(One night) I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maimuna, and said to myself, "I will watch the prayer of Allah's Apostle " My aunt placed a cushion for Allah's Apostle and he slept on it in its length-wise direction and (woke-up) rubbing the traces of sleep off his face and then he recited the last ten Verses of Surat-al-`Imran till he finished it. Then he went to a hanging water skin and took it, performed the ablution and then stood up to offer the prayer. I got up and did the same as he had done, and stood beside him. He put his hand on my head and held me by the ear and twisted it. He offered two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, and finally the witr (i.e. one rak`a) prayer.

I asked Aba Salama bin `Abdur-Rahman about the first Sura revealed of the Qur'an. He replied "O you, wrapped-up (i.e. Al Muddaththir)." I said, "They say it was, 'Read, in the Name of your Lord Who created,' (i.e. Surat Al-`Alaq (the Clot)." On that, Abu Salama said, "I asked Jabir bin `Abdullah about that, saying the same as you have said, whereupon he said, 'I will not tell you except what Allah's Apostle had told us. Allah's Apostle said, "I was in seclusion in the cave of Hiram', and after I completed the limited period of my seclusion. I came down (from the cave) and heard a voice calling me. I looked to my right, but saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw something. So I went to Khadija (the Prophet's wife) and told her to wrap me up and pour cold water on me. So they wrapped me up and poured cold water on me." Then, 'O you, (Muhammad) wrapped up! Arise and warn,' (Surat Al Muddaththir) was revealed." (74.1)

My mother, Um Sulaim, took a Mudd of barley grain, ground it and made porridge from it, and pressed (over it), a butter skin she had with her. Then she sent me to the Prophet, and I reached him while he was sitting with his companions. I invited him, whereupon he said, "And those who are with me?' I returned and said, "He says, 'And those who are with me?" Abu Talha went out to him and said, "O Allah's Apostle! It is just a meal prepared by Um Sulaim." The Prophet entered and the food was brought to him. He said, "Let ten persons enter upon me." Those ten entered and ate their fill. Again he said, 'Let ten (more) enter upon me." Those ten entered and ate their fill. Then he said, "Let ten (more) enter upon me." He called forty persons in all Then Allah's Apostle ate and got up. I started looking (at the food) to see if it decreased or not.

That Allah's Apostle came to him and Fatima the daughter of Allah's Apostle at their house at night and said, "Won't you pray?" `Ali replied, "O Allah's Apostle! Our souls are in the Hands of Allah and when he wants us to get up, He makes us get up." When `Ali said that to him, Allah's Apostle left without saying anything to him. While the Prophet was leaving, `Ali heard him striking his thigh (with his hand) and saying, "But man is quarrelsome more than anything else." (18.54)

I asked `Aisha the wife of the Prophet about the meaning of the following Verse: -- "(Respite will be granted) 'Until when the apostles give up hope (of their people) and thought that they were denied (by their people)..............."(12.110) `Aisha replied, "Really, their nations did not believe them." I said, "By Allah! They were definite that their nations treated them as liars and it was not a matter of suspecting." `Aisha said, "O 'Uraiya (i.e. `Urwa)! No doubt, they were quite sure about it." I said, "May the Verse be read in such a way as to mean that the apostles thought that Allah did not help them?" Aisha said, "Allah forbid! (Impossible) The Apostles did not suspect their Lord of such a thing. But this Verse is concerned with the Apostles' followers who had faith in their Lord and believed in their apostles and their period of trials was long and Allah's Help was delayed till the apostles gave up hope for the conversion of the disbelievers amongst their nation and suspected that even their followers were shaken in their belief, Allah's Help then came to them."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was on one of his journeys, and one night Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was travelling with him, asked him about something, but he did not answer him. He asked him again, but he did not answer him. Then he asked him again, and again he did not answer him. Umar said, "May your mother be bereaved of you, Umar. Three times you have importuned the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a question and he has not answered you at all."

Umar continued, "I got my camel moving until, when I was in front of the people, I feared that a piece of Qur'an was being sent down about me. It was not long before I heard a crier calling for me, and I said that I feared that a piece of Qur'an had been sent down about me." He continued, "I came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Peace be upon you' to him, and he said, 'A sura has been sent down to me this night that is more beloved to me than anything on which the sun rises.' Then he recited al-Fath (Sura 48).

The Prophet delivered a sermon and said, "Allah gave a choice to one of (His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter. He chose the latter." Abu Bakr wept. I said to myself, "Why is this Sheikh weeping, if Allah gave choice to one (of His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Here after and he chose the latter?" And that slave was Allah's Apostle himself. Abu Bakr knew more than us. The Prophet said, "O Abu Bakr! Don't weep. The Prophet added: Abu- Bakr has favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr but the Islamic brotherhood and friendship is sufficient. Close all the gates in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr.

