greater than what he has actually been offered; (2) and a man who takes a false oath after the `Asr (prayer) in order to grab the property of a Muslim through it; (3) and a man who forbids others to use the remaining superfluous water. To such a man Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Today I withhold My Blessings from you as you withheld the superfluous part of that (water) which your hands did not create.' "

Allah's Apostle said, "There are three persons whom Allah will neither talk to nor look at, nor purify from (the sins), and they will have a painful punishment. (They are): (1) A man possessed superfluous water on a way and he withheld it from the travelers. (2) a man who gives a pledge of allegiance to a Muslim ruler and gives it only for worldly gains. If the ruler gives him what he wants, he remains obedient to It, otherwise he does not abide by it, and (3) a man bargains with another man after the `Asr prayer and the latter takes a false oath in the Name of Allah) claiming that he has been offered so much for the thing and the former (believes him and) buys it."

I used to sit with Ibn 'Abbas and he made me sit on his sitting place. He requested me to stay with him in order that he might give me a share from his property. So I stayed with him for two months. Once he told (me) that when the delegation of the tribe of 'Abdul Qais came to the Prophet, the Prophet asked them, "Who are the people (i.e. you)? (Or) who are the delegate?" They replied, "We are from the tribe of Rabi'a." Then the Prophet said to them, "Welcome! O people (or O delegation of 'Abdul Qais)! Neither will you have disgrace nor will you regret." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! We cannot come to you except in the sacred month and there is the infidel tribe of Mudar intervening between you and us. So please order us to do something good (religious deeds) so that we may inform our people whom we have left behind (at home), and that we may enter Paradise (by acting on them)." Then they asked about drinks (what is legal and what is illegal). The Prophet ordered them to do four things and forbade them from four things. He ordered them to believe in Allah Alone and asked them, "Do you know what is meant by believing in Allah Alone?" They replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." Thereupon the Prophet said, "It means:

1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.

2. To offer prayers perfectly

3. To pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)

4. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

5. And to pay Al-Khumus (one fifth of the booty to be given in Allah's Cause).

Then he forbade them four things, namely, Hantam, Dubba,' Naqir Ann Muzaffat or Muqaiyar; (These were the names of pots in which Alcoholic drinks were prepared) (The Prophet mentioned the container of wine and he meant the wine itself). The Prophet further said (to them): "Memorize them (these instructions) and convey them to the people whom you have left behind."

Adi b. 'Amira al-Kindi heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying (as) was narrated in the (above-mentioned) hadith.

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.