When the Prophet, became ill in his fatal illness, Someone came to inform him about the prayer, and the Prophet told him to tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer. I said, "Abu Bakr is a softhearted man and if he stands for the prayer in your place, he would weep and would not be able to recite the Qur'an." The Prophet said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." I said the same as before. He (repeated the same order and) on the third or the fourth time he said, "You are the companions of Joseph. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." So Abu Bakr led the prayer and meanwhile the Prophet felt better and came out with the help of two men; as if I see him just now dragging his feet on the ground. When Abu Bakr saw him, he tried to retreat but the Prophet beckoned him to carry on. Abu Bakr retreated a bit and the Prophet sat on his (left) side. Abu Bakr was repeating the Takbir (Allahu Akbar) of Allah's Apostle for the people to hear.

Somebody came to the house of Ibn `Umar and told him that Allah's Apostles had entered the Ka`ba. Ibn `Umar said, "I went in front of the Ka`ba and found that Allah's Apostle had come out of the Ka`ba and I saw Bilal standing by the side of the gate of the Ka`ba. I said, 'O Bilal! Has Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) prayed inside the Ka`ba?' Bilal replied in the affirmative. I said, 'Where (did he pray)?' He replied, '(He prayed) Between these two pillars and then he came out and offered a two rak`at prayer in front of the Ka`ba.' " Abu `Abdullah said: Abu Huraira said, "The Prophet (p.b.u.h) advised me to offer two rak`at of Duha prayer (prayer to be offered after sunrise and before midday). " Itban (bin Malik) said, "Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) and Abu Bakr, came to me after sunrise and we aligned behind the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and offered two rak`at."

When the news of the martyrdom of Zaid bin Haritha, Ja`far and `Abdullah bin Rawaha came, the Prophet sat down looking sad, and I was looking through the chink of the door. A man came and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The women of Ja`far," and then he mentioned their crying . The Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered him to stop them from crying. The man went and came back and said, "I tried to stop them but they disobeyed." The Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered him for the second time to forbid them. He went again and came back and said, "They did not listen to me, (or "us": the sub-narrator Muhammad bin Haushab is in doubt as to which is right). " (`Aisha added: The Prophet said, "Put dust in their mouths." I said (to that man), "May Allah stick your nose in the dust (i.e. humiliate you)." By Allah, you could not (stop the women from crying) to fulfill the order, besides you did not relieve Allah's Apostle from fatigue."

(the wife of the Prophet) that Allah's Apostle said to her, "Do you know that when your people (Quraish) rebuilt the Ka`ba, they decreased it from its original foundation laid by Abraham?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Why don't you rebuild it on its original foundation laid by Abraham?" He replied, "Were it not for the fact that your people are close to the Pre-Islamic Period of ignorance (i.e. they have recently become Muslims) I would have done so." The sub-narrator, `Abdullah (bin `Umar ) stated: `Aisha 'must have heard this from Allah's Apostle for in my opinion Allah's Apostle had not placed his hand over the two corners of the Ka`ba opposite Al-Hijr only because the Ka`ba was not rebuilt on its original foundations laid by Abraham.

"Allah's Apostle sent an army towards the east coast and appointed Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah as their chief, and the army consisted of three-hundred men including myself. We marched on till we reached a place where our food was about to finish. Abu- 'Ubaida ordered us to collect all the journey food and it was collected. My (our) journey food was dates. Abu 'Ubaida kept on giving us our daily ration in small amounts from it, till it was exhausted. The share of everyone of us used to be one date only." I said, "How could one date benefit you?" Jabir replied, "We came to know its value when even that too finished." Jabir added, "When we reached the sea-shore, we saw a huge fish which was like a small mountain. The army ate from it for eighteen days. Then Abu 'Ubaida ordered that two of its ribs be fixed and they were fixed in the ground. Then he ordered that a she-camel be ridden and it passed under the two ribs (forming an arch) without touching them."

`Aisha said, "Allah's Apostle in his fatal illness, used to ask, 'Where will I be tomorrow? Where will I be tomorrow?", seeking `Aisha's turn. His wives allowed him to stay wherever he wished. So he stayed at `Aisha's house till he expired while he was with her." `Aisha added, "The Prophet expired on the day of my turn in my house and he was taken unto Allah while his head was against my chest and his saliva mixed with my saliva." `Aisha added, "Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr came in, carrying a Siwak he was cleaning his teeth with. Allah's Apostle looked at it and I said to him, 'O `AbdurRahman! Give me this Siwak.' So he gave it to me and I cut it, chewed it (it's end) and gave it to Allah's Apostle who cleaned his teeth with it while he was resting against my chest."

It was narrated from Qais or Ibn Qais, a man from Ju`fi, from `Umar bin al-Khattab and he mentioned a Hadeeth similar to that of Affan.

Once the Messenger of Allah (saws) intended to go on an expedition. He said: O group of the emigrants (Muhajirun) and the helpers (Ansar), among your brethren there are people who have neither property nor family. So one of you should take with him two or three persons; with me. I also rode on my camel by turns like one of them.

Umar said to him: The Ka'bah does not need your property. Make atonement for your oath and speak to your brother. I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: An oath or vow to disobey the Lord, or to break ties of relationship or about something over which one has no control is not binding on you.

A man alighted at Harrah with his wife and children. A man said (to him): My she-camel has strayed; if you find it, detain it.

He found it, but did not find its owner, and it fell ill. His wife said: Slaughter it. But he refused and it died.

She said: Skin it so that we may dry its fat and flesh and then eat them.

He said: Let me ask the Messenger of Allah (saws). So he came to him (the Prophet) and asked him. He said: Have you sufficient for your needs? He replied: No. He then said: Then eat it.

Then its owner came and he told him the story. He said: Why did you not slaughter it? He replied: I was ashamed (or afraid) of you.

Al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh, quoting his father, said: I asked Aisha about living in the desert. She said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to go to the desert to these rivulets. Once he intended to go to the desert and he sent to me a she-camel from the camel of sadaqah which had not been used for riding so far. He said to me: Aisha! show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it.

Ibn al-Sabbah said in his version: Muharramah means a mount which has not been used for riding.

A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: Messenger of Allah: I have some need with you. He said to her: Mother of so and so, sit in the corner of any street you wish and I shall sit with you. So she sat and the Messenger of Allah (saws) also sat with her till she fulfilled her need.

The narrator Ibn 'Isa did not mention "till she fulfilled her need." And Kathir said: from Humaid on the authority of Anas.

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Uthman ibn Affan said, "If someone gives something to his small child who is not old enough to look after it himself, and in order that his gift might be permitted he makes the gift public and has it witnessed, the gift is permitted, even if the father keeps charge of it."

Malik said, "What is done in our community is that if a man gives his small child some gold or silver and then dies and he has it in his own keeping, the child has none of it unless the father set it aside in coin or placed it with a man to keep for the son. If he does that, it is permitted for the son."

The Prophet said, "When the Quraish disbelieved me (concerning my night journey), I stood up in Al- Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka`ba) and Allah displayed Bait-ul-Maqdis before me, and I started to inform them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it."

Some people asked Allah's Apostle about the fore-tellers. Allah's Apostle said to them, "They are nothing (i.e., liars)." The people said, 'O Allah's Apostle ! Sometimes they tell something which comes out to be true." Allah's Apostle said, "That word which comes to be true is what a jinx snatches away by stealing and then pours it in the ear of his fore-teller with a sound similar to the cackle of a hen, and then they add to it one-hundred lies."

I asked the Prophet (for some money) and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me and he then said, "This wealth is (like) green and sweet (fruit), and whoever takes it without greed, Allah will bless it for him, but whoever takes it with greed, Allah will not bless it for him, and he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (taking) hand."

`Amr bin Taghlib said, "Some property was given to the Prophet and he gave it to some people and withheld it from some others. Then he came to know that they (the latter) were dissatisfied. So the Prophet said, 'I give to one man and leave (do not give) another, and the one to whom I do not give is dearer to me than the one to whom I give. I give to some people because of the impatience and discontent present in their hearts, and leave other people because of the content and goodness Allah has bestowed on them, and one of them is `Amr bin Taghlib." `Amr bin Taghlib said, "The sentence which Allah's Apostle said in my favor is dearer to me than the possession of nice red camels."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd ibn Aslam said, ''Umar ibn al Khattab drank some milk which he liked (very much) and he asked the man who had given it to him, 'Where did this milk come from?' The man told him that he had come to a watering-place, which he named, and had found grazing livestock from the zakat watering there. He was given some of their milk, which he then put into his water-skin, and that was the milk in question. Umar ibn al-Khattab then put his hand into his mouth to make himself vomit."

Malik said, "The position with us is that if anyone refuses to honour one of the obligatory demands of Allah, and the muslims are unable to get it, then they have the right to fight him until they get itfrom him."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Qabisa ibn Dhu'ayb that a man asked Uthman ibn Affan whether one could have intercourse with two sisters who one owned. Uthman said, "One ayat makes them halal, and one ayat makes them haram. As for me, I wouldn't like to do it." The man left him and met one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him about it, and he said, "Had I any authority and I found someone who had done it, I would punish him as an example."

Ibn Shihab added, "I think that it was Ali ibn Abi Talib. "

"When the Prophet became seriously ill and his disease became aggravated he asked for permission from his wives to be nursed in my house and he was allowed. He came out with the help of two men and his legs were dragging on the ground. He was between Al-`Abbas and another man." 'Ubaidullah said, "I told Ibn `Abbas what `Aisha had narrated and he said, 'Do you know who was the (second) man whose name `Aisha did not mention'" I said, 'No.' Ibn `Abbas said, 'He was `Ali Ibn Abi Talib.' "